[ad_1]
The top seven teams at the end of the league phase of the ongoing ODI World Cup in India will qualify for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy along with hosts Pakistan to compete in the eight-team event.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the qualification system for the 2025 Champions Cup was approved by the ICC Board in 2021, when the competition was reinstated as one of the eight men’s world championships to be held in the 2024-2031 cycle.
The development has come as a surprise to a few boards – be it their India teams or others who missed out on making it to the ODI World Cup – who told ESPNcricinfo that they were not aware that qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy was at stake in this tournament.
It also means that other full member nations such as West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland will not even have a chance to qualify for the tournament, by virtue of not making it to the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The matter came to light after Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan made comments referring to the Champions Trophy in a press conference, suggesting he was at least aware that qualification was at stake.
In November 2021, the ICC unveiled several global events for both men and women in the new cycle (2024-31) including two editions of the Champions Trophy – in 2025 and 2029. The ICC said in a media statement that the Champions Cup will be an eight-team event, and the tournament structure will follow “previous editions with two groups of four, the semi-finals and the final.”
For the 2013 and 2017 editions of the Champions Trophy, the top eight teams in the ODI rankings at the deadline for the event qualified. It is understood that the decision for the top seven teams to participate in the 2025 Champions League World Cup was originally approved by the ICC Chief Executives Committee and the ICC Board subsequently ratified the recommendation.
More to follow…
