Welcome to the Champions Hockey League - the top ice hockey tournament in Europe! Watch as 24 teams battle it out across eight months of intense matches, with only one to be crowned the ultimate champions.
This guide will teach you all about the league system. Find out which European countries will participate, how teams qualify and win the league. It’s suitable for both experienced ice hockey fans and those new to the sport.
Due to its growing popularity, the ice hockey Champions League has also become a keen market for bettors. You can bet on individual matches, or back your favourite team to go all the way! So, find the best ice hockey tips and predictions with interwetten to become fully involved in the 2025/26 season.
Ice Hockey Champions League Betting Markets
You can explore several ice hockey betting markets on interwetten to find the best ones for you. Play the long game by backing one team to lift the trophy, or even a top 2 finish for extra security.
If you want to get involved a little sooner, then betting on the CHL group stage is a great option. The group stages are the preliminary stage to the play-offs, where each team will play each other to qualify for the next round. Bet on a team's final league position or on any individual match.
interwetten also offers CHL spread betting, which is where the bookmakers offer a margin for a particular outcome. For example, if a team is offered a -1.5 spread, then they must win by at least 2 goals for your margin to come through.
Champions Hockey League Schedule
So how exactly does the Champions Hockey League system work? Essentially, the 24 teams that compete in the group stage are made up of different leagues across Europe:
- Last season's reigning champions
- Three teams from the six founding leagues
- One team from the five “challenge leagues”
These 24 teams are placed into one table in the group stages. Each team plays home and away against six different teams - the top 16 qualify for the play-offs.
From there, it is straight knockout competition from the round of 16 all the way to the final, where one team will remain victorious. The whole competition takes place from August to March. The draw for the season often occurs in May.
The six founding leagues are:
- Sweden - Svenska Hockeyligan (SHL)
- Finland - Liiga
- Switzerland - National League
- Czech Republic - Extraliga
- Germany - Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL)
- Austria - ICE Hockey League (ICEHL)
Compare this to other international Ice Hockey leagues like the First Liga, which is composed of ten teams from two countries - Hungary and Romania.
Champions Hockey League Standings
As of September 2025, the top five standings for the 2025/26 CHL group stages are:
- Ilves Tampere - qualified
- KalPa Kuopio - qualified
- Frölunda Gothenburg
- Brynäs IF
- EV Zug
Knowing the current best teams will help you with your CHL form betting. If you want to turn your head to some of the best hockey teams in the world, then NHL betting has quality markets to place a wager on. The National Hockey League is based in North America and composed of the world's top teams - such as the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers.
Champions Hockey League Teams
Each team will have its own Champions Hockey League odds for winning, based on current form and past performances. Make informed CHL team statistics bets by learning about some of the best-performing teams and past champions.
ZSC Lions
The reigning champions of the CHL, ZSC are a Swiss team based in Zürich. Founded in 1930, they have been crowned the Swiss national champions a total of 11 times. Their current head coach is Marco Bayer. Their best players include captain Patrick Geering and the MVP and top scorer of the 2024-25 CHL, Sven Andrighetto.
Frölunda HC
This Swedish team based in Gothenburg has won the CHL four times, most recently in the 2019-20 season. Their head coach is Robert Ohlsson, and captain Max Friberg stands out as a quality player alongside left winger Linus Weissbach.
Luleå Hockey
This Swedish team last won the CHL ten years ago in 2015, but has decent odds of becoming champions again this season. They currently have a 50%-win percentage, but top players such as captain Erik Gustafsson and forward Mathias Bromé could lead them to more wins.
Brynäs IF
One of the favourites for the CHL 2025/26 winners, this Swedish team has several honours to its name, including winning the Le Mat Trophy 13 times. They were founded over 113 years ago in 1912. Their current team includes the captain Johan Larsson, forward Anton Rödin, and head coach Niklas Gällstedt.
2025/26 Champions Hockey League Live Betting
Remember that you can always adjust your bets as the game is on with interwetten’s live betting options. This is for extra security, allowing you to adjust your wager if an unexpected event occurs on the ice. Whether it's an injury, sending-off, or substitution, live betting allows you to stay ahead of the match!
Ice Hockey at the Olympics
Outside of top leagues across the globe, ice hockey has also been keenly contested at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The next Winter Olympic Games are set to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
The top five performing Olympic Games Mens teams are:
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Canada | 9 | 4 | 3 | 16 |
| Soviet Union | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| United States | 2 | 8 | 1 | 11 |
| Sweden | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Finland | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
Two of these countries have teams performing in the CHL.
The best performing Olympic Games Women teams are:
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Canada | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| United States | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Finland | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Three of these countries have teams in the CHL.
This showcases how the ice hockey Champions League is a premier tournament for ice hockey, and it will only improve as the competition grows. With loads of betting markets to choose from, interwetten allows you to get involved in all the action on the ice!