International Tournament (France) (EU) 2022/23

The International Tournament (France) is a recurring friendly ice hockey event hosted intermittently in France. It operates as a competitive platform for national teams, distinct from the official IIHF World Championship structure. A notable edition took place in Marseille in December 2022, part of the Top 20 series, featuring France, Poland, and Ukraine. The tournament typically involves European national teams, often including France, Poland, and Ukraine, alongside occasional participants such as Kazakhstan, Italy, or Hungary.

Serving as a fixture during IIHF international breaks, the event differs from standalone competitions like the IIHF World Cup of Nations. It offers structured mini-tournaments that provide a developmental stage for mid-tier European nations outside high-stakes World Championship windows. While the IIHF European Cup of Nations, launched in 2025, replaces many such friendly series with group stages involving 17-18 European nations, this specific French-hosted series remains a unique developmental and competitive fixture.

The tournament does not possess a single founding date or permanent structure comparable to a league. Instead, it appears as a specific event within the broader context of European international ice hockey friendlies and challenges. The Euro Ice Hockey Challenge (EIH) series and the Tournoi des 3 Nations are alternative terms used to describe these recurring friendlies. Participation varies, with Kazakhstan noted in some contexts like Division I World Championships but less common in the specific France-hosted friendly series compared to European neighbours. The event's role is to offer structured competition for teams seeking intensity beyond informal past iterations of the challenge.