The games will take place at the 18,000-seat Oriental Sports Center, a venue that has previously hosted major international sporting events, including the World Championships in figure skating and short track. The program will also feature a pre-game show headlined by figure skating star Kamila Valieva.
2026 KHL World Games in Shanghai – Testing the Waters for a Comeback
The games will be held as part of the KHL World Games, an event series launched by the Kontinental Hockey League in 2018. Shanghai will become only the third Asian host, following Dubai in 2021 and Tashkent in 2024. (1) But beneath the showcase lies a more strategic question: is this the first real step toward relocating the franchise back to China – or simply a controlled test of market interest?
The Shanghai Paradox
The purpose of the KHL World Games is to promote the KHL brand abroad. It is therefore something of a paradox that the league is marketing the return of the Shanghai Dragons under that very banner – perhaps indicating that a full relocation to China is not yet firmly on the table.
From Olympic Project to Shanghai Rebrand
Shanghai Dragons were formed ahead of the 2025–26 season through a rebrand of Kunlun Red Star. The story of the franchise is well known:
- Kunlun Red Star was originally created as part of China’s centralized preparation program for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics – we covered that project in detail here.
- The team played primarily in Beijing, while also staging several games in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
- The club ultimately spent only four seasons in China, with long-term plans disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- As a result of the pandemic, the franchise temporarily relocated to Russia.
- Kunlun went on to spend six seasons in Mytishchi (2020–2026).
- In the summer of 2025, the club rebranded as the Shanghai Dragons and moved to St. Petersburg – we reported on that development here.
- The connection to Chinese hockey has gradually weakened – this season, there is not a single Chinese-born player on the roster, with only heritage players Spencer Foo and Parker Foo remaining.
- The Kunlun brand continues to exist within the Chinese Ice Hockey League, albeit without any formal ties to the Shanghai Dragons.
Return to Shanghai? From Early Hype to Market Test
Ahead of the 2025–26 season, the club hinted at an early return home in its official announcement: “The name says it all – the mission leads us back to the electric, futuristic city of Shanghai. And sooner than you think.”
The team has settled into St. Petersburg surprisingly well. Through savvy social media marketing and a roster built largely on North American talent, the club quickly built a following and generated respectable attendance numbers.
Influenced by this development, management has stepped back from its earlier bold talk of a “return home.” Recent statements have been noticeably more cautious, suggesting the club intends to first test fan interest in Shanghai before making any final decision on relocation.
Sergei Belykh, General Director of the Shanghai Dragons: (2)
On the other hand, KHL President Alexei Morozov struck a more confident tone: (3)
The Hockey Reality Check
It must be said that Shanghai is not widely known for its deep-rooted hockey culture. In terms of popularity, Heilongjiang province – led by Harbin – remains China’s traditional stronghold of the sport, while Beijing also maintains a solid hockey tradition. More recently, Shenzhen has emerged as another growing hotbed.
Compared to these cities, Shanghai has historically lagged behind. Attendance figures from Kunlun’s inaugural KHL season (2016–17) illustrate the gap: the club split its home schedule evenly between Beijing and Shanghai, averaging a respectable 5,137 fans in Beijing, but only 1,280 in Shanghai. (4)
On the other hand, there have been flashes of potential. A preseason NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks in Shanghai in September 2017 drew an impressive crowd of 10,088 spectators. (5)
More Than a Showcase: A Defining Night for the Dragons
More than eight years have passed since that NHL showcase, and the KHL is now doing everything it can to deliver a high-quality event and present its brand in the best possible light. The key question is whether the sport can fill the seats of the impressive Oriental Sports Center.
How successful the event proves to be – both at the gate and commercially – may offer the clearest indication yet of what lies ahead for the Shanghai Dragons.
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