JF-17 to take center stage at Champions Trophy 2025 opening ceremony

KARACHI: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is set to thrill the audience with a spectacular air show at the opening ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ARY News reported.

The ceremony, scheduled to take place on February 19, will feature a display of aerobatic maneuvers by PAF jets, including the JF-17 Thunder, F-16, and Sher Dil.

The air show will be a highlight of the opening ceremony, with the PAF fighter jets performing flypast. The jet will also perform various stunts and maneuvers.

Rehearsals for the air show are currently underway, with aircraft flying over the National Stadium in Karachi.

It is worth noting here that the Champions Trophy 2025 is set to begin on February 19, with Pakistan, the defending champions and hosts, taking on New Zealand in the tournament opener.

The tournament will see eight teams play a total of 15 matches across 19 days.

Pakistan will begin their campaign with the tournament opener against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19.

They will then face India in the highly-anticipated PAK vs IND match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23.

Pakistan will play their third and final group match in Rawalpindi against Bangladesh on February 27.

Prize money

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the prize money for the Champions Trophy 2025, set to begin in Pakistan on February 19.

The winning team of the eight-team tournament will take home the grand prize of a whopping $2.24 million, the ICC said in a statement on Friday.

“The runners-up will receive $1.12 million, while each losing semi-finalist will take home $560,000. The total prize pool has increased by an impressive 53 percent from the 2017 edition, reaching $6.9 million,” as per the ICC.

Teams will get $34,000 for every victory in the Champions Trophy 2025 group stage game.

The ICC will hand $350,000 each to teams finishing in fifth or sixth place in the tournament while the seventh and eighth-placed sides will take home $140,000.

Further, all participating teams will receive $125,000 each for participating in the event.