Pakistan may lose Champions Trophy hosting?

Following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is now facing race again time for the tournament.

Moreover, according to reports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is also exploring other venues incase Pakistan and Pakistan fail to reach consensus.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is adamant about hosting the entire event in Pakistan but may have to reconsider if the ICC proposed hybrid model.

In case the hybrid model be rejected, the tournament may be moved entirely to South Africa.

In the hybrid model, Pakistan will host the entire tournament in the country apart from India matches, which would be played in Dubai. Moreover, and if India made into the final, then it will also be moved to Dubai.

Naqvi, however, stated that no formal talks on this hybrid option have occurred and warned against expecting Pakistan to always make concessions.

“Till today, no one has discussed any Hybrid Model with us nor are we willing to talk about it. But we have been showing good gestures for the last few years, and no one should expect us to do it all the time,” Naqvi remarked at a press briefing at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

PCB officials confirmed that the BCCI, citing government advice, officially informed the ICC that they would not send their team to Pakistan.

This communication was then relayed to the Pakistani government for guidance on further action.

The ICC’s recent cancellation of an event in Lahore—where the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule was to be unveiled—has fueled further uncertainty about the tournament’s structure.

This scenario echoes the 2023 Asia Cup, where a hybrid hosting arrangement saw India’s matches held in Sri Lanka.