 "The National Stadium in Karachi underwent intense renovation ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Reuters")
The stage is set for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy that will take place in a hybrid model, with Pakistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosting the matches, A total of three venues in Pakistan—Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, will host the matches whereas Dubai will host games in UAE. Team India will play all their matches in Dubai after the government refused to send the Men in Blue to Pakistan due to security concerns.
The eight-team tournament will get underway with a Group A game between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi on 19 February. India, who are also in Group A, will play their first game against Bangladesh on 20 February before facing Pakistan (23 February) and New Zealand (2 March).
Ahead of the Champions Trophy, here’s a quick look at each of the venues and the matches that they will host.
Champions Trophy 2025 venue details
National Stadium, Karachi
Stadium capacity: 34,238
Champions Trophy 2025 matches scheduled
19 February: Pakistan vs New Zealand
21 February: Afghanistan vs South Africa
1 March: South Africa vs England
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spent around PKR 12 billion for the upgradations of the stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. The National Stadium in Karachi underwent a major renovation process to gear up for the Champions Trophy. Post-renovation, the stadium has been fitted with upgraded facilities catering the players, VIPs as well as fans with a new-look dressing rooms and hospitality facilities.
This venue is particularly known for Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis making their Test debuts in the same match, back when India toured Pakistan in 1989.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsGaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Stadum capacity: 35,000
Champions Trophy 2025 matches scheduled
22 February: Australia vs England
26 February: Afghanistan vs England
28 February: Afghanistan vs Australia
5 March: Second semi-final (B1 vs A2)
9 March: Final (If India don’t qualify)
The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is where Sri Lanka defeated Australia to lift the ODI World Cup in 1996. Almost 30 years later, the venue will get to host a few games of the Champions Trophy and understandably so, the venue has undergone massive changes.
The stadium capacity was 27,000 previously but has been increased to 35,000 now. New seats, LED lights and screens have been installed to provide fans with a comfortable experience for watching games.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
Stadium capacity: 15,000
Champions Trophy 2025 matches scheduled
24 February: Bangladesh vs New Zealand
25 February: Australia vs South Africa
27 February: Pakistan vs Bangladesh
The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has undergone very minimal renovation work building up to the Champions Trophy.
This includes installation of new seats for fans and enhancing the hospitality areas. This is the venue where India scored 600 in a Test match innings against Pakistan, back in 2004. In 2019, the stadium also welcomed Test cricket back to Pakistan when they took on Sri Lanka in the first of a two-match series.
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Stadium capacity: 25,000
Champions Trophy 2025 matches scheduled
20 February: India vs Bangladesh
23 February: India vs Pakistan
2 March: India vs New Zealand
4 March: First semi-final (A1 vs B2)
9 March: Final (If India qualify)
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium used to act as Pakistan’s “home ground” at one time. This time around, Dubai will be India’s base during the Champions Trophy after their refusal to travel to Pakistan.
The stadium has hosted several matches, including the IPL 2020 and IPL 2021 finals apart from a few matches of the 2021 T20 World Cup. If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play the first semi-final in Dubai irrespective of where they finish in the group. Similarly, the final will also be held in Dubai should the Men in Blue qualify.