The stage is set for the 25th Winter Olympics as the world’s best athletes converge in Italy in search of gold.
With events staged across multiple regions and cities — including Milan and, for the second time in Olympic history, the resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo — this year’s Games will be the most geographically widespread Winter Olympics ever held.
Key highlights are set to include NHL superstars such as Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid lining up for Team USA in the men’s ice hockey tournament, Lindsey Vonn’s sensational comeback bid for downhill skiing glory, Swiss powerhouse Marco Odermatt’s quest for further alpine dominance, and Ilia Malinin’s pursuit of a historic figure skating gold. These Games will also mark the first addition of a brand new event in 24 years, with ski mountaineering making its Olympic debut.
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics get underway with pre-opening preliminaries events on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The opening ceremony follows on Friday, Feb. 6, with the games wrapping up with the closing ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 22. A schedule of key events can be found at the foot of this page.
When to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
While preliminary heats take place Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, the opening ceremony will officially kick off the Winter Games on Friday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. ET. The competition will close out on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Milan-Cortina Games take place in Italy, six hours ahead of the East Coast time zone in the US, with daily events starting as early as 1 a.m. ET.
Notably, Super Bowl LX is on Feb. 8, and NBC will run coverage for both the Winter Olympics and NFL gameday. Viewers can tune in at 7 a.m. ET on Feb. 8 for the Olympics on NBC and Peacock, with things switching to Super Bowl pregame coverage at 12 p.m. ET, the big game at 6:30 p.m. ET. Then, primetime in Milan will start airing around 10:45 p.m. ET.
How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics in the US without cable
Every event in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games will be available to watch live in 4K on Peacock, the most affordable option. The streaming service has a slate of special in-app features for the Winter Games, including Rinkside Live, highlights, an interactive schedule and multiview.
NBC will also broadcast its exclusive Olympic coverage in 4K, and events will air across NBC, USA Network and NBCSN. You can watch these linear channels on a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV, DirecTV (its MySports package is $70) or Hulu’s live TV platform. For viewers with an Xfinity TV package (there are streaming-only plans), Comcast is providing 4K viewing and a dedicated Olympics hub.
How to watch the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with a VPN
If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with 2026 Winter Olympics action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins.
VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies that restrict VPN use to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.
If you choose to use a VPN, follow the installation instructions from the provider to make sure that you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.
Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 4 (Pre-Opening)
Events: Curling (Mixed Doubles), Ice Hockey (Women’s Preliminaries)
Thursday, Feb. 5 (Pre-Opening)
Events: Curling (Mixed Doubles), Ice Hockey (Women’s Preliminaries), Ski Jumping (Training)
Friday, Feb. 6
Events: Opening Ceremony (San Siro Stadium, Milan), Figure Skating (Team Event)
Saturday, Feb. 7
Medal Finals: Alpine Skiing (Men’s Downhill), Speed Skating (Women’s 3000m), Short Track (Mixed Team Relay), Ski Jumping (Women’s Normal Hill) Other Events: Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Freestyle Skiing
Sunday, Feb 8
Medal Finals: Biathlon (Mixed Relay), Figure Skating (Team Event), Luge (Men’s Singles), Snowboard (Women’s Slopestyle), Speed Skating (Men’s 5000m) Other Events: Alpine Skiing, Curling, Ice Hockey
Monday, Feb 9
Medal Finals: Alpine Skiing (Women’s Super-G), Snowboard (Men’s Slopestyle), Short Track (Women’s 500m & Men’s 1000m) Other Events: Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Freestyle Skiing (Big Air)
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Medal Finals: Biathlon (Men’s 20km Individual), Curling (Mixed Doubles Final), Freestyle Skiing (Big Air), Speed Skating (Men’s 1500m) Other Events: Ice Hockey, Luge, Cross-Country Skiing
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Medal Finals: Alpine Skiing (Men’s Slalom), Luge (Doubles), Snowboard (Women’s Halfpipe), Freestyle Skiing (Moguls), Nordic Combined (Individual NH) Other Events: Curling, Ice Hockey, Short Track, Speed Skating
Thursday, Feb. 12
Medal Finals: Biathlon (Women’s 7.5km Sprint), Skeleton (Men’s), Snowboard (Men’s Halfpipe), Speed Skating (Women’s 500m) Other Events: Alpine Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey
Friday, Feb. 13
Medal Finals: Short Track (Women’s 1000m), Skeleton (Women’s), Speed Skating (Men’s 10,000m), Alpine Skiing (Women’s Alpine Combined) Other Events: Biathlon, Curling, Ice Hockey, Ski Jumping
Saturday, Feb. 14
Medal Finals: Biathlon (Men’s 10km Sprint), Figure Skating (Rhythm Dance), Ski Jumping (Men’s Large Hill), Bobsleigh (Women’s Monobob) Other Events: Curling, Ice Hockey, Speed Skating
Sunday, Feb 15
Medal Finals: Alpine Skiing (Men’s Giant Slalom), Biathlon (Men’s 12.5km Pursuit), Speed Skating (Women’s 500m), Short Track (Men’s 500m & Women’s 3000m Relay) Other Events: Curling, Figure Skating (Ice Dance), Ice Hockey
Monday, Feb. 16
Medal Finals: Figure Skating (Ice Dance Final), Ski Mountaineering (Sprint), Bobsleigh (2-Man Final) Other Events: Alpine Skiing, Curling, Ice Hockey, Snowboard
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Medal Finals: Alpine Skiing (Women’s Giant Slalom), Biathlon (Women’s 10km Pursuit), Speed Skating (Team Pursuit), Ice Hockey (Women’s Bronze) Other Events: Curling, Figure Skating (Women’s), Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined (Individual LH)
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Medal Finals: Ice Hockey (Women’s Gold), Alpine Skiing (Men’s Super-G), Biathlon (Women’s Relay), Freestyle Skiing (Ski Cross) Other Events: Curling, Figure Skating (Women’s), Speed Skating, Men’s Hockey Quarterfinals
Thursday, Feb. 19
Medal Finals: Figure Skating (Women’s Free Program), Speed Skating (Women’s 1000m), Ski Mountaineering (Mixed Relay), Alpine Skiing (Women’s Slalom) Other Events: Curling, Ice Hockey (Men’s Semifinals)
Friday, Feb. 20
Medal Finals: Curling (Men’s Gold), Biathlon (Men’s Relay), Short Track (Women’s 1500m & Men’s 5000m Relay) Other Events: Bobsleigh (4-Man), Ice Hockey (Men’s Semifinals)
Saturday, Feb. 21
Medal Finals: Curling (Women’s Gold), Figure Skating (Pairs Free), Speed Skating (Mass Start), Ice Hockey (Men’s Bronze), Bobsleigh (4-Man Final) Other Events: Cross-Country Skiing (Men’s 50km)
Sunday, Feb. 22
Medal Finals: Ice Hockey (Men’s Gold), Cross-Country Skiing (Women’s 30km), Closing Ceremony (Verona Arena)
