ICC Champions Trophy 2025: No opening ceremony, No Rohit Sharma in Pakistan! ENG-AUS ruin PCB's plans

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin without an opening ceremony due to the late arrival of two teams for the marquee tournament, which is scheduled to commence on February 19. While no official announcement was ever made, earlier reports suggested that a ceremony was planned by the host nation.

The Champions Trophy 2025, featuring eight top ODI teams, will be played from February 19 to March 9. Pakistan is the official host of the tournament, with matches held in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. However, India's games, including knockout matches, will be played in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to Begin Without Opening Ceremony

Before the mega tournament begins, the host nation usually arranges a major event featuring all team captains. This includes a group photo and a press conference where they discuss their expectations. For the Champions Trophy, all eight captains were expected to participate in this traditional gathering.

However, the upcoming marquee event will begin without an opening ceremony due to England and Australia’s delayed arrivals, as per their schedules submitted to the ICC. The traditional captains' press conference and photo shoot have been canceled, and Rohit Sharma will not travel to Karachi.

England will arrive in Lahore on February 18, while Australia is set to land on February 19. Bangladesh and India will reach Dubai on February 15, and Afghanistan will arrive in Islamabad on February 12.

New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa will already be in Pakistan after playing a tri-nation ODI series in Lahore and Karachi from February 8 to 14. Pakistan will face New Zealand in the tournament's opening match, scheduled for February 19 in Karachi.

ICC and PCB Deem Champions Trophy Opening Ceremony Unfeasible

As per a report by The News, England opted for a one-week break after their white-ball series in India, which ends on February 12. Australia, currently playing a Test series in Sri Lanka, will take a four-day rest before heading to Lahore. The ICC and PCB found it unfeasible to organize an opening ceremony.

“While the ICC and the PCB had shown interest in organising the opening ceremony, the arrival schedules of England and Australia teams, taking into consideration their players’ workload management, make it impossible to hold any event before the start of the tournament,” an ICC source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The News.

England and Australia Withdraw from Warm-Up Matches

England and Australia have opted out of warm-up matches due to their late arrivals. Both teams want to enter the Champions Trophy after finishing their ODI series. The PCB confirmed that discussions about an opening ceremony took place with the ICC, but no official announcement was made.

“We never confirmed an opening ceremony, as this was neither officially scheduled nor it was confirmed by the ICC. It was always a work in progress,” a PCB source explained.

“While we had expressed our desire to host an opening event, it was always clear that any such ceremony would require the participation of all teams, which, given the current arrival schedules, is not possible,” the PCB source concluded.

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