In the world of cricket, the two biggest trophies on offer are the World Cup and the T20 World Cup, with the World Test Championship now being added to the list. One of the almost forgotten white-ball international tournaments is the Champions Trophy.

Initially conceptualised as a knock-out tournament with only eight participating nations, the Champions Trophy has often been criticised for simply being a mini-World Cup, and devaluing the legitimate one. The history of the tournament has also been a complicated one, with formats and teams constantly being in flux.

When is ICC Champions Trophy?

Held roughly every four years, the Champions Trophy has not taken place since 2017, but has been included in the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for February-March 2025, with Pakistan pencilled in as the hosts for the event.

MORE: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Tournament format and groups explained

There are doubts over whether Pakistan will end up hosting the tournament, given India’s reluctance to travel to their neighbouring country.

However, as of now, the lineup for the 2025 tournament will see Pakistan qualify automatically as hosts, joined by Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa on the basis of their final positions at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.