PCB awaits ICC approval for Champions Trophy opening ceremony in Karachi, closing ceremony in Lahore

Now that the budget for the Champions Trophy 2025 has been cleared, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started to commence planning for the ICC event. The PCB has already decided on the venues, groups and made a draft schedule as well. For what will be the most important tournament in the last two decades for Pakistan cricket, talks about the event’s opening and closing have also started.

The PCB is still awaiting approval for organizing the opening and closing ceremonies for the Champions Trophy 2025. According to Geo News, if given the green signal by the ICC that the event will be entirely held in Pakistan, the opening ceremony will take place at the National Stadium in Karachi and the closing ceremony at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. 

Mind you, Lahore and Karachi are two of the three venues where the 15 matches will be played. The third venue is Rawalpindi. To be well prepared, the PCB has also allocated PKR 1280 crore (Rs 384 crore) to upgrade the three stadiums. 7 matches will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, including the final. Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium will host 5 matches (one semifinal) and the remaining three at the National Stadium (other semifinal).

Warm-up

The Champions Trophy 2025 will commence on February 19, and the final will be played on March 9, with one reserve day available. Like most ICC events, there’ll also be some warm-up games. A week before the tournament kicks off, a support window will be granted (February 12-18) during which media activities, promotional events, and practice matches will take place. 

The ICC will consult with the boards of the other seven teams about the warm-up games, and if approved, each team can play a maximum of two matches, which will be held at the same three venues. If India were to travel, all of their warm-up games would be played in Lahore, the venue of their three group-stage matches.