Flintoff has been ruled out of the one-day tournament - second behind only the World Cup in its prestige – after undergoing surgery on his knee following the Ashes series victory over Australia this summer.
And Onions, whose performances in those Test matches earned him plaudits among fans and pundits alike, has been brought in to provide additional cover in the pace bowling department.
Onions will also be included in the squad for the remaining five matches of the one-day series against Australia, which the tourists currently lead 2-0 after victories at the Oval and Lord's last week.
In a statement, the ECB said: 'Durham's Graham Onions has been approved as a replacement for Andrew Flintoff in England's 2009 ICC Champions Trophy squad and has been called up to England's NatWest Series squad for the current ODI series against Australia.
'Flintoff was initially named in England's 15-man ICC Champions Trophy squad but was subsequently ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.
'The ICC has confirmed the Champions Trophy event technical committee has approved the replacement of Flintoff with Onions for the tournament to be staged in South Africa from September 22nd to October 5th.'
Onions is yet to make his debut in one-day internationals for England but has played five Tests this year since his debut against the West Indies, taking 20 wickets at an average of 36.95.
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