The Dolomitencup in Neumarkt/South Tyrol is one of the most prestigious ice hockey preparation tournaments in Europe. This year, the 20th anniversary edition will take place from 21 to 23 August. Eisbären Berlin will be the first participant to be announced.
The Christmas cookies have long been digested, the New Year’s Eve fireworks have fizzled out, the first resolutions have been put into action – in short: the new year is in full swing. And 2026 will also be a very special year for the Dolomitencup. The ice hockey preparatory tournament in Neumarkt, one of the best known of its kind in Europe, is about to celebrate a major anniversary. From 21 to 23 August, teams will compete for the coveted trophy for the 20th time in the south of South Tyrol.
This is a very special milestone: when the tournament was launched in the distant summer of 2006 (with the Frankfurt Lions as the inaugural winners), no one could have imagined that it would develop into such a success story. Champions League winners, highly decorated champions, big traditional clubs, famous ice hockey stars – over the years, the Dolomitencup has welcomed the crème de la crème of European ice hockey.
The DEL record champions are coming
When the smart Würth Arena turns into a cauldron of excitement this August, one song will be heard loud and clear time and time again. ‘Hey, we want to see the Eisbären’ is the cult anthem of Eisbären Berlin. And this summer, the Berliners will once again be hunting for the Dolomitencup. This is a big catch for the organisers, as the Eisbären have been the benchmark in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) for years. Four championship titles in the last five years speak for themselves. With a total of eleven championship trophies since the DEL was introduced in 1994, the capital city club is the undisputed number one in German ice hockey.
The Eisbären have competed in the Dolomitencup three times, most recently in 2022, when they were defeated in the final by Czech serial winners Dynamo Pardubice. The Berliners have yet to win a title in Neumarkt – will their big moment come on their anniversary? In the background, the organisers are busy putting together the rest of the field, with the three other clubs to be announced in the coming weeks.
