The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the much-awaited schedule for the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday, December 24. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played from February 19 to March 9. Pakistan and Dubai will host the showpiece event. The ninth edition of the Champions Trophy will be played over 19 days. The eight-team tournament will see 15 high-voltage matches across Pakistan and Dubai. In Pakistan, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi will host the tournament matches. Each Pakistan venue will feature three group stage matches, with Lahore hosting the second semi-final and the grand finale. If Team India qualifies for the semis and final, then it will be hosted in Dubai. Group matches of India will be hosted in Dubai. ICC Champions Trophy 2025 All Squads: Full Players List of All Teams for Ninth Edition of Men's ODI Competition.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will see eight nations (South Africa, Australia, Afghanistan, England, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh) fighting for the elusive title. These eight nations have been divided into two groups (A and B). Group stage matches will be played in a round-robin format, followed by the semi-finals and the Champions Trophy 2025 final. As the much-awaited schedule was announced for the Champions Trophy 2025, the Sri Lanka national cricket team name was excluded from the upcoming showpiece event. ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Full Schedule Announced: India vs Pakistan on February 23 in Dubai; Check Groups and Complete Fixtures.

Why Sri Lanka Cricket Team Not Part of ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

The Sri Lanka national cricket team couldn't qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after they had a dismal performance in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India. The Island Nation finished in the ninth position after the end of group stage matches at the ODI World Cup 2023. Sri Lanka secured just two wins in nine matches. Their hopes of reaching the ICC Champions 2025 were shattered after they finished ninth at the World Cup 2023 event. To qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025, Sri Lanka fell short of the top eight teams that got the automatic qualification for the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy. Their exclusion also marked a historic setback to their cricketing legacy. Sri Lanka will also miss their first-ever ICC tournament.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2024 06:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).