Belfast Giants vs Ilves Tampere

In the group stages of the 2025/26 Champions Hockey League campaign, the Belfast Giants are set to face Finnish side, Ilves Tampere.

With 16 national championships, Ilves Tampere are the second-most successful hockey club in Finland.

The club, one of the most popular in Finland, has steadily been on the rise over the last few seasons, finishing third in the Liiga regular season in 2022, followed by second place in 2023. Internationally, Ilves' biggest success was reaching the final of the European Cup in 1966/67 where they faced ZKL Brno.