Pakistan enters the tournament as defending champions having won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, defeating India in the final. While Pakistan has won the tournament once, India has won twice: in 2013 and in 2002,

The Indian national cricket team will face Pakistan in the second group stage match for both nations in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

In recent ICC tournaments, the Pakistan cricket team has often found itself at the mercy of others’ results, needing a series of improbable outcomes to secure a spot in the knockout stages. But as the country hosts a major ICC tournament after almost three decades, expectations were high this time.