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2026-27 DEL Preview
The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) moves into its 33rd season with the 2026-27 season, where defending champions EisbÀren Berlin will be looking to defend their crown.
Their win in 2026 was their fifth in the last six seasons, and looking back at their history, they will be looking to win four in a row for the first time and the first team to do so since DĂŒsseldorfer EG achieved this between 1990 and 1993.
Dresdner Eislowen have been relegated to DEL2 after just one season in the top league, and replacing them are the DEL2 champions, Krefeld Pinguine.
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How often do Favourites win in DEL?
How do the Favourites Compare?
As you can see below, the German league is in the bottom three for the top leagues we have looked at for winning favourites. Whilst that does mean favourites are less reliable, it also means that you may be able to find better value in this league.
- French Ligue Magnus: 69.45%
- British Elite League: 66.26%
- Danish Metal Ligaen: 65.16%
- Austrian EHL: 64.03%
- Russian KHL: 63.55%
- Swiss NLA: 62.4%
- Czech Extraliga: 62.05%
- USA NHL: 61.93%
- Slovakian Extraliga: 61.83%
- German DEL: 61.33%
- Finnish SM Liiga: 61.29%
- Swedish SHL: 58.51%
Which teams are the most and least reliable?
The most reliable team when it comes to favourites in the Eishockey Liga over the past five seasons is the Straubing Tigers. They have a win rate of 68.23% when priced up by the bookmakers as favourites with 204 wins from a total of 299 games.
At the other end of the scale is Iserlohn Roosters with a win rate of 48.31%. That has come from 89 games producing 43 wins; they are maybe the team in this league to avoid when they are priced up as favourites.
Eishockey Liga Favourite Statistics by Season
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Favs | 61.63% | 62.72% | 59.00% | 68.47% | 68.55% |
| Away Favs | 53.72% | 62.50% | 48.16% | 60.47% | 71.54% |
| Overall Favs | 58.98% | 62.66% | 55.71% | 65.64% | 69.46% |
*Favourite statistics only include regular-season games
Past DEL Regular Season Winners
The regular season top point scorers tend to be a mixed bag in the playoffs.
Since 2017, of the nine playoffs completed, the champions have been the regular season winners on five occasions, with three having failed to make the finals.
Here are the last ten regular-season champions and how they went on to perform in the playoffs.
| Season | Team (Points) | Playoff Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2025â26 | Kölner Haie (116) | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| 2024â25 | ERC Ingolstadt (113) | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| 2023â24 | Fischtown Pinguins (107) | Lost in Finals |
| 2022â23 | EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen (122) | DEL Champions |
| 2021â22 | EisbĂ€ren Berlin (112) | DEL Champions |
| 2020â21 | Adler Mannheim (87) | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| 2019â20 | EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen (108) | Playoffs not completed |
| 2018â19 | Adler Mannheim (116) | DEL Champions |
| 2017â18 | EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen (107) | DEL Champions |
| 2016â17 | EHC MĂŒnchen (107) | DEL Champions |
Past DEL Champions
The champions of the DEL in Germany get presented with the Meisterschale, which means "Champion's Bowl", and since 1995, in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) era, it has been EisbÀren Berlin who have been most successful.
During that time, they are the only team to have won double-figure championships, with their 2026 win moving them on to twelve titles. That is five ahead of Adler Mannheim on seven, and they have not won a title since 2019.
The dominance of those two teams is plain to see, with the fact that only two other teams have won multiple championships, which are EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen (x4) and Kölner Haie (x2).
Here are the last ten DEL Champions
| Year | Champions | Series | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | EisbÀren Berlin | 4-1 | Adler Mannheim |
| 2024-25 | EisbÀren Berlin | 4-1 | Kölner Haie |
| 2023-24 | EisbÀren Berlin | 4-1 | Fischtown Pinguins |
| 2022-23 | EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen | 4-1 | ERC Ingolstadt |
| 2021-22 | EisbĂ€ren Berlin | 3-1 | EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen |
| 2020-21 | EisbÀren Berlin | 2-1 | Grizzlys Wolfsburg |
| 2019-20 | No competition | ||
| 2018-19 | Adler Mannheim | 4-1 | EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen |
| 2017-18 | EHC MĂŒnchen | 4-3 | EisbĂ€ren Berlin |
| 2016-18 | EHC MĂŒnchen | 4-1 | EHC Wolfsburg |
2025-26 Playoff Bracket
German DEL Teams
2026-27 Teams in the DEL
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adler Mannheim | Mannheim | SAP Arena | 13,600 |
| Augsburger Panther | Augsburg | Curt Frenzel Stadium | 6,218 |
| EHC Red Bull MĂŒnchen | Munich | SAP Garden | 11,000 |
| EisbÀren Berlin | Berlin | Uber Arena | 14,200 |
| ERC Ingolstadt | Ingolstadt | Saturn Arena | 4,815 |
| Fischtown Pinguins | Bremerhaven | Eisarena Bremerhaven | 4,674 |
| Grizzlys Wolfsburg | Wolfsburg | Eis Arena Wolfsburg | 4,660 |
| Iserlohn Roosters | Iserlohn | Eissporthalle Iserlohn | 5,000 |
| Kölner Haie | Cologne | Lanxess Arena | 18,500 |
| Krefeld Pinguine | Krefeld | Yayla-Arena | 8,029 |
| Löwen Frankfurt | Frankfurt | Eissporthalle Frankfurt | 6,000 |
| NĂŒrnberg Ice Tigers | Nuremberg | Arena NĂŒrnberger Versicherung | 7,810 |
| Schwenninger Wild Wings | Villingen-Schwenningen | Helios Arena | 6,215 |
| Straubing Tigers | Straubing | Eisstadion am Pulverturm | 6,000 |
Author Information
Andy Powell manages this Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) Preview & Betting Guide and other hockey content in this section of the site, as well as the Ice Hockey Tipsters in the OLBG tipster competition, in his role in the OLBG Expert Team. Andy meticulously updates the date and results for these pieces and is an erstwhile Penguins fan in the NHL. He provides Ice Hockey betting advice in our bookmaker reviews, as well as providing a huge contribution to the Best Ice Hockey Betting Sites Guide.
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
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