The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that the Men’s 2025 Champions Trophy will follow a hybrid model, meaning India will play its matches at a neutral venue instead of in Pakistan, the host country.

This decision comes after a month of negotiations, during which India expressed security concerns and political tensions, stating they wouldn’t send their team to Pakistan. The ICC Board confirmed that any matches between India and Pakistan during this event, as well as future matches in the 2024-2027 cycle, will take place at neutral sites.

Initially, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had resisted this hybrid approach but later agreed to it, which will also apply to upcoming tournaments hosted by India, although the exact locations are still undecided. Furthermore, agreements were made for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 and the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, both hosted by India, to adopt similar arrangements. The PCB will also host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028 under this model.

The schedule for the Champions Trophy is expected to be released soon, with Pakistan looking to defend their title from 2017. Other teams in the eight-team event include Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Reports indicate that the hybrid model will also apply to knockout matches.

This resolution comes after India had barred its cricket team from traveling to Pakistan for over a decade due to the ongoing political climate. Pakistan had also hosted last year’s Asia Cup using the hybrid model, with Indian matches played in Sri Lanka. Notably, the last bilateral series between the two nations took place during Pakistan’s tour of India in 2012-13.

In recent years, Pakistan has worked to improve its security and status in international cricket, regaining the ability to host prominent teams after a significant incident in 2009. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events between 2029 and 2031.