NEW YORK and MUNICH— The National Hockey League (NHL) and FC Bayern today announced a first-of-its-kind strategic multiyear partnership designed to accelerate the growth of hockey in Germany and the development of FC Bayern in North America, create innovative fan engagement opportunities and connect two of the world’s most iconic sports brands and passionate fan bases. The unique collaboration with FC Bayern is part of the NHL’s long-term international growth strategy in Germany.
Unveiled today at Säbener Straße, FC Bayern’s world-class training facility, with German NHL stars Leon Draisaitl and JJ Peterka, and FC Bayern champion Alphonso Davies, the partnership includes creating a platform for cross-sport collaboration, community engagement, youth outreach and original content development. Through a series of initiatives, the NHL and FC Bayern will work together to introduce hockey to new audiences in Germany while creating distinctive experiences for fans of both organizations.
“Germany continues to be one of the NHL’s most important international growth markets, and FC Bayern is among the most recognizable and respected sports brands in the world,” said Keith Wachtel, President, NHL Business. “By combining the NHL’s passion for hockey with FC Bayern’s extraordinary reach and connection to fans, we have a tremendous strategic opportunity to introduce more people to our game, deepen engagement with existing fans and create unique experiences.”
“FC Bayern is renowned for constantly breaking the mould – and we are very excited about this special partnership with the NHL. By developing ideas together with one of the most tradition-steeped leagues in world sport, the connection of our respective regions will create unique synergies on a wide variety of levels, in sports and beyond. We are creating a platform that promises long-term value for both partners and sets a new benchmark in terms of what cross-sport collaborations can achieve,” commented FC Bayern Board Member and CMO, Rouven Kasper.
As part of the agreement, the NHL and FC Bayern will collaborate on a range of fan-focused initiatives, including digital and social media campaigns, co-branded content and merchandise opportunities, street hockey events in Munich, watch parties, matchday activations at Allianz Arena, youth programming, hospitality experiences, and business networking events. The partners will also work together on player appearances, experiential activations, cross-promotional campaigns, and other community engagement and storytelling initiatives designed to create memorable experiences for hockey and football fans alike.
Earlier today, the NHL announced it will be bringing more NHL regular season games to Germany in the 2027-28 regular season as part of the 2027 NHL Global Series Germany. Munich will host a pair of games at SAP Garden featuring the Boston Bruins and Munich native JJ Peterka, while Cologne will also host a set of games at Lanxess Arena featuring the Edmonton Oilers and Cologne native Leon Draisatl. This coming NHL season, Düsseldorf will host the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany on December 18 and 20, 2026 at PSD Bank Dome, featuring two regular season games between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks.
For more information on the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany visit NHL.com/GlobalSeriesGermany.
