Opening Ceremony Canceled for Champions Trophy 2025 Amid Team Delays

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will start without an opening ceremony because two teams won't arrive on time. This means organizers have canceled the usual events before the tournament. These include the press conference with all eight captains and the official photoshoot in Karachi. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won't go to Karachi for the captains' meeting. This puts to rest earlier rumors from Indian media.

Although officials never confirmed the opening ceremony, earlier reports hinted at ongoing preparations.

Sources inside the International Cricket Council (ICC) say the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have turned in their arrival schedules.

England will reach Lahore on February 18, whereas Australia will reach it on 19 February.

Bangladesh and India will fly into Dubai on February 15, while Afghanistan will reach Islamabad on February 12.

New Zealand and South Africa will already be in Pakistan after a tri-nation ODI series in Lahore and Karachi from February 8 to 14.

Sources say England has chosen to take a week off after their long India tour, which ends with a white-ball series on February 12.

In the same way, Australia, after their Sri Lanka tour finishes on February 14, has picked a four-day rest before they get to Pakistan.

England and Australia have chosen not to play their scheduled warm-up matches because of delayed flights.

Both teams had the option to play two warm-up matches but opted instead to go straight into the tournament, a strategy that echoes decisions observed in previous ICC competitions, such as the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies.

An ICC official, who requested anonymity, explained that despite interest from both the ICC and the PCB in staging an opening ceremony, the schedules of England and Australia, coupled with considerations for player workload, rendered it impractical.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) explained that although discussions about an opening ceremony took place both internally and with the ICC, there was never any formal confirmation or public declaration.

Even though the opening ceremony was called off, the PCB is still dedicated to honoring Pakistan's role as host of this distinguished competition. A special event is being planned to take place prior to the Pakistan vs. New Zealand game on February 19th in Karachi.