Ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the National Hockey League (NHL) and Serie A will collaborate in a content partnership to demonstrate synergies between the two sports.
Also in association with the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), both leagues will join forces to work on flagship events leading up to the Winter Olympics, starting on August 22 at NHL European Player Media Tour in Milan.
Over the next 12 months, Serie A players such as Christian Pulisic will team up with European NHL players to highlight the similarities between football and hockey, as well as growing one another’s sports in Europe and North America.
Such activations will see European NHL players take part in training sessions across Milan and also be present during AC Milan’s first game of the 2025/26 season at the San Siro stadium.
NHL and Serie A officials have labelled this as a “first-of-its-kind” content partnership and will look to unearth new fan engagement, content and marketing strategies.
Speaking to SportsPro, Serie A USA Chief Executive Andy Mitchell said: “The NHL is a leader in digital storytelling, fan engagement, and content innovation, particularly in how it showcases its international stars and creates narratives that appeal to younger demographics. Serie A – and many other global sports federations – can absolutely learn from that playbook.
“We plan to use the Olympics to solidify the position that Serie A is not just a football league, but a cultural institution representing Italian excellence.”
Serie A’s continued US push
With the 2026 Winter Olympics co-hosted between Milan and Cortina, it may come as no surprise Serie A has taken advantage of this by continuing to market the league in North America, a strategy that has continued to build.
Mitchell highlighted research from Serie A USA that states more than 51 million Americans “have an affinity for Italian culture”, whilst six million Americans travel to Italy each year.
With strong Italian-American communities in cities such as New York and Philadelphia, the Italian football league created Serie A USA in 2018 to help capitalise on the country’s strong Italian demographic in a bid to translate this into football interest.
Capital investors are also beginning to recognise the value of the league. With nine out of 20 Serie A teams from last season under US ownership, almost 50% of the league, clubs like AC Milan broadened its marketing and commercial strategy to focus heavily on growing its brand in the US.
Now attaching itself to one of the largest sports leagues in the US, Serie A and the NHL will look to leverage one another’s statures to promote the synergies between one another’s sports.
