The ICC Champions Trophy is a marquee cricket tournament played in the One-Day International (ODI) format. India are the reigning and most successful champions with three titles — the shared 2002 trophy, 2013 and 2025 — ahead of Australia on two.
Previously named the ICC KnockOut Trophy, the tournament was introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1998 to raise funds for the development of the sport in non-Test playing countries.
The inaugural edition was held in Bangladesh in June 1998, with nine teams taking part. South Africa won it, beating West Indies by four wickets in the final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
In a bid to grow the game in ICC Associate member nations, the second edition was staged in Kenya in 2000. New Zealand were crowned champions after beating India by four wickets to claim their maiden ICC title.
Since 2002, hosting has been shared between countries under an unofficial rotation system, with six ICC members having staged at least one match in the tournament.
It is often dubbed the “Mini World Cup” because it has involved the full members of the ICC from the 2002 tournament onwards. India and Sri Lanka shared the trophy that year after the final was washed out on two separate occasions.
Entry to the Champions Trophy is decided by the preceding ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup: the eight teams that finish highest in the World Cup group stage qualify.
ICC Champions Trophy winners list: know all the champions from 1998 to 2025
|
Year |
Host Nation(s) |
Winner |
Runner-up |
|
1998 |
Bangladesh |
South Africa |
West Indies |
|
2000 |
Kenya |
New Zealand |
India |
|
2002 |
Sri Lanka |
India and Sri Lanka shared trophy |
|
|
2004 |
England |
West Indies |
England |
|
2006 |
India |
Australia |
West Indies |
|
2009 |
South Africa |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
2013 |
England and Wales |
India |
England |
|
2017 |
England and Wales |
Pakistan |
India |
|
2025 |
Pakistan and United Arab Emirates |
India |
New Zealand |
Most successful teams in ICC Champions Trophy: by each country
|
Team |
Titles |
Winning Year(s) |
|
India |
3 |
2002*, 2013, 2025 |
|
Australia |
2 |
2006, 2009 |
|
South Africa |
1 |
1998 |
|
New Zealand |
1 |
2000 |
|
Sri Lanka |
1 |
2002* |
|
West Indies |
1 |
2004 |
|
Pakistan |
1 |
2017 |
*India and Sri Lanka were declared joint champions in 2002 after the final and its reserve-day replay were both washed out.
Australia’s back-to-back titles
Australia are the only side other than India to win the Champions Trophy more than once, and the only one to retain it. Ricky Ponting’s team beat West Indies by eight wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit 2006 final at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, then defended the trophy in South Africa in 2009, beating New Zealand by six wickets at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Champions Trophy 2025: India end a 12-year wait
The 2025 Champions Trophy was staged in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in February and March, with India playing all of their matches in Dubai. They won the lot — five out of five — and beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 9 March 2025.
New Zealand made 251 for 7, Daryl Mitchell top-scoring with 63 from 101 balls and Michael Bracewell finishing unbeaten on 53 from 40. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each as India’s spinners squeezed the middle overs.
India replied with 254 for 6 in 49 overs. Captain Rohit Sharma made 76 from 83 balls and put on 105 for the first wicket with Shubman Gill; after the middle order wobbled, KL Rahul saw it home with 34 not out from 33. Rohit was named player of the match, and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra was player of the tournament.
It was India’s third Champions Trophy and their first ICC ODI title since 2013. Read our full report on the 2025 final.
ICC Champions Trophy 2029: India host
The tenth edition is scheduled for India in 2029, which would make the holders the hosts. The format stays at eight teams in two groups of four, with the top two in each group going through to the semi-finals — a short tournament of 15 matches.
Who has won the most ICC Champions Trophy titles?
India, with three — 2002 (shared with Sri Lanka), 2013 and 2025.
Who are the current Champions Trophy holders?
India, who beat New Zealand by four wickets in the 2025 final in Dubai.
How many teams play in the Champions Trophy?
Eight, qualifying through the preceding ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
For the full list of one-day world champions, see our ODI World Cup winners list.
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Photo credit: Imago