Now that the DEL season is already underway, tomorrow, Thursday, will also see the start of the DEB-Oberliga. The ECDC Memmingen Indians and the newly promoted Erding Gladiators will play the official opening match of the Oberliga, during which the Oberliga champion's cup will be presented, and representatives of all Oberliga teams are invited. Next Friday, the first full matchday is scheduled (https://deb-online.live/liga/herren/oberliga-sued/). Besides Erding, there is another new team in the south: The Selber Wölfe have been relegated from the DEL2 and are now part of the southern Oberliga division.
Last year, the Heilbronner Falken the main round of the Oberliga Süd won, but the Oberliga champion and promoted to the DEL2 was called Bietigheim SteelersThe Falcons now want to change that, but they've had a turbulent summer and were only able to secure their Oberliga license after several challenges and with certain conditions. Nevertheless, they made a good impression during preseason and are now venturing their next challenge for the title.
Many candidates for the top positions
Heilbronn will once again face some strong rivals. Deggendorfer SC and ECDC Memmingen Indians For example, for many years they have been at the forefront of the Oberliga Süd Again, but neither team has yet achieved a major victory. Memmingen also had some bad luck, as the last time they were champions of the main round in the South, the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic without a Oberliga champion being determined. Last season, Deggendorf finished the main round in third place behind Bietigheim, while Memmingen secured fourth place.
Two newcomers enrich the Oberliga Süd
In addition to the established teams, two more teams will be joining the Oberliga SüdThe Selber Wölfe come from the DEL2, to which they were promoted in the 2020/2021 season. After four seasons in the second-highest German ice hockey league, in which the Wolves achieved their best regular season finish of twelfth, they were relegated at the end of last season. The Erding Gladiators, who were promoted from the Bayernleague in the Oberliga Süd The Gladiators have been in the top flight in recent years. BayernThe team gradually developed into the third division and won the championship title in the 2025 final against EHC Königsbrunn. 3.000 spectators witnessed the 3-2 overtime victory in the decisive seventh game, which made Erding champions and paved the way for a comeback in the Oberliga. The Gladiators' last participation in the third division was in 2014/2015, the last edition of the Oberliga, which still had four divisions at the time.
Jonas Schwarzfischer, league manager of the DEB: “The 2025/2026 season of the Oberliga Süd promises to be exceptionally exciting. With the Erding Gladiators and the Selber Wolves, two traditional locations are joining the Oberliga Süd that will further enhance the league's appeal. We can look forward to a season that will offer numerous emotions and top-class ice hockey."
Overview of the framework dates
The Oberliga Süd consists of a total of 14 teams, which play the main round as a double round. This means that each team will play against every other club in the Oberliga Süd two home and two away matches, a total of 27 matches until the end of the regular season on February 2026, 52. The pre-playoffs of the Oberliga Süd in a best-of-three format, before the two top leagues are interlinked starting with the playoff round of 8. The round of 17, which will be played as a best-of-five, is scheduled from March 2026 to 20, 2. The quarterfinals will take place from March 2026 to April 4, 17, at the latest, and will be played as a best-of-seven. The semifinals will meet from April 2026 to April 19, 3, at the latest, in a best-of-seven format, and the final will also be played as a best-of-seven. From April 2026 to May 3, 2026, at the latest, the two best teams will compete for the top league championship title; the XNUMX top league champion will be determined by May XNUMX at the latest.