The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is launching a series of tournaments – the European Cup of Nations . The new competition series will give European national teams the opportunity to play meaningful and competitive matches during breaks in IIHF international matches.
A total of 18 national teams will participate in the tournament, divided into five different groups according to the IIHF rankings:
- Group 1 : Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, Austria
- Group 2 : France, Denmark, Norway, Hungary
- Group 3 : Poland, Italy, Great Britain, Slovenia
- Group 4 : Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania
- Group 5 : Estonia, Netherlands, Spain
The tournaments are held four times per season – in November, December, February and April – during the IIHF's official off-season weeks.
For Estonia, the Nations Cup season begins in front of a home crowd:
from November 6 to 8, 2025, the European Cup of Nations men's team tournament will take place at the Tondiraba Ice Arena , where the Estonian national team will host the Dutch and Spanish national teams.
The new format aims to offer more international matches and strengthen the development of European hockey nations at all levels, providing equal competition and greater playing practice for both top and developing hockey nations.