Oberliga Nord (Germany) 2026/27

The Oberliga Nord serves as the northern division of the German Ice Hockey Oberliga. It operates as the third tier of the national ice hockey pyramid, positioned below the professional DEL2 and above the regional Regionalliga leagues. The competition is governed by the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB).

The current structure was re-established in 2015, following a reform that merged the previous Nord, West, and Ost divisions. Historically, a division with this name existed as the second tier from 1966 to 1970 and as the third tier from 1999 to 2010. It was dissolved in 2001 before being revived in 2007 and restructured in 2015.

The league typically comprises 12 to 13 teams, including EC Hannover, Hannover Scorpions, EHC Erfurt, Fuchse Duisburg, Saale Bulls Halle, and Hammer Eisbären. Since 2015, the league has admitted international participants, most prominently the Dutch club Tilburg Trappers, who won four consecutive titles between 2016 and 2019.

The regular season follows a double round-robin format, with each team playing approximately 44 to 48 games. The top six teams qualify directly for the playoffs, while teams ranked seventh through 10th compete in a best-of-three pre-playoff round. The playoffs are unified across the Nord and Süd divisions; the quarter-finals are best-of-five, and the semi-finals and final are best-of-seven.

The overall Oberliga champion earns promotion to the DEL2, provided they meet the strict financial and licensing requirements of the second tier. If the champion is not eligible due to licensing issues or being a non-DEB club like Tilburg, the spot may go to the next eligible team or remain vacant. Relegation from the Oberliga Nord leads to the respective Regionalliga divisions, whose champions are eligible for promotion to the Oberliga.

In the modern third-tier era, Tilburg Trappers hold the record with four titles since the 2015 restructuring. The Hannover Scorpions are the current champions of the Oberliga Nord for the 2023/24 season.