The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been chosen as the neutral venue to host India's matches in the Champions Trophy 2025. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will serve as the neutral venue for India's matches during the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. Sports Tak had also earlier reported that Dubai will host all the India-centric Champions Trophy matches.
India to play Champions Trophy matches in Dubai
This decision follows a meeting between Sheikh Mubarak Al Nahyan, the chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), and Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB. The meeting took place in Sanghar, Sindh province, Pakistan, during Sheikh Al Nahyan's current tour of the country.
With this agreement in place, Dubai is now the most likely venue for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match, tentatively scheduled for February 23rd. While the UAE boasts three international venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, Dubai is favored due to its larger capacity and infrastructure.
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If India qualify for the semi-finals and the final of the tournament, these knockout stages will also be played in the UAE.
"The PCB has chosen the UAE as the neutral venue and the PCB has formally informed the ICC about the decision. Now, India and Pakistan's Champions Trophy matches will be held in the UAE. The final decision was made after a meeting between Mohsin Naqvi and Sheikh Al Nahyan," a spokesman for the PCB said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
ICC has made it clear that the host board will have the discretion to choose the neutral venue for global events. It has also been learnt that PCB considered Sri Lanka as a potential option, but ultimately decided on the UAE as the most suitable neutral venue for India's matches in the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The ICC has confirmed that the hybrid model, which involves India playing their matches in a neutral venue, will be applied to several upcoming ICC events.
This includes the upcoming ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025, hosted by Pakistan in February and March 2025. The hybrid model will also be implemented in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, hosted by India, and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, the PCB has been awarded hosting rights for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2028, where the neutral venue arrangements will also be applicable.
Notably, as per the proposed schedule, Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be played from February 19 to March 9 which will feature eight teams, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan, fighting for the coveted title.
