Italy hosts the Winter Olympics for the third time in February 2026, bringing the Games to Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo twenty years after Turin. The Games run from February 6 to February 22, 2026, spreading competitions across venues in Lombardy and Veneto.
This guide covers what you need to know—from where events are being held to how to get tickets and where to watch from home.
About the Games
The International Olympic Committee chose Milano-Cortina in June 2019, beating Stockholm-Åre. It’s Italy’s second turn hosting the Winter Games after Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006, making Italy only the eighth country to host more than once.
Milan-Cortina will host the Olympic Winter Games 2026 #MilanCortina2026 #WinterOlympics @milanocortina26 pic.twitter.com/3Ch9lf3Vxe
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) June 24, 2019
Fondazione Milano-Cortina 2026 is running the organizing committee. They’ve emphasized using existing venues wherever possible—less new construction means lower costs and better sustainability credentials, which matters given theIOC’s push toward more practical Olympic hosting.
The dual-hub setup is unusual: Milano handles ice sports and the opening ceremony, while Cortina takes the mountain events and closing ceremony. It reflects the region’s geography more than any grand planning vision.
Dates, Locations, and Venues
The Games run February 6-22, 2026. Opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milano; closing ceremony at Cortina Ice Stadium.
The applications for Team26, the Volunteers Programme for the next Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are now open!
Discover the requirements to join #Team26 and apply on the website of Milano Cortina 2026! https://t.co/PcimvHkV44
Are you ready to come together and be a… pic.twitter.com/7JMzuAX7bR— Milano Cortina 2026 (@milanocortina26) September 19, 2024
Milano venues:
- PalaOlimpico (formerly Mediolanum Forum): ice hockey and figure skating, about 12,000 seats
- Laghetto di Fonti: new speed skating oval
- Olympic Village: athlete housing in the city
Cortina venues:
- Alpine skiing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing: existing courses that host World Cup races regularly
- New bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track—first modern sliding facility in Italy
A secondary athlete village in Cortina keeps mountain sport competitors close to their events rather than commuting from Milano.
Sports and Events
116 medal events across seven sports. The usual winter lineup: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, short track speed skating, skeleton, snowboarding, and curling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zP6_P6kReA
Alpine skiing remains the biggest draw. The Cortina downhill is notoriously demanding—steep, technical, fast. Mikaela Shiffrin dominates the technical events and will be one to watch, though Austria and Switzerland always bring strong teams.
Figure skating and ice hockey anchor the schedule. The team event in skating, introduced in 2014, continues. Women’s hockey has grown with more teams competing, though the US and Canada still dominate.
Snowboarding and freestyle keep growing. Big air and halfpipe pull younger audiences. Chloe Kim remains the face of snowboarding; Eileen Gu competes for China in freestyle.
Latest News
Late 2024 and early 2025 brought several concrete updates:
Milano-Cortina Olympics 2026 | The Finale | Women’s 12,5km mass start.
byu/Spiritual-Board7145 inbiathlon
Torch relay: Route confirmed, starting from Olympia in Greece, passing through 100+ Italian towns before Milano. About 10,000 torchbearers.
Venues: The Olympic Village in Milano is ready. The PalaVela arena replaced plans for a temporary venue—completed with sustainable materials and renewable energy systems.
Tickets: Went on sale early 2025 through the official portal. Randomized selection for initial phases to manage demand. Tiered pricing: general admission starts around €25, premium finals several hundred euros. Family packages available.
Sustainability: The committee set carbon reduction targets, using existing venues, renewable energy, and electric vehicle fleets. Whether they hit carbon-neutral remains to be seen, but the direction is clear.
Schedule
The opening weekend features the men’s downhill—a traditional spotlight event. Figure skating starts early with the team event.
Each day has multiple medal events, mixing popular sports (hockey, skating) with niche disciplines. The detailed schedule is on the official Olympics website, times in CET.
The closing ceremony February 22 in Cortina celebrates athletes and passes the flag to the 2030 hosts (not yet determined).
Tickets and Viewing
Tickets: Available through the official portal. Individual event tickets, multi-session packages, and hospitality experiences. Early bird pricing has ended; standard pricing applies now. Prices range from roughly €25 for preliminary events to several hundred for finals.
Watching in the US: NBC has rights, covering TV and streaming on Peacock.
Europe: BBC (UK), ARD/ZDF (Germany), RAI (Italy), and others.
International: Olympic Channel streams multiple events simultaneously.
Travel and Accommodation
Flying: Milano Malpensa is the main international airport. Good European connections plus long-haul routes.
Trains: High-speed trains Milano–Cortina take about 2.5 hours. Extra services during the Games.
Accommodation: Hotels and rentals book up fast. Prices are higher than normal. The official accommodation portal lists verified options. Book early—many places in Cortina are already tight for peak dates.
Packages: Tour operators sell ticket-plus-accommodation bundles. Often worth it for the logistics alone (dedicated transport, Olympic lanes). But independent travel is doable with planning.
Wrap-Up
Milano-Cortina 2026 combines Italy’s Olympic history with practical hosting—existing venues, dual cities, sustainability goals. Whether you go in person or watch from home, the usual Winter Olympics appeal is there: speed, skill, drama, and two weeks of non-stop competition.
Book accommodations early. Watch the torch relay buildup. Check the official site for schedule updates as February 2026 gets closer.
FAQ
When? February 6-22, 2026. Opening ceremony February 6, closing February 22.
Where? Two main areas: Milano (Lombardy) for ice sports, Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto) for mountain sports.
How to buy tickets? Official Milano-Cortina 2026 ticket portal at olympics.com. Phased sales—early bird pricing ended, but standard tickets still available.
What sports? 116 events across 11 disciplines: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, short track speed skating, skeleton, snowboarding.
Travel between Milano and Cortina? High-speed train, about 2.5 hours. Shuttle buses from the organizing committee during the Games.
US broadcast? NBC has rights. Coverage on NBC and Peacock streaming. Olympic Channel adds more live options.
