NHL and Disney+ sign five-year deal in Sweden and Finland

New streaming deal for the Nordics

On September 16, 2026, Disney+ and the NHL announced a five-year partnership under which viewers in Sweden and Finland will be able to follow the world's top hockey league on Disney+ from the 2026/27 season onward. Games will air on ESPN within Disney+, which also gives subscribers access to live sport, studio content and other exclusive programming.

What subscribers will get

According to NHL.com, the deal gives Disney+ subscribers 160 exclusive regular-season games each season, with at least 50 airing at favorable times for Swedish audiences. In addition, 20 playoff games from the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be shown exclusively on Disney+, along with the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final itself. During the 2025/26 season, ESPN recorded its highest NHL viewership since the rights returned to the network in 2021/22, a sign of growing interest in the sport.

The league features several popular Nordic players, including William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators) and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres), as well as storied clubs such as the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Disney+ expands its sports lineup

Karl Holmes, General Manager of Disney+ EMEA, said hockey is a passion shared across generations in Sweden and Finland, and the company is pleased to add the NHL to its growing live-sports catalogue. NHL Chief Media Officer David Proper said Disney+ and ESPN will help make the league more accessible to fans worldwide. Diego Londono of Disney EMEA added that ESPN's decades of NHL coverage will let subscribers follow the entire season with high-quality production and local commentary.

The NHL joins Disney+'s existing Nordic sports offering, which already includes the NFL, UEFA Europa League and Conference League, Copa del Rey, LALIGA, the DFB-Pokal, and, from the 2027/28 season, the UEFA Champions League in Sweden. A Disney+ subscription starts at 69 Swedish kronor per month with no commitment period.