Mumbai: India could potentially lose its hosting rights for the ICC 2029 Champions Trophy and the 2031 Cricket World Cup. This claim has been made in an Australian media report. According to the report, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering relocating these tournaments to avoid logistical and diplomatic complications arising from India and Pakistan’s refusal to play matches in each other’s countries.
The report further suggests that if the 2029 Champions Trophy and the 2031 One Day International (ODI) World Cup are moved from India, Australia may emerge as the alternative host. Australia has previously hosted major ICC tournaments, including the 2015 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup.
It is noteworthy that India and Pakistan had earlier reached an agreement with the ICC stating that they would not travel to each other’s countries during global tournaments. This arrangement was put in place after India declined to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. In this context, there is a possibility that the existing agreement, currently valid until 2027, could be extended to cover future international tournaments as well.
