Serie A has ramped up plans to expand in North America by partnering with the National Hockey League and its players’ association the NHLPA.

The agreement will cover content collaborations and promotional activities and was announced on Tuesday, with just over six months to go until the start of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina.

Two decades after Luciano Pavarotti’s iconic rendition of Nessun Dorma opened the Winter Olympics at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, San Siro will host the opening ceremony on February 6 and the closing ceremony 16 days later.

Milan will primarily host ice events with the rest to be held in Cortina D’Ampezzo, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, and in the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys.

“In North America, both football and hockey have incredibly dedicated, passionate fan bases,” said Andy Mitchell, CEO of Serie A’s north American operation.

“This collaboration with the NHL and the NHLPA allows us to engage with a global audience in new and exciting ways while celebrating the anticipation surrounding the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

“By bringing Lega Serie A legends and NHL stars together, we aim to create a synergy that showcases the best of each league, creating an unforgettable experience for fans on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The partnership, the first of its kind between a North American sports league and a European football counterpart, comes just months after 2006 World Cup winners Marco Materazzi and Andrea Pirlo exchanged Inter Milan and Juventus jerseys with New York Rangers star centre Mika Zibanejad at Madison Square Garden.

The NHL and Serie A said a series of marquee events are planned around the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour, which this year will be held in Milan on August 22, the day before the Serie A season kicks off.

A host of current and former Serie A players will take part in the events alongside some of the NHL’s biggest European stars, who will also visit Inter and AC Milan’s training grounds and attend a game at the San Siro.

“With the Winter Olympics on the horizon, Milan will serve as a focal point for sports fans around the world, so we are delighted to take the opportunity to promote our top hockey players in the environments of the biggest sport in Italy,” said Keith Wachtel, president of NHL Business.

“We look forward to working with Serie A to deliver world-class events highlighting both leagues’ history, heritage, and shared culture.”

The upcoming Games will be the first since Sochi 2014 that NHL players will be released to play for their countries after the International Ice Hockey Federation, the NHL and the NHLPA reached an agreement at the beginning of July.

“We are pleased to confirm that NHL players will be participating in the 2026 Olympic Games,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this month. “Olympic participation will showcase the skill and talent of NHL players on an international stage.”

IIHF president Luc Tardif, meanwhile, described the agreement as a significant milestone for the sport.

“At the initiative of the IIHF, we have worked collaboratively with NHL and NHLPA in close collaboration with the IOC and Milano Cortina Organising Committee to make this a reality,” he said.

“Bringing the best players in the world back to the Olympic Games in 2026 is a major step forward for our sport.”