KARACHI: Pakistan’s newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host a free opening ceremony today, Friday, featuring a fireworks display, light show and live performances ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
The PCB has been renovating stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi for the tournament, which will take place later this month across the three venues alongside Dubai. This will be the first ICC tournament held in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.
According to the PCB, Gaddafi Stadium has been transformed into a world-class facility, featuring over 34,000 seats, brand-new scoreboards on two corners and state-of-the-art floodlights to ensure exceptional visibility for players and spectators after sunset.
“Famous singers Ali Zafar, Arif Lohar and Aima Baig will perform at the opening ceremony,” the PCB said in a statement. “A magnificent display of drums, fireworks and a light show will take place. The public will have free entry to the opening ceremony.”
The statement highlighted that the state-of-the-art stadium had been completed in a record time of only 117 days.
The PCB noted that all barriers in front of the seating enclosures have been removed and comfortable chairs installed. Additionally, new hospitality boxes with world-class facilities have been created for both cricket fans and players.
“First of all, I thank the workers who made the impossible possible,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was quoted as saying. “Frontier Works Organization, NESPAK contractors and PCB teams turned the dream of stadium renovation into reality.”
Pakistani fans have long expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s stadiums, citing a lack of basic facilities and a subpar viewing experience for spectators. The PCB has also been renovating Karachi’s stadium.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be held from Feb. 19 to Mar. 9, with matches hosted across Pakistan and Dubai in a hybrid model. The tournament’s structure follows a compromise after India refused to play in Pakistan, citing “security concerns.”
Exercising its rights as the host nation, Pakistan designated Dubai as the neutral venue for India’s matches, ensuring the participation of all teams. The PCB has scheduled the Champions Trophy opening ceremony in Lahore on Feb. 16.
In Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi will each host three group-stage games. Lahore is also set to host the second semifinal. Dubai will host all three of India’s group matches and the first semifinal, should India qualify.
The tournament opener on Feb. 19 will feature Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi, while India will face Bangladesh in Dubai on Feb. 20.
This will be the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy after an eight-year hiatus. The last tournament took place in England in 2017. The event will feature the top eight teams in world cricket competing for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.
