According to reports, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will be played in the hybrid model, with a significant change in the tournament's original hosting structure. India had already confirmed that they will not be traveling to Pakistan, who are the host nation of the tournament. Now, India will be playing their matches in a neutral country, while Pakistan will still host a portion of the competition. Earlier, Pakistan were adamant on hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan.
India’s decision to refuse travel to Pakistan has been a major talking point over the past few weeks. Due to political conflicts and security reasons, India have avoided travelling to Pakistan on past occasions as well. As per reports, India will now play their matches in UAE. Moreover, the final will also be held in UAE. A total of 15 matches and the final will be played in the tournament but as per the plan, group stage matches of team India will be held in UAE, including both knockout games. The decision was made during an informal meeting between ICC President Jay Shah and the Board of Directors, including Pakistan, at the ICC headquarters in Dubai on Thursday. However, official confirmation is yet to be made.
Meanwhile, if India don’t make it to the final, then final can be held in Lahore as it has been kept as a back-up option. And, if India make it to final, then it can be played in UAE. While agreeing to the hybrid model, Pakistan also demanded similar arrangements for themselves by 2031. Meanwhile, India are scheduled to host the Asia Cup 2025, the Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and Pakistan are expected to avoid travelling to India.