The Champions Hockey League has confirmed the Challenger League places for the upcoming season. The champions of the following national leagues will be invited to participate in Europe's biggest club ice hockey competition:
- Denmark
- France
- Norway
- Poland
- United Kingdom
Based on tradition, national champions in the EIHL are crowned after the Regular Season. The champions of the other four leagues are decided after the playoffs.
The Challenger League places are reviewed and allocated by the CHL for every season. The decision is made by taking several criteria such as sportive competitiveness, management structure, infrastructure and attendance figures into careful consideration.
The 2025/26 CHL season will be played with 24 teams. In addition to reigning CHL Champions ZSC Lions Zurich, three teams from each of the Shareholder Leagues and the five champions of the Challenger Leagues will compete.