The Sparkasse Arena will be packed. © FISG / Vanna Antonello

Italy vs. Germany: Top test match in Bolzano

On Wednesday, February 4th at 7:30 pm, a high-profile friendly match between the Italian national team, coached by Jukka Jalonen, and Germany will take place in the South Tyrolean capital. Both teams will be competing a few days later at the Milan and Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

21 January 2026

From: pm/det

The countdown is on. In just a few weeks, the starting gun will fire for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. As usual, ice hockey will be one of the "premier disciplines": For the first time since Sochi 2014, NHL stars will also be participating.

Before the spotlight shifts to the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, the Italian national team will hold a short training camp at the Sparkasse Arena in Bolzano starting Monday, February 2nd. The highlight will be a high-caliber friendly match against Germany, organized by the Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) in collaboration with Hockey Club Bolzano.

Italy is participating in this year's Olympic Games.

The match will take place on Wednesday, February 4th, at 19:30 pm and offers a unique opportunity to experience the Azzurri's final test before the Olympic tournament live – in which Italy last participated at the Turin 2006 Games.

The German national team, coached by Harold Kreis, who surprisingly missed the playoffs at last year's World Championship Top Division, released their Olympic roster on January 7th. It includes six NHL players: goaltender Philipp Grubauer, defenseman Moritz Seider, and forwards Leon Draisaitl, JJ Peterka, Nico Sturm, and Tim Stützle. However, the NHL stars will join the team later, making it unlikely they will be seen in the exhibition game in Bolzano.