Champions Trophy 2025: UAE likely to host India's matches including against Pakistan

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reportedly set to host India’s matches in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, resolving a prolonged dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The decision emerged from a meeting between PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and UAE Cricket Board chief Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in Ghotki.

This follows the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) adoption of a “hybrid model” to accommodate India’s refusal to play in Pakistan due to security and political concerns.

Under the hybrid model, India and Pakistan will play at neutral venues for all ICC events hosted by either nation through 2027.

The agreement covers not only the 2025 Champions Trophy but also the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028.

This compromise represents a breakthrough amid strained relations, as India’s government has barred its cricket team from traveling to Pakistan for bilateral series for over a decade

The last bilateral contest between the arch-rivals occurred in 2012-13.