The 2025 Men’s Champions Trophy trip will begin in Islamabad on Saturday, according to an announcement made by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Legendary sprinter Shoaib Akhtar will celebrate the trophy’s appearance at the city’s well-known monuments, including the Pakistan Monument, Daman-e-Koh, and the Faisal Mosque.

After the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed on Thursday that locations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad—three of which are in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)—would be included on the trophy tour list, the promotional event, which takes place prior to every major ICC event, was rocked by controversy.

With locations like Taxila, Khanpur, Abbottabad, Nathia Gali, and Karachi on the list for the Pakistan edition of the trip until November 25, only Murree has been kept in the trophy tour itinerary released by the ICC after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) voiced strong opposition on Friday.

The trophy will be displayed in all participating countries, giving the sport’s ardent supporters the chance to get up close and personal with the recognizable prize, according to ICC Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya.

From November 26–28, the trophy will visit Afghanistan. From December 10–13, it will go to Bangladesh. From December 15–22, it will be in South Africa. After that, from December 25 to January 5, it will be in Australia before traveling to New Zealand from January 6 to 11. Following its January 12–14 visit of England, the trophy will spend January 15–26 in India before returning to Pakistan on January 27.

Pakistan won the Men’s Champions Trophy in the most recent edition, which took place in England in 2017. However, the eight-team tournament’s official schedule remains in doubt since the PCB has not yet consented to organize it under a hybrid format, and the BCCI has prohibited travel to Pakistan owing to security concerns.