Karachi, Lahore stadiums ready for Champions Trophy, assures PCB Chief

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday that all three venues in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi are ready to host the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 in February and March.

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to begin on February 19. There have been concerns about Pakistan's readiness for the marquee event, featuring the world's top eight teams for the first time since 2017. However, a confident PCB chief assured that Pakistan and its venues are ready to host the ICC event properly.

"They were people from across the border and even others who kept on saying it looks like the Champions Trophy would be moved out of Pakistan as stadiums are not going to be ready on time. But I can announce today we are set to go for the tri-series and Champions Trophy," he told reporters at Lahore's Gaddafi stadium.

Naqvi said that Gaddafi Stadium will be ready for its inauguration by the Prime Minister on February 7, while some work at Karachi’s National Stadium and Rawalpindi Stadium will continue after the tournament. However, he assured that all essential preparations for a top-class viewing experience would be completed before the National Stadium's inauguration on February 11.

"Facilities for



teams, officials, broadcasters, and media have all been upgraded and are complete," Naqvi said.

"We will have the inauguration ceremony for the tournament on 16th in Lahore. The captains conference or the photoshoots will not be possible for the ICC or us because of the hectic travelling schedules of some teams."

"We have asked the ICC to refrain from providing us with the usual tickets and passes given to the host country. Instead, they are paying us the corresponding amount," he said.

"There was criticism as the work progressed on these venues but we took it in stride and there was also some good advice and feedback that helped us a lot in achieving our target," he said.

The PCB chief stated that top officials from all cricket boards, including India, were invited to attend key events throughout the tournament, such as the inauguration, matches, semi-finals, and final.

"They will let us know about their plans but I think we will be playing host to many board officials and even sports ministers from different countries throughout the event," he said.

"And they cost us less than those already installed and we had to ensure we didn't go too much over the budget."