Frölunda Gothenburg's journey to the 2025/26 Champions Hockey League Final has been a mixed bag of close contests and sweeping wins as the four-time CHL Champions battled and bested Europe's elite en-route to earning their sixth appearance in a CHL Final. While a few scares and dramatic finishes were to be expected, it was Frölunda on the winning side more often than not as they await one final test in their bid for the European Trophy.
The Swedes began their ninth CHL campaign in familiar fashion, picking up three wins over the course of their first four games and scoring a combined 11 goals while only allowing three against. A duo of convincing home wins at the very start of the season was a sign of things to come from Frölunda Gothenburg as they managed to blank HC Bolzano in a 3-0 contest and then did away with Swiss stalwarts Lausanne HC 5-2 on Game Day 2.
Dominant play proved tougher to maintain on the road for the Swedes. Though they managed to bypass Polish club GKS Tychy 3-1, it wasn’t until the 41st-minute of the derby that Frölunda finally took the lead as the Poles made them fight for every inch of ice. Their success came to a crashing halt against familiar foes Sparta Prague, who handed Frölunda their first defeat in the form of a 4-2 final score.
Play resumed in October for Game Days 5 and 6 of the European club ice hoceky season and so too did the Swedes’ winning ways as they cruised past a tough Eisbären Berlin side 4-1 before taking up arms against CHL veterans SC Bern, who had just put seven past the Belfast Giants, where Frölunda narrowly escaped with a win in a 4-3 decision to cement themselves in the Top 3 of the Regular Season Standings, also finishing as the strongest SHL side in the CHL throughout the opening six games.
With the Regular Season in the rearview mirror and 15 out of a possible 18 points claimed, the Swedes set their sights on the Round of 16 and a battle with French challengers Grenoble. The Swedes rode an excellent First Game performance to an eventual 4-3 aggregate win over the French despite the side's bounce back effort in the Return Game.
Then came the Quarter-Finals and a clash with DEL challengers ERC Ingolstadt. First Game results were the same as the previous round - Frölunda secured a two-goal aggregate lead with a 3-1 final. Ingolstadt did manage to make things interesting in the Return Game when they cut the deficit to one. However, an empty-netter would seal the victory for the Swedes who were able to fend off a bevy of solid chances from Ingolstadt’s tenacious offence with their staple team spirit and solid all-round play giving them the strength they needed.
An all Swedish Semi-Finals was on tap in this two-game series featuring familair opponents Brynäs IF, who did their best to claim their place in the Final, but Frölunda were well prepared. They ochestrated a shutout in the First Game, while tallying two tucks and then closed out the series with a barnburner on home ice where Isac Heens deposited the puck twice to help secure his club's place in the Final.
Just one final contender awaits Frölunda this season, as the Swedes face familiar side Luleå Hockey in the Scandinavium on 3 March 2026. Which of the two will lift the European Trophy? Stick with us and we'll find out when puck drops in the all-or-nothing CHL Final!