Early in the new year, soccer is coming to Florida in a significant way. The Miami Marlins will number the Florida Panthers on January 2 in the 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami, where they are the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Tampa Bay Lightning may play the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, for the Stadium Series match a few weeks afterwards, on February 1.
According to Keith Wachtel, the NHL’s president of enterprise, the group will be hosting its two outside games in the same position for the first time. The decision was made to celebrate the expansion of soccer in Florida and encourage its two franchises for instilling strong hockey cultures in their markets.
” What]the Panthers ] have done in South Florida for the sport of hockey, and the growth of hockey in southern Florida has been incredible”, Wachtel said in a phone interview. ” It’s on women’s bucket list … and for their followers, it’s further confirmation of the incredible success that they have had. Going to South Florida and to Miami to play a match is a testament to, suddenly, what they have accomplished”.

According to Wachtel, the group had waited a long time before bringing outside activities to Florida to make sure the logistics could be met at the right time.
” In 2018 when we had the All-Star Game in Tampa, the Tampa Sports Commission took out a banner on the Monday when everyone was leaving”, Wachtel said. ” And it said,’ Thanks for coming, this think outside the box next day. We want an outside sport.'”
The NHL heeded the contact, which was held at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ‘ open-air home for seven more times. A Texas-based organization is working with the group to construct a completely climate-controlled temporary enclosed construction over the soccer field. The steel and concrete cover may be taken down on the day of the sport.
The momentary structure should help to prevent future problems with the 2021 backyard activities that the league had at Lake Tahoe. Due to the poor snow conditions brought on by the direct sunlight during the daylight hours, start times were delayed by eight hours.
Usually, the Stadium Series is held on a day between mid-February and early March. The NHL is hosting its top shows and in-person events prior to the Olympic bust because players will take part in the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will begin on February 6. Before the 2026 All-Star Game, both outside games will be played at the New York Islanders ‘ UBS Arena in Long Island.

The Winter Classic may be played in a sports venue for the fifth year in a row, according to Wachtel, who cited the expanded schedule for both the NFL and the College Football Playoff as justifications for not being able to find a sports stadium at the beginning of January. With loanDepot Park’s movable roof and air conditioning, the hot Florida climate may not be as much of an issue when it comes to snow maintenance.
Although the majority of outdoor sports have taken place in warmer climates, these will be the most southernly played games in NHL history. The Winter Classic was played in Dallas in the southern region in 2020 when the Stars defeated the Nashville Animals at the Cotton Bowl. Two years later, the Animals hosted a Stadium Series game against the Thunder at Nissan Stadium ( home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans ).
However, there are concerns that the exterior activities have ended and that the innovation of playing outdoors has long since faded. The least-watched version of the Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field last week was the first to receive an average market of less than one million.
Some criticize Chicago’s poor league performance and St. Louis ‘ regular play as the cause of the indifference, but Wachtel said the team still had the highest average seat sales in the competition’s history and performed well in goods and concessions.
Wachtel added that the exterior games serve as effective in-market presents for places that might not be eligible for large-scale outdoor sporting events like Super Bowls. ” We’re going to set right over 100, 000 people in the state of Florida watching outdoor sports between the two facilities”, Wachtel said. ” I think that’s a really great testament to the occasion. To time, we’ve had 43 of these activities. We’ve put over 2.1 million individuals in the stands in these game”.
The addition of indoor NHL activities in Florida should pique the interest of a lot of Rangers and Rangers fans as well. Tourists from the Northeast are a well-known shelter in Florida, and many of them travel there for vacation during the icy winter months. ” We want viewers to go. We want citizens from Boston to attend that game in Tampa, as well as people from New York and various locations, according to Wachtel.

The Panthers ‘ participation in the upcoming Winter Classic reduces the number of regular-season outside teams to one, including the Utah Hockey Club, who didn’t participate while in Arizona. On March 1, the Columbus Blue Jackets will remove themselves from that list to play for the Detroit Red Wings in Ohio Stadium, the renowned 102, 000-plus-seat house of Ohio State Buckeyes sport, in a Stadium Series activity.
Over the years, the company beliefs of the Panthers and Lightning, who have both played in the last five Stanley Cup Finals, have risen. Tampa Bay ranks 11th in Sportico’s most recent NHL valuations at$ 1.8 billion. User Jeff Vinik, who purchased the team for$ 170 million, sold a power stake in the Fasteners based on the group’s 2024 pricing about 14 years later. Although Florida ranks 26th at$ 1.25 billion, the Panthers ‘ value has grown by 37 % year-over-year since 2023.