The 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan will have two venues, with India playing all their games in the United Arab Emirates. The final is scheduled for Lahore. Only, if India qualify that game will also shift to the UAE.The extraordinary situation might be unprecedented across sport: one country effectively having the power to stop another from hosting a final as already agreed. This scenario opens up the possibility that the venue for the final will not be known until March 4, just five days before the final.Lahore has been preparing to host the final, which would be the first time that Pakistan has hosted the final of a world event since 1996. These plans will have to be abandoned, with no thought to fans or organisers, should India qualify.Pakistan, to recall, were announced as hosts of the Champions Trophy back in 2021, and awarded all 15 matches by the International Cricket Council. At the time, no provisions were made for India’s matches being played in a different country. Yet now this agreement has been ripped up and the entire organisation of the tournament rearranged to suit India.The seven other competing nations in the competition do not know where they will play their knockout matches, should they qualify. India alone know, with absolute certainty, their prospective venues for the semi-final and final.The arrangement continues a theme of ICC events: sporting integrity being sacrificed to accommodate India. In the 2019 World Cup, India did not play their first game until eight days into the tournament; their opponents, South Africa, were already playing their third game. India’s opening fixture was delayed by three days to ensure a 15-day gap between the conclusion of the Indian Premier League and the country’s next international fixture.In both the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, India played the last group game in the tournament – meaning that, should qualification be determined by net run rate, the side would know exactly what they needed to do to qualify. The potential benefit was even greater as, on both occasions, India played among the weakest sides in the group – Namibia in 2021 and Zimbabwe in 2022. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, India yet again played the last group game – once again against a less-fancied side, the Netherlands.

Cricket's integrity has been sacrificed to accommodate India in Champions Trophy debacle

The 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan will have two venues, with India playing all their games in the United Arab Emirates. The final is scheduled for Lahore. Only, if India qualify that game will also shift to the UAE.Pakistan, to recall, were announced as hosts of the Champions Trophy back in 2021, and awarded all […]

The 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan will have two venues, with India playing all their games in the United Arab Emirates. The final is scheduled for Lahore. Only, if India qualify that game will also shift to the UAE.Pakistan, to recall, were announced as hosts of the Champions Trophy back in 2021, and awarded all 15 matches by the International Cricket Council. At the time, no provisions were made for India’s matches being played in a different country. Yet now this agreement has been ripped up and the entire organisation of the tournament rearranged to suit India.The arrangement continues a theme of ICC events: sporting integrity being sacrificed to accommodate India. In the 2019 World Cup, India did not play their first game until eight days into the tournament; their opponents, South Africa, were already playing their third game. India’s opening fixture was delayed by three days to ensure a 15-day gap between the conclusion of the Indian Premier League and the country’s next international fixture.In both the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, India played the last group game in the tournament – meaning that, should qualification be determined by net run rate, the side would know exactly what they needed to do to qualify. The potential benefit was even greater as, on both occasions, India played among the weakest sides in the group – Namibia in 2021 and Zimbabwe in 2022. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, India yet again played the last group game – once again against a less-fancied side, the Netherlands.The seven other competing nations in the competition do not know where they will play their knockout matches, should they qualify. India alone know, with absolute certainty, their prospective venues for the semi-final and final.The extraordinary situation might be unprecedented across sport: one country effectively having the power to stop another from hosting a final as already agreed. This scenario opens up the possibility that the venue for the final will not be known until March 4, just five days before the final.Lahore has been preparing to host the final, which would be the first time that Pakistan has hosted the final of a world event since 1996. These plans will have to be abandoned, with no thought to fans or organisers, should India qualify.