ICC Champions Trophy 2025, jointly hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, has made its mark on cricket history, achieving 368 billion viewing minutes worldwide.
The Pakistan Cricket Board, in a recent ICC press release issued on Friday, said that this whopping number accounts for a whopping 19% rise from last year’s edition that took place in England and Wales in 2017 in which Pakistan had won the Champions Trophy by defeating arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.
The 2025 tournament, in which India and New Zealand fought it out in a last-over thriller final in the UAE, was a successful return of an ICC event on Pakistani soil after 29 years.
The previous major event that Pakistan hosted was the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan’s eagerness to host the tournament was reflected in the large-scale renovations and constructions carried out on its stadiums.
The historic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, specially overhauled in record time, hosted four decisive matches, including a semi-final. Karachi had the unique privilege of hosting the tournament’s opening match, with Rawalpindi also playing a key part in the successful organisation of the event.
Global Interest Peaks in Champions Trophy Format
The extravaganza finale on March 9 in the UAE between cricketing titans India and New Zealand became history’s most-watched Champions Trophy match.
It delivered a whopping 65.3 billion live viewing minutes worldwide, a staggering 52.1% improvement from the 2017 final, as per the press release.
Notwithstanding that the host country, Pakistan, did not quite live up to its fiery fans’ expectations, audience hours in the country still registered an impressive 24% growth. This speaks volumes of Pakistani fans’ unabating support and commitment to cricket.
Its record-breaking performance in Australia further enhanced its international popularity, as viewers watched 65% more hours compared to the last edition.
This indicates a heightened international interest in the Champions Trophy format.
