The 2026 IIHF Continental Cup groups are set – and this year’s tournament will see six teams contest the final.

Fourteen teams from across Europe are aiming to reach that final, due to be played in Nottingham, Great Britain, in mid-January.

The action starts in October, with two first-round groups. In Lithuania, Hockey Punks will host HK Mogo (LAT), Narva PSK (EST) and Skautafelag Akureyrar (ISL) in Vilnius. Group B sees Romania’s ACS Gyergyoi entertain Budapest JAHC (HUN), HC Kremenchuk (UKR) and Crvena Zvezda (SRB) in Gheorgeni. Both groups are due to be played from Oct. 17-19.

This entry list represents a slight change from the one announced back in June: Croatia’s KHL Sisak has withdrawn from the competition, with Akureyrar (ISL) the replacement.

Round 2 will take place in France

The winners from that stage will advance to a single, four-team group for the second round. Angers Ducs will host in France’s Loire Valley, with Italy’s SC Cortina also awarded a bye to this round.

Then the grand final sees the top two from that group join Nottingham Panthers (GBR), Torpedo (KAZ), GKS Katowice (POL) and Herning Blue Fox (DEN).

It’s the first time the tournament will have a six-team final. Previous editions have culminated in a four-team tournament (with exceptions in 2022 and 2025 when one competing team had to drop out).

The final will be played in two groups, with full details of the schedule to be announced closer to the event.

Could Nottingham Panthers win a second gold medal?

Nottingham Panthers, the host club for this season’s final, are the only previous winners in contention for 2026. But they can expect stiff competition from several opponents with a strong Continental Cup pedigree in recent seasons.

Four other teams have previously won medals. Herning Blue Fox twice claimed silver (2016, 2024), while Angers Ducs came third in 2015 and were runners-up on home ice in 2023. GKS Katowice took bronze last season and will contest the final for the fourth successive season. Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk won bronze in 2008 and is back in the tournament for the first time in many years.

Along with GKS, three other teams played in last season’s event. Mogo topped its first-round group but fell in the second stage, while Crvena Zvezda and Narva were both eliminated in the opening round.

There is also a tournament rookie. ACS Gyergyoi traces its roots back to 1949, but has reached a new level since joining the Hungarian Erste League in 2018. It won that competition in 2023 – the club’s first major title – and this year won the Romanian championship for the first time to qualify for the Continental Cup.

You can follow the progress of the 2025/2026 IIHF Continental Cup here on IIHF.com.