The excitement for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 soars as the league nears the beginning. The first match will be in the National Stadium Karachi between Pakistan & New Zealand. It is interesting to know that Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer and the fans wait for every tournament anxiously. If you are a cricket freak and want to know everything about the ICC Champions Trophy 2025; this blog will be a good read.
List of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Teams
Why is Sri Lanka & West Indies Missing?
The ICC Champions Trophy tournament happens every four years and the world’s eight best ODI teams participate in this jaw-dropping tournament. This year, Pakistan will be a host and defending country. As the most-awaited tournament starts on 19 Feb 2025, let’s quickly look at the teams of Champions Trophy 2025;
- Pakistan
- New Zealand
- Bangla Desh
- India
- Afghanistan
- South Africa
- Australia
- England
However, the top-ranked West Indies and South Asian favorite Sri Lanka will not play in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the fans of Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis might miss their explosive innings. Although Sri Lanka has been recognized as the most in-form team in 2024, it couldn’t qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy as the world champion team missed on the Net Run Rate (NRR) during the Cricket World Cup 2023 which was the event to decide the teams for Champions Trophy 2025. The Windies couldn’t even compete for CT 2025 qualification as it was unqualified for the l2023 World Cup.
Who Plays When? ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule
While cricket enthusiasts await the most thrilling tournament, they are ready to align their daily life activities with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule. Everyone likes to enjoy the game without interruption, be it a family gathering, a seasonal festival, or an official work-based engagement. MGC Blog has listed below the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule so that you don’t miss the incredible game of your favorite team.
| Date | Teams | Timings |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, 19 Feb | Pakistan vs. New Zealand | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Thus, 20 Feb | Bangladesh vs India | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Fri, 21 Feb | Afghanistan vs. South Africa | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Sat, 22 Feb | Australia vs. England | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Sun, 23 Feb | Pakistan vs. India | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Mon, 24 Feb | Bangladesh vs. New Zealand | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Tues, 25 Feb | Australia vs South Africa | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Wed, 26 Feb | Afghanistan vs. England | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Thus, 27 Feb | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Fri, 28 Feb | Afghanistan vs. Australia | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Sat, 1 March | South Africa vs. England | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Sun, 2 March | New Zealand vs. India | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Mon, 4 March | Semi-final | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Tues, 5 March | Semi-final | Starts at 2:00 PM |
| Wed, 9 March | Final | Starts at 2:00 PM |
Interesting Facts About Pakistan & ICC Champions Trophy
If you are a Pakistani cricket fan and landed on this blog to search how many times Pakistan has won the ICC Champions Trophy; here’s the answer. Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. The team was led by Sarfaraz Ahmad and defeated India by 189 runs only. After almost a gap of three decades later, Pakistan will host a global ICC event in 2025. However, India will host the ICC CT in 2029. You can check out all teams on this link. The Pakistan squad for the Champions Trophy includes;
- Muhammad Rizwan (captain)
- Babar Azam
- Fakhar Zaman
- Naseem Shah
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Kamran Ghulam
- Saud Shakeel
- Tayyab Tahir
- Faheem Ashraf
- Khudhdil Shah
- Salman Ali Agha
- Usman Khan
- Abrar Ahmed
- Haris Rauf
- Mohammad Hasnain
India Refuses to Play Champions Trophy in Pakistan
Although cricket fans all over the world love the Pak-India cricket rivalry. However, the sour relations between the two countries keep cricket fans tense, and the dry relationship can be so overwhelming that it can even change the playing field. For the Champions Trophy 2025, India refused to play the matches in Pakistan. Instead, the UAE was selected as a ground for all six fixtures of India. Therefore, Pakistan will host nine games out of 16 matches. Bookmakers have predicted India is the favorite for Champions Trophy 2025 followed by Australia, cricket maniacs have already taken their sides.
The $2.24M Grand Prize Money for Champions Trophy Winner
Cricket isn’t just about sport and thrill, money shines along the trophy on the edge. The International Cricket Council has reached a 53% increase in the total prize money as compared to the 2017 tournament. The winner will receive $2.24M while the runners-up team will get $1.12M as a prize. The teams losing the semi-final matches will also get $560,000. No matter whether a team wins or loses, the event participation money for each team is $125,000.
ICC Champions Trophy Winners List (1995 to 2025)
Cricket ignites excitement worldwide, and competition is so fierce that it can sour or sweeten countries’ relations. Over the years, different countries have won the trophy, with Australia and India twice being winners and Pakistan being the champions in 2017, here’s the list of the ICC Champions Trophy Winners;
| Year | Winner Country | Runner-up | Hosted Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | South Africa | West Indies | Bangladesh |
| 2000 | New Zealand | India | Kenya |
| 2002 | Sri Lanka & India | Equaled | Sri Lanka |
| 2004 | West Indies | England | England |
| 2006 | Australia | West Indies | India |
| 2009 | Australia | New Zeeland | South Africa |
| 2013 | India | England | England & Whales |
| 2017 | Pakistan | India | England & Whales |
| 2025 | To be decided | To be decided | Pakistan |
How it All Started? Was the ICC Knockout Trophy a Good Idea?
Not many people know that the ICC Champions Trophy was originally known as the ICC Knockout Trophy. During the 1990s, cricket was a popular sport in some parts of the world and a less popular game in other parts of the world. The International Council of Cricket decided to popularize cricket in non-test-playing countries (countries not recognized by the ICC to play test matches with top teams).
As a result, the council initiated the ICC Knockout Trophy the first game of which was held in Bangladesh in 1998. South Africa became the first champion of the Knockout Trophy. In 2002, the International Cricket Council renamed the Knockout Trophy into the Champions Trophy and the world’s top eight countries competed to win the prestigious trophy. Visit MGC Blogs to get more interesting updates.
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