The Páňa Cup tournament has been organized regularly by HBC Kladno since 2018. Top teams from the Czech Republic and Slovakia come to Kladno every year, together with teams from Switzerland, including the Swiss national team led by Tibor Kapanek, who first came to Kladno in 2022. In 2025, he will bring the top Swiss club Oberwil Rebells. SHC La Chaux-de-Fonds will also come along for their second participation in the tournament. Slovakia will be traditionally represented by HBK Skalica, and for the first time since the 2014 Czechoslovak Super Cup, HBK Nitrianski Rytieri will also compete in Kladno. In a grand premiere at the event, Finland will represented by two teams – Siivikkalan Pelikassit and Peräpohjolan Poropojat, who have both confirmed their participation. The hosting team HBC Kladno as a representative of the Czech league will be joined by HBC Hostivař and Elba DDM Ústí nad Labem. The organizers also look forward to welcoming the Great Britain national team. Coached by the former ISBHF President George Gortsos, the Brits come to Kladno to undertake a competitive test ahead of the upcoming World Ball Hockey Championships.
Since the last edition of the Club World Cup, which took place in 2016 in Heilbronn, Germany, the Páňa Cup in Kladno is probably the most ambitious attempt to offer teams from several countries a strong sporting confrontation. Because of that, the preparations by the hosting club HBC Kladno are carried out in close cooperation with the ISBHF Secretary & Executive Director – Kladno's own David Tor.
"For this year's edition, we considered expanding the tournament. In an optimistic variant, we were counting on eight teams. After having a conversation with David Tor, the possibility of cooperation with the ISBHF opened up, and the number of participants grew to ten teams from five countries, which was fantastic news for us. It's an opportunity we really appreciate and a huge challenge for our club and the organizing team. We look forward to an unforgettable event," says Milan Maršner, Vice-President of the organizing club HBC Kladno.
"The International Street & Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) has been receiving a number of requests from different nations about offering an event for the European club teams.
To provide for it, instead of creating a new event and looking for a nation/venue to host, the ISBHF has decided to collaborate with an established existing event, which already has experience with hosting international teams. The arena in Kladno is an amazing venue, which the ISBHF already had the pleasure to visit during the hosting of the memorable 2022 ISBHF Masters World Championships. We are thankful to HBC Kladno, the hosts of the Páňa Cup, that they have agreed to work with the ISBHF. This will elevate the 2025 Páňa Cup to a truly memorable and international event. We look forward to this great tournament, offering club teams from five (5) European nations the opportunity to compete at the highest level of our sport," says Elio Pascuzzo, President of the ISBHF.
The eighth annual Páňa Cup will take place at the Municipal Ball Hockey Arena in Kladno from Friday, August 22 to Sunday, August 24, 2025. Ten teams from five European countries will play a total of 27 matches, with each team appearing at least five times. On Friday and Saturday, games in two round robin groups are scheduled, and on Sunday the tournament will conclude with placement games.
