Gagarin Cup 2026: Schedule, Favorites, and Editorial Predictions

The Gagarin Cup – the main trophy of the Kontinental Hockey League, which is contested at the end of the playoff season. The best teams from the regular season compete for the title, and the tournament traditionally takes place in the spring, lasting several weeks until the final series.

The playoffs feature 16 teams – 8 from the Western Conference and 8 from the Eastern Conference. The clubs play knockout series until one team wins four games. This format makes each round extremely intense, and the ultimate winner is determined not only by skill but also by squad depth, the form of the leaders, and endurance over the distance.

The Gagarin Cup is considered one of the most competitive tournaments in European hockey: surprises happen regularly, and favorites do not always reach the finals. This is why each season is accompanied by high intrigue and an unpredictable battle for the title.

In this article, we will analyze the format of the 2026 Gagarin Cup, the match schedule, as well as evaluate the tournament favorites and provide a forecast for the playoff outcome.

How the KHL Playoffs Work

In the KHL playoffs, where the best team will win the Gagarin Cup, 16 clubs participate – the top 8 teams from the regular season in both the Western and Eastern Conferences. Below is the list of participants for the 2026 Gagarin Cup.

Western Conference

• Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)
• Dinamo (Minsk)
• Severstal (Cherepovets)
• CSKA (Moscow)
• SKA (St. Petersburg)
• Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod)
• Dynamo (Moscow)
• Spartak (Moscow)

Eastern Conference

• Metallurg (Magnitogorsk)
• Avangard (Omsk)
• Ak Bars (Kazan)
• Avtomobilist (Yekaterinburg)
• Salavat Yulaev (Ufa)
• Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
• Neftekhimik (Nizhnekamsk)
• Sibir (Novosibirsk)

Currently, the exact matchups are only known for the Eastern Conference. The lineup for the Western Conference will not change, but the matchups will only be determined on March 20.

The KHL playoffs consist of four stages: the first round (⅛ finals), the second round (¼ finals), the semifinals, and the final series. To advance to the next stage, a team must win four times against their opponent. Thus, the minimum number of games in a series is four, and the maximum is seven.

The team with the higher seed at the end of the regular season receives home-ice advantage in each round. The series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, where the higher-seeded team hosts the first two games, as well as the fifth and seventh games if necessary. The lower-seeded team hosts the third, fourth, and sixth games if needed.

The first matches of the ⅛ finals start on March 23. The seventh game of the final series is scheduled to start on May 23, but if fewer games are needed in the decisive series, the tournament may conclude on May 17, 19, or 21.

⅛ Finals

In the first round, teams from the same conference will play each other in a 1st vs 8th, 2nd vs 7th, 3rd vs 6th, and 4th vs 5th format.

¼ Finals

In the second round of the playoffs, reseeding is applied considering the conferences. After the first round, two nominal groups are formed. In Group A, the first team from the West plays the fourth team from the East, and the third team from the West – plays the second team from the East. In Group B, the first team from the East meets the fourth team from the West, and the third team from the East Playoff Match Schedule

The KHL playoffs will start on March 23, 2026. The first-round series are scheduled until April 5 inclusive. The ¼ final series will take place from April 8 to April 21, the ½ final series from April 24 to May 7, and the final series from May 11 to May 23.

Below is the schedule for the first round of the playoffs. Regular font indicates mandatory games, italics indicate possible games, which will be determined based on the series progress.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Second Round

Third Round

Top Contenders for the Title

The three most obvious bookmaker favorites to win the Gagarin Cup 2026 are Metallurg, Lokomotiv, and Avangard.

Metallurg (Magnitogorsk)

Why they should win: The Continental Cup holder, the best team of the regular season. The trophy, which players traditionally avoid touching after it's awarded to not jinx their luck, was secured by the Ural club long before the end of the regular season. Finally, they are the most scoring team not only of this season (3.75 goals on average per game) but also the highest-scoring team in KHL history – no team has scored 251 goals in a regular season in the 18-year history of the tournament.

Odds to win the Gagarin Cup: 3.48*

Chances to win the Gagarin Cup: 28.7%

**Here and below: odds are approximate at the time of publication and may vary across different betting lines

Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)

Why they should win: The current holder of the Gagarin Cup, one of the most efficient defensive teams (2.00 goals conceded on average per match in the regular season). The most stable goaltending line in the league – Daniil Isaev ranks second in the league for goals-against average and shutouts.

Odds to win the Gagarin Cup: 3.52

Chances to win the Gagarin Cup: 28.4%

Avangard (Omsk)

Why they should win: They are among the top 3 highest-scoring teams of the season (3.33 goals scored on average per game) and also in the top 4 teams with the best defense (2.34 goals conceded on average per game). With players like Konstantin Okulov and Andrew Poturalski, and an incredible season from defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov, they can aim high.

Odds to win the Gagarin Cup: 6.3

Chances to win the Gagarin Cup: 15.9%

Who Could Surprise

Perhaps answers like Ak Bars or CSKA won't satisfy anyone – these teams could only surprise if they get knocked out in the first round. Therefore, we choose SKA and Salavat Yulaev. Both teams had a lackluster first half of the season, going through losing streaks, but have significantly improved in recent months. Plus, both SKA and Salavat Yulaev have strong goaltending lines that can decide the outcomes of specific matches and series.

The list could potentially include last year's finalist Traktor, but Sergey Mylnikov's injury has dashed the Chelyabinsk team's ambitions – getting past Ak Bars in the first round would be a huge surprise. Severstal could surprise locally, as they are considered by bookmakers only the seventh team in the West in terms of winning chances, even with a higher seed, and Sibir, capable of taking one or two games from the leader in the first round.

Who Will Win the Gagarin Cup 2026

Finally, the most interesting part – our editorial team's prediction for the Gagarin Cup. First, let's take a look at the bookmakers' odds for winning the tournament.

Let's allow ourselves to make a prediction for each stage so that the readers of this text can draw more accurate conclusions about the formation of our editorial opinion.

We believe that the first round of the playoffs might offer surprises in two series. Specifically, in the East, the matchup between Avtomobilist and Salavat Yulaev could go to a seventh game, where, in our opinion, the Ufa club will be the favorite.

In the West, both bookmakers and experts consider Severstal's high seeding more of a coincidence – the team has already delivered the best result in its history (at least third place in the conference). But here too, the "steelworkers" got lucky – facing Torpedo, which is going through a difficult period, will be a great chance to extend their historic success.

According to our editorial team, the following pairs will form in the second round based on the first round results:

• Lokomotiv – Salavat Yulaev
• Avangard – Severstal
• Metallurg – SKA
• Dinamo Minsk – Ak Bars

In the semifinals, the series will feature Lokomotiv vs. Avangard and Metallurg vs. Ak Bars, with Metallurg and Lokomotiv meeting in the finals, and the trophy going to the Magnitogorsk club.

Special Bets on KHL Playoffs

Total Over 83.5 Matches in the Tournament

Odds: 1.72

The prime era of the KHL, when from 2010 to 2014, 83 playoff games were played four years in a row, has shifted to a period with fewer games (from 2015 to 2022, not even 81 games were played). However, in the last three years, the situation has changed – there are fewer one-sided series, and in 2023 and 2025, teams even played 87 games for the Gagarin Cup.

Total Seven-Game Series Over 3.5

Odds: 1.9

If the number of matches isn't to your liking, we recommend considering a special bet on the number of seven-game series. From 2009 to 2021, there were only three seasons where viewers saw more than three seven-game series. And only from 2022 to 2025 did three seasons give us a result of four seven-game series. Considering the more balanced level of teams, it's possible that a couple of series in the West and one in the East will stretch to a seventh game already in the first round.

Total Four-Game Series Under 2.5

Odds: 1.9

At the same time, we expect fewer 4-0 scores in the Cup. Currently, the most obvious candidates for this are the series involving Sibir and Neftekhimik. There are questions about Torpedo – after all, the team didn't just spend the entire season in the top-4 to exit the playoffs without a fight with “bagel”. In the KHL, there is a trend towards reducing four-game series – from 2009 to 2022, the under total we proposed would have hit only once – and just in the last three years, it would have hit twice.

Total matches with a 0:0 score in regulation time over 0.5

Odds: 2

If you thought we are viewing the Gagarin Cup as some kind of intrigue attraction, we must disappoint you. We anticipate that at least one match will end with a 0:0 score in regulation time. Otherwise, why would Isaev, Vyazovoy, Galkin, Alikin, and Serebryakov make it to the playoffs?

In the entire history of the Gagarin Cup, there has never been three consecutive seasons without matches ending 0:0. Considering that the last two seasons did not feature such games, we are waiting for the trend to be confirmed. Finally, even in the year when there was not a single "zero" game in the playoffs, the regular season saw five such matches, and in the current regular season – already seven. Most frequently, Moscow's Dynamo and Spartak have been noted in games ending 0:0 after 60 minutes.

How to Make Predictions for the KHL Playoffs

Predictions for KHL playoff matches require a different approach compared to the regular season. Here, not only the current form of the teams plays a decisive role, but also the specifics of the tournament format itself.

1. Series Format – key factor. All rounds of the Gagarin Cup are held in a best-of-seven series format. This means that teams adapt better to each other over the course of the series, and random results occur less frequently. It is important to consider how teams can adjust after losses and handle long series.
2. Home Ice Advantage also matters. Higher-seeded teams receive the advantage of playing on their home rink, where they often perform more confidently. The support of the crowd, familiar conditions, and lack of travel can provide an additional edge, especially in decisive matches.
3. Fatigue and Schedule become increasingly noticeable as the bracket progresses. Long series, overtimes, and a tight schedule affect the physical condition of players. Teams with deep benches and quality rotation usually cope better with the demands.
4. Team Playing Style –can influence the final outcome.

Stay updated with the playoff developments and use KHL match predictions to keep abreast of all the key events of the Gagarin Cup and make more informed decisions throughout the tournament.