ICC Champions Trophy 2025: No captains' meet or photoshoot in Pakistan

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will not have the usual captains' meeting and official photoshoot, which is usually held in the host country before major ICC tournaments.

According to ESPNcricinfo, this change is due to logistical difficulties.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that there will be no official opening ceremony announced by either the ICC or the PCB. However, an ICC-supported event will be held in Lahore on February 16, three days before the tournament begins. ICC officials in Lahore at that time are expected to attend.


One major reason for skipping the captains' press conference and photoshoot is the tournament’s hybrid format. Matches will take place in two countries across four venues. With a tight schedule, teams will arrive in Pakistan right before their matches. For instance, Australia is expected to land on February 19, the same day the tournament starts.

This decision also avoids a potential political issue regarding India's captain, Rohit Sharma, traveling to Pakistan. Due to strained relations, India has not played in Pakistan since 2008 and will participate under the hybrid model, playing all their matches, including a possible final, in Dubai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently clarified that Rohit’s travel to Pakistan was never discussed and is not planned.

A similar situation occurred during the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. Due to logistics, the ICC replaced the usual captains’ gathering with a digital launch. Instead of an in-person event, captains' images were displayed at New York’s Rockefeller Center.

Meanwhile, the PCB will unveil two newly renovated stadiums. The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which has been upgraded, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on February 7, a day before hosting an ODI in a tri-series with South Africa and New Zealand. Similarly, President Asif Ali Zardari will inaugurate the revamped National Stadium in Karachi on February 11.