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The stage is set for the 25th Winter Olympics as the world’s best athletes converge on Italy in search of gold.
With events held in many 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.
Key highlights are set to include NHL superstars like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid lining up for Team USA in the men’s ice hockey tournament, Lindsey Vonn’s sensational return to downhill skiing glory, Swiss powerhouse Marco Odermatt’s quest for more alpine dominance, and Ilia Malinin’s quest for historic gold. These Games will also mark the first addition of a new event in 24 years, with ski mountaineering making its Olympic debut.
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will begin with the pre-opening preliminaries events on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The opening ceremony following Friday, Feb. 6, with the games culminating in the closing ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 22. A schedule of important events can be found at the foot of this page.
More than 3,000 athletes from 92 countries will compete for 116 medals over the next two weeks at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
When to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
While the preliminary heats will take place on February 4 and February 5, the opening ceremony will officially kick off the Winter Games in Friday, February 6, at 2 pm ET. The competition closes on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Milan-Cortina Games will take place in Italy, six hours ahead of the East Coast time zone of the US, with daily events starting at 1 am ET.
Especially, Super Bowl LX on February 8, and NBC will run coverage for the Winter Olympics and NFL gameday. Viewers can tune in at 7 am ET on February 8 for the Olympics on NBC and Peacock, with things moving to Super Bowl pregame coverage at 12 pm ET, the big game at 6:30 pm ET. Then, primetime in Milan will begin airing around 10:45 pm ET.
How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics in the US without cable
Every event of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games can be watched live in 4K on Peacockthe cheapest option. The streaming service has a slate of special in-app features for Winter sportsincluding Rinkside Live, highlights, an interactive schedule and multiview.
NBC will also broadcast its exclusive Olympic coverage in 4K, and the events will air on NBC, USA Network and NBCSN. You can watch these linear channels on a live TV streaming service such as YouTube TV, DirecTV (its MySports package is $70) or Hulu’s live TV platform. For viewers who have a Xfinity TV package (there are streaming-only plans), Comcast provides 4K viewing and a dedicated Olympics hub.
Peacock offers two Premium plans, and after a recent price increase, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $11 a month and the ad-free Premium Plus plan costs $17 a month.
You can sign up for one of DirecTV’s signature streaming TV packages or if you like sports, check out the MySports genre-centered pack for $70 a month. Whichever offer you choose, each plan includes access to an ESPN Unlimited subscription at no additional cost.
YouTube TV costs $83 per month and carries NBC as well as USA, CNBC and NBC Sports Network. New subscribers get a discount for the first two months, bringing the price down to $60 per month.
How to watch the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with a VPN
If you’re traveling abroad and want to follow the action of the 2026 Winter Olympics while away from home, a A VPN can help improve 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 the use of VPN 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 ensure you are securely connected and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying whether your streaming subscription allows VPN use is important.
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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, February 6
Events: Opening Ceremony (San Siro Stadium, Milan), Figure Skating (Team Event)
Saturday, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 16
Medal Finals: Figure Skating (Ice Dance Final), Ski Mountaineering (Sprint), Bobsleigh (2-Man Final) Other Events: Alpine Skiing, Curling, Ice Hockey, Snowboard
Tuesday, February 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 LH (Individual)
Wednesday, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 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, February 22
Medal Finals: Ice Hockey (Men’s Gold), Cross-Country Skiing (Women’s 30km), Closing Ceremony (Verona Arena)
