The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is all set to commence in Pakistan and the UAE, starting February 19.

Featuring eight of the best sides in the ODI format, the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy is upon us. The tournament shall be played for the first time since 2017, when Pakistan clinched the title for the first time.

The defending champions will be hosting the tournament while India will be playing all of their games in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In the opener on February 19, hosts Pakistan will square up against New Zealand in Karachi.

Here's everything that you need to know about the much-awaited tournament.

QUALIFICATION:

While previously, the top-eight ranked ODI sides had featured in the Champions Trophy, the qualification for the 2025 edition hinged upon the 2023 edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.

The teams that occupied the top-eight spots in the 10-team points table, including the hosts Pakistan, sealed their place for the Champions Trophy.

GROUPS:

Group A: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand.
Group B: Australia, Afghanistan, England, South Africa.

DEBUTANTS:

After a memorable Cricket World Cup back in 2023, where they emerged victorious over England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Afghanistan earned their maiden Champions Trophy qualification.

Led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan arrive to the competition on the back of their first-ever semi-finals finish in an ICC tournament at last year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
FORMAT:
The format of the competition has remained the same as it was since eight teams were introduced in the fray back in 2006.

All eight teams are slotted into two groups of four, with each team playing once against every other team in the group.

The top-two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, determining the two that will feature in the summit clash.

PRIZEMONEY:

The return of the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time since 2017 will see eight teams compete for the grand prize of a whopping $2.24 million (USD).
The runners-up will receive $1.12 million, while each losing semi-finalist will take home $560,000. The total prize pool has increased by an impressive 53 percent from the 2017 edition, reaching $6.9 million.

KEY DATES:

The Champions Trophy kicks off at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, with the hosts facing the Black Caps in Group A.

Runner-up from 2017 and two-time winners India, will begin their campaign in Dubai on February 20 against Bangladesh. This will be swiftly followed by their high-voltage meeting against arch-rivals Pakistan on a blockbuster weekend that will also witness reigning Cricket World Cup winners, Australia in a tense challenge against old nemesis England in their opening fixture.

The two semi-finals will be played on March 4 and March 5 in Dubai and Lahore respectively. The final is scheduled for March 9, and will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai.

In the final of the last edition of the Champions Trophy, Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs to lift the trophy at The Oval, London.

While Fakhar Zaman was deemed Player of the Match in the final for his match-winning ton, Hasan Ali finished as the Player of the Tournament.

HOW TO WATCH THE ICC MEN'S CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025 LIVE:

Below is the full list of broadcasters and their respective territories for watching the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 LIVE:

India: JioStar (Live streaming on Jio Hotstar, Television coverage on Star and Network 18 channels)

Pakistan: PTV and Ten Sports, Streaming options: Myco and Tamasha app

UAE and MENA: CricLife Max and CricLife Max2, Streaming option: STARZPLAY

UK: Live broadcasting on Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action, Digital coverage via SkyGO, NOW and Sky Sports App

USA and Canada: WillowTV, Streaming on Willow by Cricbuzz app (Hindi coverage available)

Caribbean: ESPNCaribbean on TV, Streaming via ESPN Play Caribbean app

Australia: PrimeVideo (coverage available in Hindi too)

New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ, digital coverage via Now and SkyGo app.

South Africa and sub-Saharan territories: SuperSport and SuperSport App

Bangladesh: Nagorik TV and T Sports for linear broadcast, digital via Toffee app

Afghanistan: ATN

Sri Lanka: Maharaja TV (TV1 on Linear), Digital via Sirasa