The tournament schedule was supposed to be unveiled last November, but the political clashes between both countries and India's refusal to travel to the neighbouring country delayed the publication of a definitive schedule.
Despite the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, saying in October that preparations were progressing as planned and that he was confident all teams would be present, a month later the ICC revealed that India had written to say that their national team would not cross the border to play in Pakistan.
"Almost all countries want the tournament to be played in Pakistan and it would be disappointing if they did not come. I do not think anyone should turn this into a political matter. We will give each team all the facilities we can," said President Naqvi at that time. Finally, the PCB decided to remedy this issue by designating Dubai as a neutral venue.
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As a result of this decision, the three group matches of India and the first semi-final scheduled for 4th March will be played in the United Arab Emirates. Likewise, the final on 9th March in Lahore will also be moved to Dubai if India qualifies.
Defending champions Pakistan and India were grouped together with New Zealand and Bangladesh in Group A, while England will face Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan in Group B. The tournament's opening match will see Pakistan face New Zealand in Karachi on 19 February, while India will play against Bangladesh in Dubai the following day.
The Champions Trophy will be the first global event hosted by Pakistan since 1996. The Asian country will also host the women's T20 World Cup in 2028, when neutral venue arrangements will apply. Additionally, they will play at a neutral venue in any event hosted by India until 2027, as per the agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket, PCB, and ICC.
The hostile relationship between India and Pakistan dates back to when the two became sovereign nations following the partition of British India in 1947. There have since been three wars, numerous armed conflicts, and reported persistent skirmish attacks from both sides at the India-Pakistan border. In 2003, the two nations agreed to a cease-fire which has proven to be far from stable and ongoing political tensions still bubble away.
Fixtures:
February
19 Pakistan v New Zealand, Karachi
20 Bangladesh v India, Dubai
21 Afghanistan v South Africa, Karachi
22 Australia v England, Lahore, Pakistan
23 Pakistan v India, Dubai
24 Bangladesh v New Zealand, Rawalpindi
25 Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi
26 Afghanistan v England, Lahore
27 Pakistan v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi
28 Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore
March
1 South Africa v England, Karachi
2 New Zealand v India, Dubai
4 Semi-final 1, Dubai
5 Semi-final 2, Lahore
9 Final, Lahore (unless India qualify, then it will be played in Dubai)
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