The ICC Champions Trophy is a highly regarded event in international cricket. Fans worldwide are eagerly waiting for the 2025 tournament, which will be held in Pakistan.
But there’s a new twist in the tale. The international cricket governing body has changed the qualification process, and this could mean that test-playing countries like England and Bangladesh might not make it to this global tournament.
The journey to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is heating up during the current ICC ODI World Cup in India. The way teams qualify for this esteemed cricket event has taken an unexpected turn, causing a stir among cricket boards around the world.
The qualification rules are simple but fascinating. The top seven teams at the end of the group stage in the ICC ODI World Cup, along with the host country, Pakistan, will earn their places in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
This unique method of qualification has added an element of surprise and has been a setback for teams like Bangladesh and England who are having a tough time in the tournament.
“Yeah, I know,” said England’s captain Jos Buttler after their defeat to India in Lucknow. “It just goes to show we still have a lot to play for.”
Shakib Al Hasan shared similar thoughts, saying, “It’s not about hoping for the semi-finals. That’s not a possibility. But we can still improve. For instance, we need to be in the top 8 rankings to participate in the Champions Trophy. So, we have three matches left to achieve that.”
In November 2021, the ICC revealed its plans for a new series of global events from 2024 to 2031. This includes two editions of the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for 2025 and 2029.
The structure for the 2025 and 2029 Champions Trophies will be similar to past tournaments. It will be an eight-team event with two groups of four teams each. This will be followed by the knockout stages, which include semi-finals and a final.
In the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy tournaments, the teams that qualified were the top eight in the One Day International (ODI) rankings at a certain cut-off date.
But for the 2025 tournament, they’ve switched things up. As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, the ICC’s chief executives committee approved a decision in November 2021 to qualify the top seven teams at the end of the ICC ODI World Cup for the 2025 Champions Trophy.