ECL ’25: Spring Sign-Ups Are Open – Welcome to Season 20 and the League’s 10-Year Anniversary!
Can you believe it’s been 10 years since we kicked off the ECL? Now, as we enter Season 20, what started as a one-division journey with around 50 teams has grown into a 200+ team, five-division experience. It’s incredible to see so many players who have been with us since the beginning—there’s been a lot of eHockey played over the years! You can browse some of these legendary player profiles on the SportsGamer All-time Stats page.
I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the players who have joined us on this journey and continue to compete in the league we all live and breathe.
Since its inception in 2015, the European Championship League (ECL) has established itself as the pinnacle of eHockey. It’s where the best players from across the continent face off in a 6v6 format that leaves no margin for error. Every position on the ice—forward, defense, and goalie—is controlled by a human player, creating a uniquely competitive and authentic environment. With divisions ranging from the elite to entry-level, the ECL provides a platform for players of all skill levels to make their mark.
With a total prize pool of 24 000 EUR on the line—spread across both 6v6 and 1v1 formats—the stage is set for yet another amazing competitive season in European NHL esports.
The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports. The abbreviation stands for the European Championship League and it features NHL 6v6 esports in five divisions aimed at various skill levels. Every player, including the goalies, is controlled by a human. League games are played in the EASHL mode and the platform is PlayStation and Xbox. ECL has been played since 2015, so the upcoming season is already the 17th. The latest addition to the ECL product family is a 1v1 tournament, where Europe's best solo players fight for the championship. ECL 1v1 has been played since the ECL '23 Winter season.
Basic information/requirements of ECL:
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Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude players located in North America or Asia. A European server will always be used. We reserve the right to exclude teams or players in case of severe connection issues.
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Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at SportsGamer.GG and create their personal player card.
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ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro, ECL Lite, and ECL Core will require their respective ECL ‘25: Spring team licenses in order to play. In addition, every player in the above-mentioned divisions needs to have a valid ECL ‘25: Player License or ECL ‘25: Spring Player License before taking the ice. Players in ECL Neo require only an ECL '25: Spring Neo Player License.
The ECL '25 Pre-Season tournament does not require the license, but purchasing the license early on is recommended for faster processing.
For a more extensive overview of the ECL as a whole, check out our “What is the ECL?” news story.
Please note that the sign-up window for the Pro Wild Card Battle, the Pro Qualifier and the Pro and Elite divisions is quite short, so don't miss out and please don't hesitate to reach out to support if you have any questions.
The sign-ups close on the below-mentioned dates:
- Pro Wildcard Battle: 18.3.2025 ⚠️
- ECL Pro Qualifier: 21.3.2025 ⚠️
- ECL Neo: 4.4.2025
- ECL Core: 4.4.2025
- ECL Lite: 4.4.2025
- ECL Pro: 21.3.2025 ⚠️
- ECL Elite: 21.3.2025 ⚠️
* Signups will close at 23:59 CET on the day mentioned unless otherwise specified.
For more detailed information on the different divisions and their schedules, see this article.
Qualifiers:
The schedule for the qualifiers will be tight - as usual, to allow the maximum time for sign-ups - so please prepare to play quite intensely during the qualifiers stage.
- Pro Wildcard Battle: 19.-20.3 (if necessary)
- Pro Qualifier starts 23.3
- Elite Qualifier start: 30.3 (if necessary)
The exact details will be shared once the number of teams is known.
Regular Season duration:
7.4-8.5.2025
Estimated finals dates:
Below are estimated dates for the Finals to be approximately played. We reserve the right to changes in schedule.
- ECL Neo Finals 29.6
- ECL Core Finals 25.6. - 26.6
- ECL Lite Finals 23.6. - 24.6
- ECL Pro Finals 16.6. - 17.6
- ECL Elite Finals 14.6
Free Agents & Teams Looking for Players
Don't have a team yet? Team looking for additions to your roster?
If you are a free agent looking to be picked up, please head over here.
If you are representing a team looking for players, please head over here.
Need more help, check out the below article!
Early Bird Offer on Team Licenses
Below you’ll find the pricing of the team for ECL ‘25: Spring. You can pick up the ECL ‘25: Spring Team license for the Super Early Bird and Early Bird pricing listed below. After that, we will offer a slightly elevated regular pricing from March 27th onward.
PURCHASE YOUR ECL '25 LICENSES HERE
For those of you participating in the qualifiers and unsure which division your team will play in for the ECL ‘25: Spring season, you can still take advantage of this offer; Purchase the Super Early Bird license for the division you are qualifying for and if your team is unsuccessful in the mission, we will refund you the difference to the Super Early Bird price for the division your team ends up in. For example, if you enter the qualifiers for the Pro division, purchase the Super Early Bird Pro license. If your team doesn’t qualify for the Pro division, you will play in the Lite division and we will refund you the difference - in this example: 100 EUR.
The ECL Neo division does not require a team license, however, you do need the ECL Neo Player license at the cost of 10 EUR per season.
Please refer to this ECL Ranking in order to understand which teams are eligible to sign up for each division.
Rule Changes: Ability Bans
All Gold abilities and the silver abilities Truculence, Big Tipper, and Stick 'Em Up are banned for the ECL '25: Spring season.
Read the full League Administration statement here.
The full updated ECL '25 rulebook will be published closer to the season, you can check out last season's rules here.
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