Cricket
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Format Explained!
As weeks count down to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, SportsBoom has compiled a comprehensive guide with fixtures, formats, teams and details of the 50-over tournament. In less than a month, the ICC Champions Trophy returns to the pitch.
Mohammad Amir celebrates Kohli's wicket//Getty Images
Eight years have passed since the last edition and Pakistan would fancy their chances of defending their trophy on home soil this year. If they manage to win again, they will join India and Australia in the list of teams with the most Champions Trophy titles.
However, seven other tough cricketing nations stand in their way.
The 50-over competition was first held in 1998 in Bangladesh as the ICC Knockout, before its name changed to the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002.
Since 2009, the tournament has been quadrennial (hosted every four years).
SportsBoom has compiled a comprehensive overview of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy including the format, fixtures, teams and important details.
ICC Champions Trophy: What Format Will Be Used?
Eight of the world’s top ODI nations, according to the ICC rankings, have been divided into two groups of four teams each for the opening round.
Teams earn two points for a win, one point for a draw or no result, and zero for a loss.
While reviewing the teams and groups for the Champions Trophy, each team plays three matches within their group. The top two teams from each group then advance to the semi-finals.
The winning semi-finalists then earn a place in the ICC Champions Trophy final.
While most of the tournament will be played in Pakistan, India will play their matches in the UAE.
ICC Champions Trophy Groups
Group A
| Nation | Number of titles | Years won |
| Pakistan (host) | 1 | 2017 |
| India | 2 | 2002, 2013 (co-winner) |
| New Zealand | 1 | 2000 |
| Bangladesh | 0 | - |
Group B
| Nation | Number of titles | Years won |
| South Africa | 1 | 1998 |
| Australia | 2 | 2006, 2009 |
| Afghanistan | 0 | - |
| England | 0 | - |
MS Dhoni appeals as he stumps Jonathan Trott //Getty Images
2025 Champions Trophy squads: The Latest Updates
As the ICC has confirmed, most nations have unveiled their squads for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at this stage.
Group A
- Pakistan: Squad not announced
- India: R Sharma (captain), S Gill, V Kohli, S Iyer, KL Rahul, H Pandya, A Patel, W Sundar, K Yadav, J Bumrah, M Shami, A Singh, Y Jaiswal, R Pant, R Jadeja.
- New Zealand: M Santner (captain), M Bracewell, M Chapman, D Conway, L Ferguson, M Henry, T Latham, D Mitchell, W O’Rourke, G Phillips, R Ravindra, B Sears, N Smith, K Williamson, W Young.
- Bangladesh: N Hossain Shanto (captain), S Sarkar, T Hasan, T Hridoy, M Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, J Ali Anik, M Hasan Miraz, R Hossain, T Ahmed, M Rahman, P Hossai Emon, N Ahmed, T Hasan Sakib, N Rana.
Group B
- South Africa: T Bavuma (captain), T de Zorzi, M Jansen, H Klaasen, K Maharaj, A Markram, D Miller, W Mulder, L Ngidi, KG Rabada, R Rickelton, T Shamsi, T Stubbs, R van der Dussen.
- Australia: P Cummins (captain), A Carey, N Ellis, A Hardie, J Hazlewood, T Head, J Inglis, M Labuschagne, Ml Marsh, G Maxwell, M Short, S Smith, M Starc, M Stoinis, A Zampa.
- Afghanistan: H Shahidi (captain), I Zadran, R Gurbaz, S Atal, R Shah, I Alikhil, G Naib, A Omarzai, M Nabi, R Khan, AM Ghazanfar, N Ahmad, F Farooqi, F Malik, N Zadran.
- England: J Buttler (captain), J Archer, G Atkinson, J Bethell, H Brook, B Carse, B Duckett, J Overton, J Smith, L Livingstone, A Rashid, J Root, S Mahmood, P Salt, M Wood.
New Zealand’s Kyle Mills has the most wickets in the ICC Champions Trophy (28) while the West Indies’ Chris Gayle has the most combined runs (791).
Details of the ICC Champions Trophy Group Stage
In the ICC Champions Trophy group stage, each country plays three day-night 50-over games to determine the winners and runners-up in Groups A and B.
If teams are tied, Net Run Rate (how convincingly teams won and lost) and Head-to-Heads (results between the respective nations) will determine progression.
2025 ICC Champions Trophy: group stage fixtures
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Time (local) |
| February 19 | Pakistan vs New Zealand | Karachi | 14:00 |
| February 20 | Bangladesh vs India | Dubai | 13:00 |
| February 21 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | Karachi | 14:00 |
| February 22 | Australia vs England | Lahore | 14:00 |
| February 23 | Pakistan vs India | Dubai | 13:00 |
| February 24 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Rawalpindi | 14:00 |
| February 25 | Australia vs South Africa | Rawalpindi | 14:00 |
| February 26 | Afghanistan vs England | Lahore | 14:00 |
| February 27 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Rawalpindi | 14:00 |
| February 28 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Lahore | 14:00 |
| March 1 | South Africa vs England | Karachi | 14:00 |
| March 2 | New Zealand vs India | Dubai | 13:00 |
The ICC Champions Trophy Knockout Stage
After the final group stage matches are wrapped up, the top two teams in Groups A and B will advance to the Champions Trophy semi-finals.
The top team in Group A will face the runner-up in Group B and vice versa.
The winners of the two semi-finals will then meet in the final to play for the laurels - if India reach the final, Dubai will be used as a neutral venue.
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Time (local) |
| March 4 | Semi-final 1 | Dubai | 13:00 |
| March 5 | Semi-final 2 | Lahore | 14:00 |
| March 9 | Final | Lahore* | 14:00 |
Comparing the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy to previous editions
While initial delays from the ICC in announcing fixtures for the 2025 Champions Trophy caused some concern, anticipation is well and truly building for February 19.
This year’s edition is the first international tournament to take place in Pakistan since the country was stripped of hosting rights in 2009.
With India refusing to play in the neighbouring country due to safety concerns and a tense national rivalry, the UAE was announced as a neutral venue for all of India’s games.
The same neutral venue arrangement will be used for ICC events over the next three years including the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup (in India), the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup (in India and Sri Lanka) and the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup (in Pakistan).
To build hype for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, a trophy tour began in Pakistan in November last year and is currently travelling across India.
The Australian Team celebrate with the trophy//Getty Images
Why the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is cricket at its best
With the stage set for the 2025 Champions Trophy, cricket fans and followers of international cricket events can look forward to an action-packed few weeks.
Some have predicted that Afghanistan could be the tourney’s dark horse.
England or Bangladesh could finally etch their name on the trophy, or a previous winner might add to their prestige at the 50-over tournament.
The results could also be crucial for nations hoping to build momentum going into a busy ICC tournament schedule over the next few years.
The World Test Championship begins this year, with the Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled for 2026 in India and the Men’s Cricket World Cup (ODI) in 2027 in Australia.
Fans can look forward to witnessing the top names in international cricket showcasing their talent on the global stage in pursuit of global glory.
Most excitingly, the storied rivalries between nations like India and Pakistan and Ashes rivals Australia and England will take centre stage once again.
Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.