The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) World Games will take place at Shanghai's SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in March, marking the league's first return to China in six years.

As part of the 2025-2026 KHL season, two neutral-site games will feature China's home team, the Shanghai Dragons, also known as the Kunlun Red Star, hosting Sibir Novosibirsk of Russia on March 5 and Barys Astana of Kazakhstan on March 7.

Launched in the 2018-2019 season, the KHL World Games project has brought neutral-site games to cities around the world, including Vienna, Zurich, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

"We have repeatedly stated our intention to play in Shanghai and present our brand to Chinese fans. It is important for us to gauge interest in hockey in the city and understand which direction to move in," said Sergey Belykh, general director of the Shanghai Dragons.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, a favorite among Chinese ice sports fans, will be the special guest at the Shanghai leg of the KHL World Games, debuting a newly arranged program during the pre-game show.

The production team includes the ice sports event producer from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the Asian Games sports presentation team, and renowned musician Hu Tingyang. They aim to stage a dynamic celebration of ice sports with immersive, world-class audiovisual performances.

"Holding KHL World Games matches in Shanghai is an important step towards the League's return to China," said KHL president Alexei Morozov. "Neutral-site games serve as a tool for promoting the KHL internationally, showcasing the high standard of Russian hockey, and fostering dialogue and cultural exchange through sport."

Tickets are now available on Damai website, the Juss Sports app and Ticket Planet. Fans can purchase them by searching for "KHL" on the platforms.

Source: Shanghai Observer