FC Bayern Munich-National Hockey League cross-sport collaboration

Article posted by Coliseum, August 21^st, 2026

Image: SAP Garden & FC Bayern

The Bundesliga team FC Bayern Munich and the National Hockey League (NHL) are launching a strategic, multiyear partnership aimed at supporting the development of the NHL in Germany as well as that of FC Bayern Munich in North America thus creating innovative opportunities for fan engagement and connecting two of the most popular sports in the world and their passionate fan bases with each other.

NHL Growth Strategy

‘FC Bayern München’ stated that this unique collaboration with the FC Bayern Munich is part of the NHL’s long-term international growth strategy in Germany.

The FC Bayern Munich, commonly known as Bayern Munich or simply Bayern, is a professional sports club based in Munich, Germany. They are most known for their men’s professional football team who play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. Bayern are the most successful club in German football and are among the world’s most decorated club.

The 75,024-seat Allianz Arena is a football stadium in Munich, Germany, with a 70,000-seating capacity for the international matches and 75,000 for the domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) plastic panels it is the first stadium in the world with a full color changing exterior.

New York (US)-based the National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams, 25 in the United States and seven in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional ice hockey league in the world.

‘Unique Synergies’

Remarked Rouven Kasper, FC Bayern Board Member, Marketing and Sales, “The FC Bayern Munich is renowned for constantly breaking the mold – 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 the partners and sets a new benchmark in terms of what cross-sport collaborations can achieve.”

‘Strategic Opportunity’

Commented Keith Wachtel, President, NHL Business, “Germany is one of the most important international growth markets for the NHL and the FC Bayern Munich is one of the most famous and respected sport brands in the world. Through the combination of the NHL’s passion for ice hockey with FC Bayern’s extraordinary reach and closeness to the fans we have a massive strategic opportunity to get more people interested in our sport, deepen the connection to the existing fans and create one-of-a-kind experiences.”

Cross-sport Collaboration

‘FC Bayern München’ further stated that the new partnership was unveiled at Säbener Straße (the famous headquarters and training ground of the German football club FC Bayern) with the FCB player Alphonso Davies (left-back) alongside the German NHL stars Leon Draisaitl and JJ Peterka. It will involve establishing a platform for cross-sport collaboration, community engagement, youth outreach, and content development. Through a series of initiatives the FC Bayern and the NHL will work to create unique experiences for the fans of both the organizations while also introducing the NHL to new audiences in Germany.

Fan-focused Initiatives

As part of the agreement, FC Bayern and the NHL will collaborate on a range of fan-focused initiatives including digital and social media campaigns, co-branded content and merchandising opportunities, the street hockey events in Munich, the watch parties, the matchday activations at the Allianz Arena, the youth programs, the hospitality experiences, and the business networking events. The partners will also collaborate on player appearances, experience-oriented activations, cross-promotional campaigns, as well as other community engagement and storytelling initiatives designed to create unforgettable experiences for the football and the hockey fans alike.

Furthermore, the NHL has announced that it will bring more NHL regular-season games to Germany in the 2027-2028 seasons with its 2027 NHL Global Series Germany. Munich will host two games involving the NHL team Boston Bruins and their Munich-born player JJ Peterka while Cologne will also stage two fixtures with the NHL team Edmonton Oilers and Cologne native Leon Draisaitl. In the upcoming NHL campaign, Düsseldorf will host the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany on December 18^th and December 20^th, 2026, at the 15,151-seat PSD Bank Dome featuring two games between the Ottawa Senators (Canada) and the Chicago Blackhawks (US).

SAP Garden

A ‘LinkedIn Post By SAP Garden’ stated, “Next year the SAP Garden will be the venue for the best ice hockey league in the world: The National Hockey League. We are looking forward to the Boston Bruins led by Munich-born JJ Peterka. The franchise will play two regular-season games in Munich in 2027 as part of the National Hockey League (NHL) Global Series Germany.”

‘Extraordinary Ice Hockey Experiences’

Observed Oliver Wesp, Managing Director, Red Bull Stadion München GmbH (Operator of SAP Garden), “We designed and built this sports arena for events like this. We are proud to be able to present the official games of the best ice hockey league in the world in our house next year. After proving two years ago that we can create a worthy setting for these extraordinary ice hockey experiences we are once again looking forward to welcoming fans from all over Europe to our SAP Garden.”

The ‘LinkedIn Post By SAP Garden’ further stated, “Further information on the game dates, ticketing and the specific framework conditions will be announced in the course of the 2026-2027 NHL seasons.”

The 10,796-seat SAP Garden is a 12,500-seat indoor arena in Olympiapark, Munich, Germany.

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