The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the qualification process for the icc 2025 champions trophy, which is set to be hosted by Pakistan, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo on Sunday.
The top seven teams, excluding Pakistan due to their hosting status, in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 will secure a place in the 2025 ICC event.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed that the qualification system was approved by the ICC Board in 2021 when the competition was reintroduced as an eight-team tournament for the 2024-31 cycle.
However, some cricket boards of teams that failed to qualify for the World Cup were not informed by the ICC that their participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy would depend on their performance in the current mega event. As a result, teams such as Zimbabwe, Ireland, and the West Indies will not be able to participate in the eight-team tournament in 2025.
It’s worth noting that in November 2021, the ICC announced various global cricketing events for both men and women in the 2024-31 cycle, including the two editions of the Champions Trophy in 2025 and 2029.
It should be noted that the previous two editions of the Champions Trophy in 2013 and 2017 featured the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings and were won by India and Pakistan, respectively.
One Full Member board also confirmed that the 2027 World Cup will be a 14-team tournament, co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The qualification criteria for this event are that the top eight teams in the ICC rankings will qualify, with four additional teams earning their spots through global qualifier tournaments. Zimbabwe and South Africa will secure their places as the hosts of the tournament.
Following the Netherlands’ surprising victory over Bangladesh at the World Cup, Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, expressed his determination to finish in the top 8 in the tournament, emphasizing the importance of this ranking for participation in the Champions Trophy. While reaching the semi-finals seemed unlikely, securing a top 8 position remained their goal.