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All eyes will be on Italy as the European country hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Winter Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo – a historic first for the Olympics. It will be the first Games to be held under International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and the third time it has been held in the country.
There will be 16 different sports on display during the games with 116 medal events. Ski mountaineering will debut as a sport, and the NHL has allowed its players to compete in the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
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IOC President Kirsty Coventry speaks to volunteers ahead of the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Daniele Mascolo/Pool Photo via AP)
With the opening ceremonies just days away, read below for everything fans need to know about this year’s games.
Which city will host the 2026 Olympics?
The Olympic rings stand near Anterselva di Sopra, which will host the biathlon competition as part of the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games, in Anterselva Di Mezzo, Italy, on January 31, 2026. (Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Winter Olympics to a joint bid from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on 24 June 2019. The Italian sites were awarded following a joint bid from Sweden, which went with Stockholm and Âre. It is the first Olympics to be hosted by two cities.
The opening ceremony will take place at the Stadio San Siro in Milan. It is the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. The Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater, will be the venue for the closing ceremonies.
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When does it start?
Police walk past the Olympic Village ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Winter Olympics officially begin on February 6 and end on February 22. The first medals will be awarded on 7 February in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, speed skating, ski jumping and snowboarding.
How do you see?
NBC will air specific events on its cable channels and will stream all events live on Peacock.
What can you expect?
Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States celebrates winning an alpine skiing women’s world championship slalom in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Europe for the first time since 2006, when they were held in Turin, Italy. Entering the Olympic Games this time, the United States is not the powerhouse in winter sports that it is in the summer.
The United States finished third in total medals in 2022 in Beijing. The Americans were also tied for third in gold medals with China. Norway and Germany are the two countries that have dominated winter sports in recent winter games.
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Russian and Belarusian athletes are also banned from competing under their flag over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The athletes will compete as individual neutral athletes.
Benin, Guinea-Bissau and the United Arab Emirates will make their Winter Olympic debuts this time.
