Returning to China After Six Years! KHL World Games Land in Shanghai
After a six-year hiatus, the passion of the world’s top professional ice hockey league is set to ignite Chinese rinks once again. The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has recently announced that it will stage the 2025/2026 KHL World Series Shanghai this March, marking the highly anticipated return of world-class ice hockey to China.
Shanghai Dragons will make its triumphant return to its Chinese home ice at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, facing Sibir Novosibirsk of Russia on March 5 and Barys Astana of Kazakhstan on March 7. These two official KHL regular-season games are part of the KHL World Series project, and will turn the weekend into a spectacular on-ice celebration combining competition, art and culture.
As one of the world’s premier professional ice hockey leagues, the KHL currently consists of 22 teams from China, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, divided geographically into the Eastern and Western Conferences. In the regular season, teams compete for points within their conferences, with the top eight in each conference advancing to the playoffs to compete for the league’s highest honor—the Gagarin Cup.
The 2025/2026 KHL season has entered a decisive phase, with Shanghai Dargons and both visiting teams locked in a tight battle for playoff berths, making these two Shanghai matchups critical to their postseason hopes. Since its founding, HC Kunlun Red Star has carried the expectations of Chinese professional ice hockey. Built around the management team of Avangard Omsk, the 2020/2021 Gagarin Cup champion, the team has emerged as a strong contender for a Western Conference playoff spot.
With the successful staging of the KHL World Series Shanghai, Shanghai Dragons is expected to officially relocate its regular-season home back to China in upcoming seasons, helping to establish top-tier professional ice hockey in the country and boost Shanghai’s ice and snow economy.
The Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, a 18,000-seat venue, has an outstanding pedigree of hosting elite international events, including the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships, 2012 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, as well as major international competitions in aquatics and esports.
The KHL World Series was launched in the 2018–19 season, with its first international series held in Vienna, Austria and Zurich, Switzerland. Subsequent editions took place in Davos (Switzerland) and Tallinn (Estonia) in 2020, Dubai (UAE) in 2021, and Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 2024. China will become the second Asian country, after Uzbekistan, to host the KHL World Series. Prior to pandemic-related restrictions between 2016 and 2020, HC Kunlun Red Star already held home games in Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Beyond high-level competition, the KHL World Series Shanghai will deliver a multi-dimensional on-ice spectacle blending visual, auditory and emotional experiences. A special guest performance will be given by Kamila Valieva, the beloved Russian figure skating star nicknamed “K-Bao” by Chinese fans. A World Junior champion, multiple Russian National Championship medalist, Russian Cup winner and 2022 Beijing Olympian, Valieva will present her newly choreographed program in China for the first time as a tribute to the long-standing support of Chinese audiences.
Hosting the KHL World Games in Shanghai marks a key milestone for the league as it returns to the Chinese market. These international events serve as a tool for the KHL’s global promotion, showcasing the high level of Russianice hockey and fostering dialogue and cultural exchange through sports. The games in Shanghai will undoubtedly be organized to the highest standards and deliver an outstanding experience for Chinese fans. We look forward to
seeing everyone in the stands!
