The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy returns after an eight-year hiatus, with Pakistan hosting the tournament from February 19 to March 9.

The tournament will be the ICC’s only men’s limited-overs competition in 2025, with eight teams vying to lift the trophy and adorn the winners’ white blazers.

Here’s Al Jazeera’s ultimate guide to the tournament:

What’s the Champions Trophy and why is it so important for Pakistan?

The championship, originally named the ICC Knockout, was conceived as an elite tournament among cricket’s Test-playing nations and devised to fill the four-year gap between the ICC’s 50-over World Cup and help expand the game globally.

The inaugural edition was held in Bangladesh in 1998 and won by South Africa.

With the introduction of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC World Test Championship in 2019, the Champions Trophy was discontinued after the 2017 edition, which was hosted by England and won by Pakistan.

As the tournament makes its comeback for the ninth edition, the holders are hosting Pakistan’s biggest international sport event in 29 years.

The South Asian nation last hosted an ICC event in 1996, and the March 2009 gun attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore caused the cancelation or disruption of professional cricket tours in Pakistan for years to come.

For Pakistan, hosting a successful international tournament can help change the country’s perceptions, cricket experts told Al Jazeera.

Which teams are participating in the Champions Trophy 2025 and what’s the format?

Hosts Pakistan and the top seven ODI teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup group qualified for the Champions Trophy. The tournament has been divided into a simple group-stage and knockout-stage format.

The 2025 edition sees high-flying limited-overs side Afghanistan make their tournament debut.

Following their round-robin fixtures, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals.

Group A: Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand

Group B: Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan, England

Afghanistan are gearing up for their maiden #ChampionsTrophy outing 🏏 pic.twitter.com/LSYyv71XuM

— ICC (@ICC) February 13, 2025

When is the opening match and when is the Champions Trophy final?

Pakistan will host New Zealand in the tournament opener at Karachi’s National Stadium on Thursday, February 19.

The final is scheduled for March 9, with the venue subject to India’s qualification for the match.

Group stage matches will be held from February 19 to March 2 and the semifinals will be played on March 4 and 5.

The tournament’s full match schedule is available here.

Why aren’t India playing their matches in Pakistan?

Up until a few weeks before the opening fixture, the tournament’s schedule hinged on India’s refusal – ostensibly based on their government’s directions – to travel to Pakistan and the host nation’s reluctance to move their neighbour’s matches to a neutral venue.

The months-long standoff was resolved when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) begrudgingly accepted a tit-for-tat hybrid model for the tournament, wherein India would play its Champions Trophy matches at a neutral venue and Pakistan would do the same for any upcoming ICC events hosted by India.

The ICC and the PCB then agreed to move India’s three group matches and one semifinal to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The final is set to be hosted at Pakistan’s cricket headquarters in Lahore but could move to Dubai should India qualify for it.

Where will the Champions Trophy matches be played?

Pakistan selected Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi as its three host cities for the tournament. Dubai was added to the list as a neutral venue in December 2024.

• National Stadium, Karachi: One of the oldest and most famous cricket grounds in Pakistan, the National Stadium has hosted hundreds of iconic Tests and limited-overs matches since its opening in 1955. The 30,000-capacity venue in Pakistan’s largest and most populous city has undergone major refurbishment for the Champions Trophy and will host the tournament’s opening match.
• Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: The headquarters of the PCB and Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy, Gaddafi Stadium is steeped in history and has hosted the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996, when Sri Lanka lifted the trophy in front of a rapturous crowd. Located in the city known as the beating heart of Pakistan, the 34,000-capacity venue will host three group matches, the second semifinal and the final – subject to India’s qualification.
• Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium: Despite its relatively smaller size and capacity of 18,000, the Pindi Stadium is famous for always being packed to the rafters for most international fixtures – whether Test matches or limited-overs games. The venue’s location in the Pakistani capital Islamabad’s twin city makes it easily accessible for fans. It will host three group matches, including Pakistan’s fixture against Bangladesh on February 27.
• Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE: In the 16 years since its inauguration, the venue has established itself as Pakistan and the ICC’s go-to “neutral” venue for international tournaments. With its modern “ring of fire” lighting and compact design, the venue is set to become a cauldron when India play their three group games, including the all-important match against Pakistan. Dubai will also host the first semifinal on March 4 and the final on March 9, should India qualify.

When and where is the India vs Pakistan group match?

While the marquee fixture was originally scheduled for Lahore on March 2, the match was moved to Sunday, February 23, in Dubai following an impasse and eventual agreement between both nations.

Due to the suspension of bilateral tours between the South Asian rivals, the teams play each other only during the ICC tournaments, making this match the only India vs Pakistan men’s fixture in 2025.

Temperatures will run high on and off the field as fans from both nations and around the world are expected to pack the venue, and players will look to seize the opportunity to gain bragging rights in one of the most eagerly-awaited sports fixtures of the year.

The first ball will be bowled at 09:00 GMT, but Al Jazeera’s live build-up to the match will begin at 04:00 GMT.

Which teams are favourites to win the Champions Trophy?

Al Jazeera’s top picks for the title are:

• Pakistan: The defending champions are favourites not only as hosts but also based on their recent run of good form in the ODI format. Mohammad Rizwan’s side would like nothing less than to win an ICC title at home – a feat they haven’t achieved in two previous attempts.
• India: The ICC’s top-ranked ODI team enter the Champions Trophy on the back of a 3-0 drubbing of England and with the T20 world title in the bag. The tournament may well serve as the farewell to ODI cricket for some of India’s biggest icons, including captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli.
• New Zealand: The unassuming Blackcaps have snuck their way to the top quarter of ICC’s ODI rankings following a tri-nation series win in Pakistan and will look to win their second Champions Trophy title since 2000.

Who are the top players to watch?

The top five players picked by Al Jazeera are:

• Babar Azam (Pakistan)
• Shubman Gill (India)
• Jos Buttler (England)
• Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
• Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)

Which top players will miss the tournament?

Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins and India’s world-leading pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah are the biggest names missing from their respective teams’ rosters.

Here’s Al Jazeera’s guide to the full squads.

What’s the prize money for the Champions Trophy?

The ICC has dramatically increased the total prize for the tournament to $6.9m, a 53 percent increase from the last edition.

Here’s a breakdown of the total:

• Champions: $2.24m
• Runners-up: $1.12m
• Losing semifinalists: $560,000
• Fifth and sixth position: $350,000
• Seventh and eighth position: $140,000

Who are the past winners?

Among this edition’s participants, both Australia and India have won the tournament twice, while Bangladesh and England are yet to win the title.

• 1998: South Africa
• 2000: New Zealand
• 2002: India and Sri Lanka (joint winners)
• 2004: West Indies
• 2006: Australia
• 2009: Australia
• 2013: India
• 2017: Pakistan

Are there any special rules, playing conditions or reserve days for the Champions Trophy?

The game’s standard rules and regulations for an ODI match apply to all fixtures.

Should a match end in a tie, the winner will be determined through a super over – an additional over per side that serves as an eliminator based on the team winning the one-over contest.

The points system will see the winning team bag two points, while a no result will see both sides walk away with one point apiece.

The semifinal spots will be allocated to the top two teams from each group based on their points. Should there be a tie on points, the team with the most wins will qualify and if that results in a tie, the team with the higher net run rate will make the cut.

Both the semifinals and the final have been allocated reserve days.

How can fans buy tickets for the Champions Trophy?

Tickets for the tournament have been released on a phase-by-phase basis by the ICC on its official online ticket platform and vendors across Pakistan.

Tickets for the final will be made available for purchase after the conclusion of the first semifinal in Dubai, as the venue will be confirmed based on India’s fate in the tournament.

How to follow and stream the Champions Trophy matches?

The tournament will be streamed by a number of official TV, digital and radio broadcasters across various regions.

Al Jazeera Sport will provide live pre-match build-up, as well as text and photo commentary stream for the pick of the group-stage matches and all three knockout games.

What is cricket and how is it played?

It’s a simple game of bat and ball, involving 11 players in each team but the rules can get a little complicated. Al Jazeera breaks it down for you here.