Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy 2025, the International Cricket Council’s showpiece tournament, for the first time in more than two decades.
The ICC board of directors gave Pakistan the Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights on Tuesday, while the United States and the West Indies were named co-hosts of the 2024 T20 World Cup. This will be the first time North America has hosted a worldwide event.
The last time India visited Pakistan to compete in a competition was in 2008 for the Asia Cup. Many teams have also refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns. Matches in Pakistan were transferred to Sri Lanka during the 2011 ICC World Cup, and the Pakistan Cricket Board was powerless to stop it.
It will, however, be an excellent opportunity for Babar Azam’s side to defend their ICC Champions Trophy title. They won the title at the Oval in London in 2017 after defeating India in the final. Pakistan will compete in the 2023 50-over World Cup, 2026 T20 World Cup, 2029 Champions Trophy, and 2031 50-over World Cup, all of which will be held in India.
India will also be the sole host of the 2029 Champions Trophy. Pakistan has not been able to stage many international games since the 2009 terrorist assault on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore when it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
The Champions Trophy was last hosted in the United Kingdom in 2017, and it will return to the ICC calendar after an eight-year absence. Following the cancellation of a visit of the country by New Zealand and England, it would be intriguing to observe if teams finally prepare to come to Pakistan.
For the first time, the United States and Namibia will host an ICC World Cup event when they host the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024.
The following is a schedule of ICC events from 2024 through 2031:
- 2024 T20 World Cup- USA and West Indies.
- 2025 Champions Trophy – Pakistan.
- 2026 T20 World Cup – India and SL.
- 2027 World Cup – South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
- 2028 T20 World Cup- Australia and NZ.
- 2029 Champions Trophy – India
- 2030 T20 World Cup- England, Ireland & Scotland.
- 2031 World Cup – India and Bangladesh.
A Board sub-committee chaired by Martin Snedden, comprising Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Skerritt, picked the hosts through a competitive bidding process.
The ICC Board of Directors adopted the recommendations of the committee, which worked with ICC management to perform a thorough examination of each offer. Early next year, a similar method will be used to pick the hosts for the ICC Women’s and U19s competitions for the next cycle.
Ricky Skerritt, Cricket West Indies President, and ICC Board member said: “The success of this joint bid by CWI and USA Cricket will be a huge boost for our cricket. It offers a vital strategic opportunity to promote and develop cricket, and related commercial activity, in North America and the Caribbean.”
The ICC will now work closely with Members to finalize plans before awarding the tournaments to chosen hosts.
