Iberian Ice Hockey League
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founder | Portuguese Winter Sports Federation & Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country | Andorra (1 team) Portugal (1 team) Spain (7 teams) |
| Continent | Europe |
| Most recent champion | Jaca (2024–25) |
| Most titles | Jaca (1) |
| Related competitions |
The Iberian Ice Hockey League (Portuguese: Liga Ibérica de Hóquei no Gelo, Spanish: Liga Ibérica de Hockey Hielo) is the top men's ice hockey competition based in the Iberian Peninsula, featuring teams from Andorra, Portugal and Spain.[1]
History
The foundations of a pan-Iberian competition began in October 2023 following a proposal made between the Portuguese Winter Sports Federation, Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif at the IIHF’s Semi-Annual Congress in Vilamoura.[2] The agreement allowed HC Porto to become the first Portuguese team to join the Spanish Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo (LNHH), however LNHH regulations regarding each team icing a minimum number of Spanish players meant that the Portuguese team were ineligible to qualify for the post-season championship playoff, limiting the team to regular season games only.[3][4]
Porto's inaugural season met with some success–finishing in fourth place out of a total of seven teams–and therefore, on 13 September 2024, the Portuguese and Spanish Winter Sport Federations jointly announced the creation of a new competition: the Iberian Ice Hockey League. The new competition would feature Porto alongside the six leading Spanish teams from the existing LNHH; Huarte, Jaca, Majadahonda, Milenio Logroño, Puigcerdà and Txuri Urdin, with the prospect of additional teams joining in the future.[4][5]
The inaugural 2024–2025 season featured 7 teams playing 63 games across 21 rounds, with 15-time Spanish champions Jaca being crowned as the first winners of the new tournament.[2]
In August 2025, ahead of the second edition of the competition, the league announced an expansion to 9 teams with the addition of three teams–FC Barcelona and Madrid along with its first team based in Andorra: Andorra Hoquei Gel–whilst simultaneously announcing the withdrawal of Huarte.[1][6]
Format
For the inaugural 2024–2025 season, the competition format consists of a 21-round regular season, after which the top-placed team in the standings is crowned Iberian League champions.[7]
The league co-exists with the Spanish Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo (LNHH); following the end of the Iberian League season, the four highest placed Spanish-based teams advance to a post-season playoff to determine the Spanish national champions.
Teams
| Current Teams (2025–2026 season) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Years |
| Andorra Hoquei Gel | Canillo | Palau de Gel d'Andorra | 1,500 | 1990 | 2025–present |
| FC Barcelona | Barcelona | Palau de Gel | 1,256 | 1972 | 2025–present |
| Jaca | Jaca | Pabellón de Hielo de Jaca | 2,000 | 1972 | 2024–present |
| Madrid | Madrid | Pista de Hielo de Madrid | 1,500 | 1972 | 2025–present |
| Majadahonda | Majadahonda | Pista de Hielo La Nevera | 350 | 1992 | 2024–present |
| Milenio Logroño | Logroño | Centro Deportivo Municipal Lobete | 800 | 2005 | 2024–present |
| Porto | Porto | Trofa Ice Arena | 600 | 2023 | 2024–present |
| Puigcerdà | Puigcerdà | Club Poliesportiu Puigcerdà | 1,456 | 1956 | 2024–present |
| Txuri Urdin | San Sebastián | Palacio de Hielo Txuri Urdin | 650 | 1972 | 2025–present |
| Former Teams | |||||
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Years |
| Huarte | Huarte | Palacio de Hielo de Huarte | 500 | 2014 | 2024–2025 |
Champions
| Season | Iberian League Champion |
|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Jaca |
References
- ^ a b "Temporada 25/26 ¿Con una Liga Ibérica de 9 equipos? Así lo ha publicado Hockey Hielo News Spain". hockeyhielo.net (in Spanish). 7 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ a b Andrew Podnieks (18 February 2025). "Jaca wins inaugural Iberian league title". IIHF. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "HC Porto estreia Portugal na liga espanhola de hóquei no gelo" (in Portuguese). BomDia.eu. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Cristina da Costa Brookes (11 October 2024). "Could new ice rinks be on the cards for Portugal?". The Portugal News. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "España y Portugal se unen para crear la Liga Ibérica" (in Spanish). NHL. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "The 2025-2026 edition of Spanish League (called Liga Iberica) will allign a record of 9 teams". Twitter. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "El CH Jaca, primer campeón de la Liga Ibérica de Hockey Hielo" (in Spanish). FedHielo. 16 February 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.