Kontinental Hockey League

What Kontinental Hockey League does

Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is the premier professional ice hockey league across Russia and neighboring Eurasian countries, operated by the private Russian limited liability company CHL LLC. Founded in 2008 as successor to the Russian Superleague, the league runs a 22-team competition split between West and East conferences (Bobrov, Tarasov, Kharlamov, and Chernyshev divisions) with franchises in Russia, Belarus (Dinamo Minsk), Kazakhstan (Barys Astana), and China (Shanghai Dragons). The season culminates in the Gagarin Cup playoff championship, won in 2025/2026 by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (back-to-back titles).

KHL's digital ecosystem centers on the multilingual official website (en.khl.ru / khl.ru / cn.khl.ru), a dedicated video streaming platform at video.khl.ru, a photo archive at photo.khl.ru, an online ticket store, and a merchandise storefront operated through Yandex Market. The league maintains wholly-owned subsidiaries including the junior development league MHL/JHL (Molodezhnaya Hockey League) and the 3x3 format league KHL 3x3, building a full player development pipeline. Each of the 22 KHL franchises is paired with affiliated VHL and MHL teams, creating a vertically integrated talent pathway.

Commercially, KHL monetizes through title and tiered sponsorship (Fonbet as title partner; Sogaz, T-bank as general partners; Haier, S7 Airlines, Yandex Market, Lada, Gislaved, Kinopoisk, RT as supporting partners), broadcasting rights, ticketing through arena box offices and the website, and merchandise sales. Marketing channels include official websites, video streaming, TV programming (KHL TV/KHL Prime), social media (VK, Telegram, Chinese platforms), and traditional media partnerships. The league is governed by President Alexei Morozov and operates with 251-500 league-office employees based in Moscow.

Name

Kontinental Hockey League

Legal name

CHL LLC

Website

https://en.khl.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kontinental Hockey League (CHL LLC) is a private professional ice hockey league operating 22 franchises across Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and China. Founded in 2008, it runs the Gagarin Cup championship and supports junior (MHL) and 3x3 development leagues, monetizing through broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Ice Hockey League

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Hockey Leagues (MPAKAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Professional ice hockey
• Sports league operations
• Hockey entertainment
• Championship tournaments
• Fan engagement content

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Kontinental Hockey League operates the premier professional ice hockey competition in Russia and neighboring countries, organizing regular-season and Gagarin Cup playoff competition among 22 teams split across West and East conferences. The league produces and distributes official media content through its website, video streaming platform, and photo archive; sells game tickets online and at arenas; operates an official merchandise store; and runs a developmental junior league (MHL/JHL) and a 3x3 hockey variant (KHL 3x3).

Product overview

The Kontinental Hockey League operates primarily as a sports league rather than a technology product company. Its core digital offering consists of the official KHL.RU website serving as the primary fan engagement platform, supplemented by the KHL Video platform for streaming content, a Photo Archive for game photography, and online ticket/merchandise services. The league encompasses 22 professional hockey teams across Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and China, competing in a regular season followed by Gagarin Cup playoffs. The digital ecosystem also includes a 3x3 variant (KHL 3x3), with all properties accessible in English, Russian, and Chinese languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MHL / JHL (Molodezhnaya Hockey League): Junior Hockey League for players under 20, developmental league for KHL.
• KHL 3x3
• Gagarin Cup
• Fonbet KHL All-Star Week

Products and services

• KHL.RU Official Website The official English-language website of the Kontinental Hockey League, providing news, schedules, standings, team information, video content, statistics, player profiles, and ticket purchasing functionality for hockey fans and general sports followers.
• KHL Video Platform Dedicated video streaming platform offering live game streaming, on-demand highlights, top plays compilations (KHL Top 20 Hits, Top 30 Saves, Top 30 Goals), player interviews, and original KHL programming including KHL TV and KHL Prime schedule for fans and subscribers.
• KHL Photo Archive Extensive photo archive containing game photography from KHL matches, playoff games, and special events such as All-Star Week for fans, media, and editorial use.
• KHL Tickets Online ticket purchasing service enabling fans to buy tickets for KHL regular-season and playoff games across all 22 teams for the current season.
• KHL Store Online merchandise store offering official KHL merchandise, jerseys, and fan gear distributed through the Yandex Market platform.
• KHL 3x3 A 3-on-3 hockey format variant operated by the KHL, with its own dedicated website, regular tournaments, and competitive season.
• MHL/JHL Junior Hockey League Junior hockey developmental league (Molodezhnaya Hockey League) operated as a subsidiary of KHL, providing a player development pathway for athletes under 20, with its own competitions and team ecosystem.
• Gagarin Cup Playoffs Annual postseason playoff championship competition among qualifying KHL teams to determine the league champion, with the winner awarded the Gagarin Cup trophy.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Minsk ArenacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Minsk Arena (capacity 15,086 spectators) confirmed as host venue for 2027 Fonbet All-Star Week. KHL President Alexei Morozov and Dinamo Minsk General Director Artyom Karkotsky signed agreement at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
• FonbetflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Fonbet is the title partner of the KHL Championship. The league is officially branded as the Fonbet KHL Championship, and Fonbet logo appears on official website and league materials.
• SogazcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSogaz is a general partner of the KHL, appearing on official website partner sections and league materials.
• T-bankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerT-bank is a general partner of the KHL, featured on official website partner sections.
• SBP (NSPK)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partner through the Faster Payment System (SBP/NSPK) for digital payments.
• Yandex MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for merchandise and retail operations through Yandex Market platform.
• RT (Russia Today)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for international content distribution.
• LadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive partner, with Lada being both a KHL partner and a team in the league.
• Kinopoisk (HD KinoPoisk)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment platform partner for sports content streaming and promotion.
• GislavedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTire manufacturer partner for KHL.
• HaierminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElectronics and appliances partner.
• S7 AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAirline partner for team and league travel.
• Alessandro Manzoni / LG CityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupplier partner for merchandise and retail.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/khl
• Xx.com/khl_eng

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kontinental Hockey League