Five sport events to watch in 2025: From Champions Trophy to AFCON

After a year packed with sporting action that was crowned by the Olympics, and included two T20 cricket World Cups and a Euro championship, sport fans can look forward to another 12 months of thrilling action.

Amid dozens of high-profile tournaments spread across the calendar, Al Jazeera picks the top five events to watch out for in 2025:

ICC Champions Trophy (Pakistan and United Arab Emirates): February 19 – March 9

After months of speculation and tug-of-war between hosts Pakistan and neighbours India, the fate of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was decided less than two months before the tournament’s opening game.

The eight-team competition, last played in 2017 when Pakistan beat India in the final in London, will now be partially played in Dubai after India’s refusal to play their fixtures in Pakistan.

Reigning 50-over world champions Australia, holders Pakistan and T20 champions India will be among the favourites when the event gets under way on February 19 in Karachi. The marquee Pakistan vs India clash will be played in Dubai after the Indian government’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan.

The 15-match competition will be played in a round-robin format and the top four finishers will qualify for the March 4 and 5 semifinals in Dubai and Lahore respectively. The final is scheduled for Sunday, March 9 in Lahore but could move to Dubai should India qualify.

UEFA Women’s Euro Championship (Switzerland): July 2 – 27

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was termed as the event that awakened a “sleeping giant” and blazed a trail for women’s football. Two years later, the women’s game will be thrown back into the limelight with the Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland.

World champions Spain will be favourites to lift the trophy that has eluded them in the tournament’s 13 editions but holders England and record seven-time champions Germany will pose a stiff challenge in the 16-team event.

The championship will be spread across eight venues in the host nation, with Thun hosting the opening game between Iceland and Finland, while the final will be played in Basel on July 27.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India): September – October

A year before the FIFA World Cup returns to North America following a 32-year gap, the United States (US) will host the revamped version of FIFA’s premier club competition.

In a bid to boost the tournament’s profile and attract a wider audience, the Club World Cup has been expanded to a 32-team event from the usual seven top clubs from regional confederations. FIFA has also made the event a quadrennial tournament, with the new Intercontinental Cup taking over as an annual championship.

The 2025 edition will be played at some of the venues slotted to host the 2026 World Cup, with New Jersey hosting both tournaments’ finals.

Argentina star Lionel Messi’s club Inter Miami CF have entered the competition for the first time and will be up against the likes of global giants Real Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus, Fluminense, Boca Juniors and Bayern Munich.

The tournament’s expansion and scheduling during European football’s summer break has invited criticism from players’ bodies and football experts. FIFPRO and the European Leagues body have filed a joint complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over the introduction of the tournament into the international match calendar.

Opponents of the new tournament have said it adds further congestion to an already crowded schedule and increases the workload of players.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India): September – October

Given its status as the global powerhouse of cricket and the success of the Women’s Premier League, India’s trophy cabinet in the Women’s ICC World Cup remains surprisingly empty.

Global stars and local household names such as Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues will get a chance to break the drought when the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup returns to India in September 2025.

The South Asian nation has hosted the tournament twice – in 1997 and 2013 – but at a time when women’s cricket did not enjoy the recognition it now does.

The full list of teams, venues and final schedule for the 2025 edition have not been confirmed. Record seven-time champions Australia will be favourites to expand their hold on the trophy but four-time winners England and hosts India will look to knock the holders off their perch.

Under the new hosting agreement between India and Pakistan, the women in green will play their fixtures at a neutral venue should they qualify for the tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco): December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026

Arguably the biggest sports competition in the African continent, the bi-annual Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco for the second time from December 2025 to January 2026.

The FIFA World Cup 2030 co-hosts will look to make the most of the home advantage in their attempt to win their second AFCON title since 1976 but standing in their way will be regional giants Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal and Egypt.

The tournament was originally scheduled for June and July but with the revamped Club World Cup taking up the slot, AFCON was moved to the end of the year.

Six cities, including Rabat, Fes, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier and Agadir will host the games.

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