NHL Global Series and international games: how to buy tickets for European matches

The NHL Global Series is the league's most ambitious travelling roadshow, and for a certain kind of hockey fan it is also the trip of a lifetime. A regular-season game in Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague or Berlin sounds simple on paper, but buying a ticket from North America for a sold-out European arena involves currencies, time zones, presales you may not qualify for, and a secondary market that behaves very differently than the one you know from your home rink. This guide is a planning-first walkthrough for buying tickets to NHL international games from across the Atlantic, with notes for fans flying in from anywhere else. It is evergreen on purpose: dates, opponents and host cities change every season, but the way these games go on sale rarely does. ## What the Global Series actually is The Global Series is the umbrella name for NHL games played outside North America. Over the years it has included regular-season games in Europe, a preseason Global Series Challenge against top European club teams, and one-off exhibitions. The headline events are the regular-season matchups, usually two NHL clubs playing a pair of games in a single host city across a Friday and Saturday. A few things to keep in mind before you even open a ticket page: - Each host city typically gets two regular-season games, often back-to-back nights. - The same two NHL teams usually play each other both nights, so picking which night matters less than picking the right seat. - Arenas in Europe are smaller than most NHL buildings, which means demand vastly outstrips supply. ## How tickets are released NHL international games almost always follow the same release pattern, and understanding it is the single biggest advantage you can give yourself. Tier one: club and league presales. Season-ticket holders of the two participating NHL teams usually get the first window, followed by NHL Insider and partner presales. If you hold a partial plan with either team, check your account email the moment the matchups are announced. Tier two: host-market and federation presales. The local hockey federation, the host arena's loyalty program, and tourism partners in the host city often get an allocation. These can be worth chasing if you have any connection, but they are usually small. Tier three: general on-sale. This is when most fans actually buy. Expect a queue-based system, and expect the best seats to disappear quickly. Tier four: resale. Once the primary market sells out, supply shifts to the secondary market. This is where most North American fans end up shopping, and it is also where prices move the most as the games approach. ## Buying from North America: practical mechanics A few quirks catch first-time international ticket buyers off guard: - Currency. Tickets are priced in euros, krona, koruna or pounds depending on the host city. Your card's foreign transaction fee matters here. - Delivery. Mobile tickets are now standard, but the wallet pass is sometimes issued only days before the game. Do not panic if your seats do not appear immediately. - Identity checks. Some European primary sellers tie tickets to a named buyer. Read the fine print before you put a friend's name on the order. - Time zones. On-sales are listed in local European time. A 10 a.m. CET on-sale is the middle of the night on the U.S. West Coast. Set an alarm. If you are buying through the secondary market, stick to marketplaces that guarantee delivery and refund you if the seat does not materialize. For matchups involving teams covered on this site, our team hubs link straight through to vetted ticket inventory once it is available. ## Picking the right seat in a European arena European hockey buildings are tighter and steeper than most NHL arenas. That changes how you should think about seat selection. - Lower bowl center ice is the gold standard and goes first. Expect a premium. - Lower bowl corners are often a better value than the equivalent NHL seat because the rinks are smaller and sightlines stay strong. - Upper bowl in a 13,000- to 15,000-seat European arena is closer to the ice than the lower bowl in many NHL buildings. - Standing terraces, where they exist, are a cultural experience worth trying at least once. If your priority is the atmosphere, sit among the home European crowd. If your priority is being surrounded by traveling NHL fans, look for the section the visiting club's supporters are clustered in. ## Building the trip around the game The smart move is to treat the ticket as the anchor of a longer trip, not the entire purpose of it. Most Global Series host cities also have a top-flight domestic league game on the same weekend, often in the same arena the night before or after. A SHL, Liiga, Czech Extraliga or DEL ticket is usually inexpensive and gives you a second night of live hockey in the same building. Book flights and hotels the day the matchups are announced, not the day tickets go on sale. Hotel inventory near European arenas tightens fast once the hockey world knows where it is going. ## When in doubt, wait for the official announcement Rumors about future Global Series host cities circulate every spring. Do not buy flights based on a rumor. The NHL publishes the official schedule, host cities and participating teams well in advance, and ticket on-sales follow within weeks. Sign up for alerts from both participating clubs and from this site's team hubs so you hear the news the moment it breaks, then move quickly. A Global Series weekend is one of the best trips in hockey. Plan early, queue patiently, and pick the seat that fits the experience you actually want.