A tentative Champions Trophy 2025 schedule has been released after months of delays that were caused by the impasse between Pakistan and India. Last week it was decided that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would host the tournament in a hybrid model where all of India’s matches will be played at a neutral venue. The UAE was confirmed as the neutral venue after the PCB chair, Mohsin Naqvi, met the UAE minister Sheikh Nahyan Al Mubarak.
“The PCB has picked the UAE as a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy,” a PCB spokesperson confirmed.
All of the games involving India, including the high-voltage Pakistan vs India clash and the knockout games, will be played in the UAE if India make it past the group stage.
The tournament will be played within its originally reserved window, running from February 19 to March 9.
All participating eight teams have been divided into two groups, with the defending champions and host Pakistan in group A along with India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. The remaining teams including England, Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan will form group B.
Group A: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand
Group B: Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa
Each team will play three group-stage games and the top two sides from each group will make it to the semi-finals. The two semi-finals will be played on March 4 and March 5, the first of which will not have a reserve day. Both the first semi-final and the final, which is set to be played on March 9, will be played in the UAE in case India progress to that stage. If not, these matches will be played in Pakistan too.
The tournament will be opened with a game between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi on February 19 at the National Stadium, KArachi.
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
| 19/02/2025 | Pakistan vs New Zealand | National Stadium, Karachi |
| 20/02/2025 | Bangladesh vs India | Dubai International Stadium, Dubai |
| 21/02/2025 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | To be decided |
| 22/02/2025 | Australia vs England | To be decided |
| 23/02/2025 | Pakistan vs India | Dubai International Stadium, Dubai |
| 24/02/2025 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | To be decided |
| 25/02/2025 | Australia vs South Africa | To be decided |
| 26/02/2025 | Afghanistan vs England | To be decided |
| 27/02/2025 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi |
| 28/02/2025 | Aghanistan vs Australia | To be decided |
| 01/03/2025 | England vs South Africa | To be decided |
| 02/03/2025 | India vs New Zealand | Dubai International Stadium, Dubai |
| 04/03/2025 | Semi-final 1 (TBA vs TBA) | Dubai International Stadium, Dubai/Pakistan |
| 05/03/2025 | Semi-final 2 (TBA vs TBA) | To be decided |
| 06/03/2025 | Reserve Day (SF-2) | To be decided |
| 09/03/2025 | Final | Dubai International Stadium, Dubai/Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
This will be one of several incoming tournaments which will be played in a hybrid setting. Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the PCB, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reached an agreement under which the Champions Trophy 2025 along with the remaining ICC tournaments in the ongoing events cycle will be played in a hybrid setting. Matches involving India and Pakistan will be played at neutral venues which will be decided by the respective hosts after confirmation by the ICC.
The schedule has yet to receive a confirmation by the ICC, which is likely to come in the next couple of days.
