Continental Cup Final returns to Cardiff
by Henrik MANNINEN|03 DEC 2024
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation
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HC Arlan, GKS Katowice, Bruleurs de Loups join host Devils
 
The 2025 IIHF Continental Cup Final will be back in familiar surroundings and hosted by the Welsh capital of Cardiff from 16 to 19 January 2025.
 
For the second year running, Cardiff´s 3,088-capacity Vindico Arena will take centre stage for the international showcase event for teams from Europe’s emerging leagues.
 
HC Arlan (KAZ), GKS Katowice (POL), Cardiff Devils (GBR), and Bruleurs de Loups (FRA) form the strong quartet vying for glory in Great Britain next month.
 
In a single round-robin series, each of the four teams will face each other once, with the top-ranked team awarded the Continental Cup winners’ plate and gold medals.
 
HC Arlan from Kazakhstan’s Kokshetau won the Continental Cup in 2019 and currently sits in second place in the Kazakh championship. GKS Katowice, the in-form team in Poland, returns to Cardiff aiming to improve on last years fourth-place finish. ​Hosts Cardiff Devils, the current leaders in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), are eager to improve on their two recent third-place finishes (2023 and 2024). The Grenoble-based Bruleurs de Loups, currently atop the standings in France’s Ligue Magnus, return to the final stage 15 years after their maiden appearance.
 
Twenty clubs from as many European countries have participated in the 2025 edition of the Continental Cup. Since the first puck dropped in September this year, three round-robin stages have already been played.
 
In November, HC Arlan and Cardiff Devils punched their tickets for the 2025 Continental Cup final by grabbing the top two spots from Group E in Round 3 in Zilina, Slovakia. Katowice and Bruleurs de Loups sealed their places in the final after finishing first and second respectively in Group F in Aalborg, Denmark.
 
The Continental Cup is now in its 27th edition. Two teams from Kazakhstan (Arlan, 2019 and Nomad Astana, 2024), one club from France (Rouen, 2012 and 2016) and one from Great Britain (Nottingham, 2017) are among the previous Continental Cup winners. If GKS Katowice prevails, it would become Poland’s first championship team in tournament history.

Hosts Cardiff Devils, the current leaders in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), are eager to improve on their two recent third-place finishes (2023 and 2024)"