Islamabad Islamabad. The Pakistan Cricket Board has chosen the United Arab Emirates as the neutral venue to host India's games in next year's Champions Trophy. Following a standoff between the two rivals. India had refused to travel to tournament host Pakistan for the eight-team 50-over Champions Trophy due to security concerns. Under the hybrid model, the International Cricket Council on Thursday confirmed that all of India's games will be held at neutral venues, including if the team reaches the semi-finals and final. “The UAE was finalized as the venue after PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met with Emirates Cricket Board Chairman Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan,” PCB spokesperson Aamir Mir said in a statement on Sunday.
Mir said the PCB “has informed the ICC” about the selection. The PCB statement did not confirm where in the UAE the games would be held, with Dubai being considered the most likely venue. Pakistan will not play India in ICC events in the 2024-27 cycle. While India will host the 2025 Women's World Cup and co-host the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka, Pakistan will also go to a neutral venue. India are scheduled to play three group-stage games in the 2025 Champions Trophy, including one against Pakistan. Depending on India's progress in the tournament, the UAE will also host one of the semi-finals and the final. The latest statement paves the way for the ICC to announce the schedule of the upcoming February-March tournament.
Due to political tensions between Pakistan and India, both teams have not been able to tour each other's country since 2012, when Pakistan visited India for a bilateral One Day International series. The two teams regularly face each other in ICC tournaments – Pakistan visited India for the Men's World Cup last year. But before the World Cup, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and played all its games in Sri Lanka. Defending champions Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Australia, England, South Africa and Afghanistan are the participating teams in the 2025 edition. The PCB has spent millions of dollars on upgrading stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, and is expected to complete the work by mid-January. Pakistan has to host at least 10 games at three venues.
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