Even months before winter, you can feel it. The familiar thrill of anticipation, the palpable buzz in the air. The Olympics are coming, and 2026 will be one of those seasons where the entire world pays attention to skiing and snowboarding—even if it’s only for a few weeks.
We can look forward to Ed Leigh and Tim Warwood taking over our TVs, to the likes of Kirsty Muir making the evening news, and to earnest sporting discussions down the pub that revolve around slopestyle courses, rather than football.
"We can look forward to Ed Leigh and Tim Warwood taking over our TVs, and the likes of Kirsty Muir making the evening news"
For Brits this time around promises to be particularly special. Following recent Games held in less convenient time zones—Beijing 2022, Pyeongchang 2018, Sochi 2014, and Vancouver 2010—this will be the first Winter Olympics hosted in Europe in two decades. Italy’s location, just one hour ahead of the UK ensures that this time, fans can watch the action live without sacrificing sleep.
The Games are not just in Milan and Cortina, but in a whole range of iconic ski resorts and venues in northern Italy. Team GB has some genuine medal contenders in the form of Mia Brookes, Kirsty Muir, Charlotte Bankes and Zoe Aitken, and the atmosphere at the events promises to be spectacular, with proper crowds—and Italian crowds, no less—allowed at event for the first time since 2018.
Here’s our guide on how to watch, who to watch, when to watch and what to expect for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026.
- When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
- Where are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
- How do you get tickets for the 2026 Winter Olympics?
- How do you watch or stream the 2026 Winter Olympics from the UK?
- What times are the ski & snowboard events at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
- Alpine Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Freestyle Skiing
When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be held from February 4 to February 22, 2026. While the Opening Ceremony is scheduled for the evening of Friday, February 6, some competitions (like Curling) begin earlier in the week. The first gold medal will be awarded in men’s downhill skiing on Saturday, February 7.
Following the Olympics, the Paralympic Winter Games will take place from March 6 to 15, 2026.
Where are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Milan-Cortina 2026’s organisers are proudly proclaiming that the games will be the most geographically-dispersed winter games in history. Of course, in Paris 2024, the surfing at Paris 2024 took place in Tahiti, 15,000km away. But that was a one-off event. Here, the whole thing is genuinely shared around, with sports being staged across seven provinces and more than 22,000 square kilometres.
As well as Milan and Cortina, venues include Livigno, Bormio, Tesero, Predazzo, Anterselva (also known by its German name, Antholz), and the city of Verona. For more info on each of these, check out our Guide to Olympic Venues at Milano Cortina 2026 here.
This distribution is intentional. In line with new IOC reforms aimed at reducing environmental impact and cost, the organisers have reused existing facilities wherever possible. This approach avoids the curse of venues that are used once and then fall into disrepair—an all too common sight from previous Games. At the same time, it allows Italy to showcase the variety and beauty of its alpine regions.
How do you get tickets for the 2026 Winter Olympics?
If you want to go and watch the Games in person, tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis through the official website. Organisers have made it clear that only tickets bought through authorised channels are valid. Resale on unofficial platforms is illegal under Italian law.
How do you watch or stream the 2026 Winter Olympics from the UK and elsewhere?
UK viewers can stream every event live through Warner Bros Discovery’s Discovery+ platform—you’ll need to buy a subscription.
Alternatively, the BBC has bought a rights package that entitles them to air at least two live events per day on BBC One and Two, as well as highlights packages. To stream the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games for free from the UK, you’ll need an iPlayer login and a TV license. The BBC will be making more than 500 hours of coverage available on BBC iPlayer.
Around the world, each country has different broadcast deals. So you're wanting to stream the Winter Olympics from the USA, for example, NBC Universal and its streaming platform Peacock are the rights holders.
If you're want to stream the Games from Canada, the rights holder is CBC, so you'll be able to watch events at convenient times on their service CBC Gem. For Australia, it's Nine Entertainment, and if you're tuning in from New Zealand, you'll need to sign up to SKY Go, as SKY TV is the main rights holder.
What times are the ski & snowboard events at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Here is a complete list of the Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding events at Milano Cortina, and the live broadcast times.
NB. All times here are for the UK—for Italian or European times, add one hour.
Alpine Skiing
Downhill
Saturday 7th February, 10:30-12:50: Men's Downhill
Sunday 8th February, 10:30-12:50: Women's Downhill
Team Combined
Monday 9th February, 09:30-11:15: Men's Team Combined, Downhill
Monday 9th February, 13:00-14:20: Men's Team Combined, Slalom
Tuesday 10th February, 09:30-11:15: Women's Team Combined, Downhill
Tuesday 10th February, 13:00-14:20: Women's Team Combined, Slalom
Super-G
Wednesday 11th February, 10:30-12:50: Men's Super-G
Thursday 12th February, 10:30-12:50: Women's Super-G
Giant Slalom
Saturday 14th February, 09:00-11:00: Men's Giant Slalom, Run 1
Saturday 14th February, 12:30-14:20: Men's Giant Slalom, Run 2
Sunday 15th February, 09:00-11:00: Women's Giant Slalom, Run 1
Sunday 15th February, 12:30-14:20: Women's Giant Slalom, Run 2
Slalom
Monday 16th February, 09:00-11:00: Men's Slalom, Run 1
Monday 16th February, 12:30-14:20: Men's Slalom, Run 2
Wednesday 18th February, 09:00-11:30: Women's Slalom, Run 1
Wednesday 18th February, 12:30-14:20: Women's Slalom, Run 2
Snowboarding
Snowboard Big Air
Wednesday 5th February, 18:30-20:45: Men's snowboard big air qualification
Friday 7th February, 18:30-20:05: Men's snowboard big air final
Sunday 9th February, 18:30-20:45: Women's snowboard big air qualification
Tuesday 11th February, 18:30-20:05: Women's snowboard big air final
Parallel Giant Slalom
Sunday 9th February, 08:00-10:00: Men's parallel giant slalom qualification
Sunday 9th February, 08:00-10:00: Women's parallel giant slalom qualification
Sunday 9th February, 12:00-13:40: Men's parallel giant slalom final
Sunday 9th February, 12:00-13:40: Women's parallel giant slalom final
Snowboard Cross
Thursday 13th February, 09:00-10:30: Women's snowboard cross qualification
Thursday 13th February, 12:30-14:10: Women's snowboard cross finals
Friday 14th February, 09:00-10:30: Men's snowboard cross qualification
Friday 14th February, 12:30-14:10: Men's snowboard cross finals
Saturday 15th February, 10:00-11:30: Mixed Team Snowboard Cross qualification
Saturday 15th February, 12:30-13:50: Mixed Team Snowboard Cross final
Snowboard Halfpipe
Thursday 13th February, 18:30-20:20: Men's snowboard halfpipe final
Friday 14th February, 18:30-20:20: Women's snowboard halfpipe final
Freestyle Skiing
Freeski Big Air
Saturday 14th February, 18:30-20:45: Women's freeski big air qualification
Sunday 15th February, 18:30-20:45: Men's freeski big air qualification
Monday 17th February, 18:30-20:05: Men's freeski big air final
Freeski Halfpipe
Thursday 19th February, 09:30-11:30: Men's freeski halfpipe qualification
Thursday 19th February, 18:30-20:30: Women's freeski halfpipe qualification
Friday 20th February, 18:30-20:20: Men's freeski halfpipe final
Freeski Slopestyle
Saturday 8th February, 09:30-11:45: Women's freeski slopestyle qualification
Saturday 8th February, 13:00-15:15: Men's freeski slopestyle qualification
Monday 10th February, 11:30-13:20: Women's freeski slopestyle final
Moguls
Tuesday 10th February, 10:15-11:15: Men's moguls qualification first round
Tuesday 10th February, 13:15-14:15: Women's moguls qualification first round (depending on light situation)
Sunday 15th February, 09:30-11:05: Women's dual moguls final
Sunday 15th February, 09:30-11:05: Men's dual moguls final
Aerials
Monday 17th February, 10:00-11:15: Women's aerials qualification
Monday 17th February, 12:30-13:45: Men's aerials qualification
Thursday 19th February, 10:30-12:05: Men's aerials final
Ski Cross
Friday 20th February, 09:00-10:30: Women's ski cross qualification
Friday 20th February, 11:00-12:40: Women's ski cross finals
