An annual meeting was held in Barvikha on May 29, 2025, with the participation of the Kontinental Hockey League management, general managers, and club representatives. The meeting summarized the results of the 2024/2025 season and discussed key strategic directions for the League`s future development.
Structure of the New Season
The 18th KHL season will commence on September 5, 2025, with the Opening Cup game. The regular championship is scheduled to run until March 20, 2026, with each team playing 68 matches. The playoffs are set to begin on March 23. There will be a three-day interval between the semi-finals and the final series. The decisive series of the season will start on May 11, with a potential Game 7 planned for May 23, 2026.
Regulation Changes
Clubs were informed about several regulation changes that will take effect starting next season:
- Softening of the “three transfers” rule: If a player attains UFA (Unrestricted Free Agent) status upon contract expiry on May 31, they are now permitted to transfer to any team without restrictions.
- Lowered requirements for goaltenders to receive UFA status: 200 games played upon reaching 28 years of age.
- The trade deadline has been moved from December 27 to January 25.
Record Attendance
The Kontinental Hockey League concluded the season with its best attendance figures:
- Total audience: 6.5 million spectators;
- Average attendance: 7,547 people;
Average arena capacity utilization reached 81.7%, marking the second-highest figure in KHL history, trailing the 2014/2015 season by just 0.1%. SKA, Dynamo Minsk, and Avangard were the leaders in total attendance. SKA, Torpedo, and Traktor achieved 100% capacity utilization for their matches.
Anti-Doping and Player Health
The KHL remains the only professional sports league in Russia to independently conduct anti-doping activities. In collaboration with RUSADA, over 450 tests were carried out during the season, leading to the detection of three violations.
The number of injuries saw an 18% reduction. The League has introduced clinical rehabilitation protocols at the club level. These provide clubs with ready-made guidelines, detailing the phases, periods, rehabilitation program criteria, and other valuable medical information of a recommendatory nature to assist players in their recovery following injuries.
Audience Engagement Initiatives
The League continues the systematic implementation of its 2023–2026 strategy. The total number of subscribers for clubs and the KHL grew by two million people over the past season, reaching approximately 15 million users.
Key partners like Fonbet (Title Partner), T-Bank (General Partner), Rostelecom (Technology Partner), Yandex, and Kinopoisk played a significant role in driving fan engagement and digital initiatives throughout the season, supporting various projects and activations.
Financial Control of Clubs
The meeting noted positive trends in the financial health of the clubs. The number of teams with a deficit in targeted funding has decreased, as has the total amount of underfunding. The number of clubs with high accounts payable has also reduced. Salary arrears have become less frequent, and the maximum debt amount has decreased. Simultaneously, clubs are experiencing growth in their own revenues generated from ticket sales, advertising, media rights, and partnerships.
Gareth Tenby 
Neville Woodall