Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule: Fixtures, Dates & Venues

When the ICC Champions Trophy returns in February 2025, it will do something its predecessors never had to: split a tournament across two countries before a single ball is bowled. India has confirmed participation—but all its matches move to Dubai. Everyone else stays in Pakistan. The arrangement reshapes how fans follow the competition, where teams prepare, and what the knockout stage might look like.

Dates: February 19 – March 9, 2025 ·
Format: ODI round-robin and knockouts ·
Venues: Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi) + Dubai for India matches ·
Host: Pakistan ·
Opening Match: Pakistan vs New Zealand, Feb 19, Karachi

The table below summarizes the essential tournament parameters, including host nation, format, and opening fixture.

Will India play the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025?

India has confirmed participation in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy—but not on Pakistani soil. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declined to send the national team to Pakistan citing security concerns, triggering a diplomatic compromise that became the defining feature of this tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) stepped in with a neutral venue arrangement: on December 19, 2024, the governing body established that India-Pakistan matches at ICC events through 2027 would be played at neutral venues (Wikipedia). For Champions Trophy 2025, that means every Indian fixture relocates to Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

India’s group stage fixtures

India landed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand—a draw that immediately created the tournament’s most scrutinized matchups. All three of India’s group stage games shift to Dubai:

• India vs Bangladesh: February 20, 2025, Dubai
• India vs Pakistan: February 23, 2025, Dubai, 2:30 pm IST
• India vs New Zealand: March 2, 2025, Dubai

India beat New Zealand by 4 runs in the Final at Dubai International Stadium, according to the ICC’s official match records.

Neutral venue arrangements

The neutral venue model applies beyond group stage. Should India qualify for the semi-finals or final, those matches also shift to Dubai. The rule: if India reaches the final, it plays at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (capacity 25,000); if India is eliminated before the final, the championship match returns to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore (capacity 34,000).

Where is the Champions Trophy semi-final in 2025?

The knockout stage splits across two venues: Semi-final 1 lands in Dubai, while Semi-final 2 stays in Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Semi-final venues and dates

• Semi-final 1: March 4, 2025 — Dubai International Cricket Stadium
• Semi-final 2: March 5, 2025 — Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
• Final: March 9, 2025 — venue depends on India’s progression

Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore hosted 4 matches during the tournament including Semi-final 2, while Dubai International Cricket Stadium hosted 5 matches including Semi-final 1 and the championship match.

India semi-final possibilities

Whether India faces the first or second semi-final depends entirely on group stage results. The tournament’s round-robin format means Group A’s top two teams advance, then face the Group B runner-up and winner respectively. India could land in either semi-final slot depending on its points tally and net run rate relative to Pakistan and New Zealand.

Why is India playing in Dubai?

The short answer: security concerns. India declined to play in Pakistan, and the ICC’s December 2024 neutral venue policy gave both cricket boards a framework to proceed without cancelling the tournament.

Logistical reasons

The BCCI has maintained since 2022 that it will not send the Indian national team to Pakistan for bilateral or ICC events. The position stems from government-level security advisories that classify travel to Pakistan as high-risk for national team delegations.

The ICC’s neutral venue mandate provides continuity: India remains in the tournament, Pakistan retains hosting rights, and the sport avoids the commercial catastrophe of excluding either nation from a global event.

Impact on schedule

The arrangement required creative scheduling. India plays all group stage matches in Dubai while other teams travel between Pakistan’s three venues. The model also affects broadcasting: Indian viewers watch most matches from Dubai, while Pakistani audiences tune in domestically for non-India fixtures.

The catch: the split-venue model forces broadcasters to manage two separate production feeds, while teams competing in Pakistan must factor in travel fatigue that India’s squad avoids entirely.

Will India play semi-final 1 or 2 in Champions Trophy?

This question cannot be answered definitively until the group stage concludes—but the scenarios are straightforward.

Group stage outcomes

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand form Group A. Each team plays the others once in 50-over format. Points determine standings: win equals 2 points, loss equals 0. In case of equal points, net run rate decides position.

The top two teams from Group A advance. The Group A winner faces the Group B runner-up in Semi-final 1 (March 4, Dubai). The Group A runner-up meets the Group B winner in Semi-final 2 (March 5, Lahore).

Qualification scenarios

If India wins Group A, it plays the Group B runner-up in Dubai on March 4. If India finishes second in Group A, it faces the Group B winner in Lahore on March 5.

The Group B lineup—Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan—adds complexity. Australia’s consistent ODI record makes them the likely Group B winner, while South Africa’s pace attack and England’s batting depth create genuine uncertainty.

The pattern: India’s path through the knockout stage hinges on just one round-robin result, making the February 23 fixture the most consequential single match of the tournament.

Where is the Champions Trophy schedule 2025?

The complete schedule was released on December 24, 2024, following months of negotiation over venue arrangements. Fixtures span 19 days across four venues.

Full match list

The tournament opens with Pakistan vs New Zealand at National Stadium Karachi on February 19, 2025. That match marks the first time Pakistan has hosted a major ICC event since 1996—a milestone tempered by India’s absence from Pakistani venues.

The complete fixture list below shows the venue allocation across all four locations, with Dubai hosting all India matches.

The implication: the venue distribution creates a two-track tournament where Indian fans experience a concentrated Dubai-based event while Pakistani supporters follow their team across three cities.

Group A and B fixtures

Beyond India’s matches in Dubai, the group stage fills withfixtures across Karachi (National Stadium, 30,000 capacity), Rawalpindi (Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 20,000 capacity), and Lahore (Gaddafi Stadium, 34,000 capacity). Teams like Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan play all their group matches in Pakistan.

Key dates and times

The India vs Pakistan match on February 23 kicks off at 2:30 pm IST (Indian Standard Time), which translates to 12:00 noon in Pakistan—a scheduling decision that avoids prime-time clashes while maximizing South Asian viewership.

For Indian cricket fans, the Champions Trophy experience transforms into a Dubai-centric viewing event—all three group matches, the semi-final, and potentially the final play out at a single venue 2,000 kilometers from home. For Pakistani supporters, the tournament delivers live international cricket across three cities but with the marquee matchup relocated to a neutral venue they cannot attend without additional travel.

The winner will likely emerge from the bracket containing India and New Zealand. India has already beaten New Zealand by 4 runs in the Final at Dubai International Stadium.