India will play their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in the UAE. The decision, though widely expected, was finalized after Mohsin Naqvi, PCB chairman, met with Sheikh Nahyan Al Mubarak in Pakistan. Sheikh Nahyan is a senior minister of the UAE and also head of the Emirates Cricket Board.
“The PCB has chosen the UAE as a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy,” said PCB spokesperson Amir Mir.
The league match between Pakistan and India will be played on February 23, a Sunday. Apart from Pakistan, the other two teams in India’s group are Bangladesh and New Zealand. India will face Bangladesh on February 20 and New Zealand on March 2. All these matches are likely to be held in Dubai.
Pakistan, the defending champions, will start the tournament on February 19 against New Zealand in Karachi. Pakistan’s final league match, against Bangladesh, will be played in Rawalpindi on 27 February.
The second group has Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa. The matches for both groups – apart from the India matches – will be played across Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
The two semi-finals are scheduled for March 4 (without reserve day) and March 5 (with reserve day). The final on 9 March also has a spare day. The first semi-final, if India reaches that stage, will be played in the UAE. If India do not qualify, the match will be held in Pakistan. The final will be played for Lahore, with the provision to hold it in the UAE if India make it that far.
The agreement begins with the Champions Trophy, and will apply to the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup in India, and the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. It will also apply to the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup, the first tournament in the next event cycle, which has now been awarded to Pakistan.
