2025–26 EIHL season
| 2025–26 EIHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration |
|
| Regular season | |
| Challenge Cup | |
| Playoffs | |
The 2025–26 EIHL season will be the 22nd season of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), the highest level of domestic ice hockey played in the United Kingdom, the league will run three separate competitions that will be played between 6 September 2025 and 19 April 2026.[1]
The Belfast Giants will be the defending the league championship as well as the Challenge Cup. The Nottingham Panthers are the raining playoff champions
Teams
The same ten teams that competed in 2024–25 will complete in the 2025–26 season.
| Team | City/Town | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Giants | .svg.png){kind=small} Belfast
|
SSE Arena Belfast | 8,700 |
| Cardiff Devils |  Cardiff
|
Vindico Arena | 3,088 |
| Coventry Blaze |  Coventry
|
Coventry Skydome | 3,000 |
| Dundee Stars |  Dundee
|
Dundee Ice Arena | 2,400 |
| Fife Flyers | Kirkcaldy
|
Fife Ice Arena | 3,525 |
| Glasgow Clan | Glasgow
|
Braehead Arena | 4,000 |
| Guildford Flames | Guildford
|
Guildford Spectrum | 2,001 |
| Manchester Storm | Altrincham
|
Altrincham Ice Dome | 2,351 |
| Nottingham Panthers | Nottingham
|
Motorpoint Arena Nottingham | 7,500 |
| Sheffield Steelers | Sheffield
|
Utilita Arena Sheffield | 9,300 |
Regular season
League standings
Each team Will play 54 games, playing each of the other nine teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home. Points will awarded for each game, two points were awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it is in regulation time or after overtime or game-winning shots. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or game-winning shots, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that finishes with the most points will be crowned the league champion, and is expected to qualify for the 2026–27 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams will qualify for the playoffs.[2]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Cardiff Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Coventry Blaze | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Dundee Stars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Fife Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Guildford Flames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Manchester Storm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Nottingham Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Sheffield Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup will be split into two stages: an initial group stage where the league's ten teams will be divided into two groups based on geographical distance – one group of six teams (Group A) and a group of four teams (Group B).[3] The teams in Group A (the five English teams and the Cardiff Devils) will play each of the other teams twice for a total of ten games, while the teams in Group B (the three Scottish teams and the Belfast Giants) will play each of the other teams four times for a total of twelve games.
The top two teams in Group A and the winners of Group B will qualify for the semi-finals. The runners-up in Group B will face the third-placed team in Group A in a one-off game, to be held at the arena of the team with a higher group stage points percentage, to determine the final semi-finalist.[4]
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Coventry Blaze | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Guildford Flames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 4 | Manchester Storm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Nottingham Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Sheffield Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Dundee Stars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 3 | Fife Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Glasgow Clan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
References
- ^ "Gamecentre". EIHL. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ "Standings 2025/2026 Elite Ice Hockey League". EIHL. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ Crow, Allan (13 May 2024). "EIHL's new Challenge Cup format revealed after fans' survey criticism – and it still feels clunky". Fife Free Press. National World. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "New Challenge Cup format for 2024/25". EIHL. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2025.