Your Complete Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina
Getting Ready for the Games: What You Need to Know About Timing
The 2026 Winter Olympics are bringing all the excitement of world-class winter sports competition to the stunning backdrop of Milano Cortina, Italy, and if you’re planning to watch from the United States, there’s one crucial detail you’ll want to keep in mind: the time difference. Italy’s venues are operating six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and a full nine hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, which means your viewing schedule might look a bit different than usual. The games officially kicked off with preliminary competitions on Wednesday, February 4, even though the spectacular opening ceremony isn’t scheduled until Friday, February 6. This means dedicated fans have already been treated to early-round action before the official festivities even begin. The competition will continue through the closing ceremony on February 22, giving viewers nearly three weeks of thrilling winter sports action. And for those who want even more, the Paralympics will follow closely behind, running from March 6 through March 15, ensuring that the celebration of athletic excellence continues well into the spring.
What’s Happening Today and Tomorrow: Your Day-by-Day Guide
Friday, February 6, is shaping up to be an absolutely packed day of competition, combining the pageantry of the opening ceremony with real sporting action across multiple venues. The day begins with Alpine skiing training events for both men and women, giving these athletes a chance to familiarize themselves with the courses before their medal runs. Curling fans will be treated to several round-robin sessions, including a highly anticipated matchup between the United States and Canada—always a rivalry worth watching. Figure skating enthusiasts will get their first taste of competition with team events featuring ice dancing, pair skating, and women’s singles skating. The ice will be busy all day, as women’s ice hockey preliminary rounds are also scheduled. For those who appreciate the more gravity-defying winter sports, there will be training runs for both luge and ski jumping athletes. The opening ceremony itself will be broadcast live on NBC starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, with coverage expected to run approximately three hours. If you miss it or simply want to experience it again, NBC will air an encore presentation at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Saturday, February 7, continues the momentum with an incredible variety of skiing disciplines taking center stage. Viewers will be able to watch Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, and ski jumping—essentially a showcase of everything that makes winter sports so captivating. Curling competition continues with more round-robin sessions, including a match between the United States and Great Britain, another classic Olympic rivalry. Figure skating returns with men’s singles skating and ice dance events, while ice hockey competition continues to build. Luge athletes will take to their tracks, snowboarders will hit their courses, and speed skaters will race around the oval. It’s the kind of day where sports fans might find themselves torn between multiple screens, trying to catch all the action happening simultaneously across different venues throughout the Milano Cortina region.
The Ceremonies: Opening and Closing the Games in Style
The opening ceremony for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games promises to be an unforgettable spectacle that blends Italian culture with Olympic tradition and world-class entertainment. Scheduled for Friday, February 6—two days after the first sporting events began—the ceremony will feature performances from an impressive lineup of international stars: Mariah Carey, Italian singer Laura Pausini, and the legendary Andrea Bocelli. The production, handled by Balich Wonder Studio, will be centered at the Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, but the celebration won’t be confined to just one location. Additional events will take place throughout Milan, and athletes will participate in special parades in Predazzo, Livigno, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, spreading the Olympic spirit across the host region. The ceremony begins at 8 p.m. Central European Time, which translates to 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time for viewers in the United States. After nearly three weeks of competition, the games will conclude with a closing ceremony at the historic Verona Arena on February 22, providing a dramatic and fitting end to this winter sports celebration in one of Italy’s most iconic venues.
Figure Skating and Snowboarding: Fan Favorites Take the Ice and Snow
Figure skating, perennially one of the most-watched Olympic sports, begins its competition schedule on February 6 and will feature events almost daily through February 11. After a brief one-day break on February 12, the ice dancers, pair skaters, and singles competitors will return for additional events on February 13, 15, 16, 17, and 19. This schedule allows for the various disciplines within figure skating—team events, pairs competition, men’s and women’s singles, and ice dance—to each have their moment in the spotlight. The official Olympics website provides detailed information about when specific events within each category will take place, helping fans plan their viewing to catch their favorite skaters or particular disciplines. Whether you’re drawn to the athletic jumps of singles skating, the synchronized artistry of pairs, or the intricate footwork of ice dance, there will be plenty of opportunities to watch world-class performers compete for Olympic glory.
Snowboarding events offer their own thrilling schedule, beginning on February 5 and then continuing with competitions scattered throughout the games on February 7-9, 11-13, and 15-18. This spacing allows for different snowboarding disciplines—including halfpipe, slopestyle, big air, and various racing events—to each receive proper attention. The Olympics website breaks down exactly when qualifying events and final runs are scheduled for both men’s and women’s competitions in each discipline. Snowboarding has become one of the Winter Olympics’ most popular attractions since its introduction, bringing a youthful energy and spectacular aerial tricks that captivate audiences who might not traditionally follow winter sports. The Milano Cortina venues will showcase these athletes as they push the boundaries of what’s possible on a snowboard.
The Big Picture: Complete Schedule and How to Watch
While the opening ceremony takes place on Friday, February 6, the actual competition at the Winter Games started two days earlier on February 4, allowing some sports to get underway with preliminary rounds and qualifying events. The games will run continuously through the closing ceremony on February 22, which will also feature several final medal events, ensuring the games end with high-stakes competition and celebration. The complete schedule is available online through the Milano Cortina Games organizers, though they note that all schedules are subject to change—a standard caveat for large sporting events where weather, athlete safety, and other factors might necessitate adjustments. The competition spans from Wednesday, February 4, through Sunday, February 22, with events scheduled for every single day in between. This nearly three-week window represents the full scope of winter Olympic sports, from the first preliminary rounds to the final medal ceremonies.
For viewers in the United States wondering whether they’ll be watching events live or on tape delay, the answer is actually both. NBC and its streaming service Peacock will provide coverage that includes both live and delayed broadcasts. According to the NBC Olympics website, NBC will feature a minimum of five hours of live event coverage each day, starting in the morning and continuing through the afternoon—perfect timing given the six-to-nine-hour time difference between the United States and Italy. This means American viewers can watch events live as they happen in Italy during their morning and afternoon hours. Of course, tape-delayed coverage will also be available for those who can’t watch during the day or who want to see events repackaged with context, commentary, and highlights. Viewers can check their local NBC listings to find specific broadcast times in their area. With such comprehensive coverage across both traditional television and streaming platforms, American fans will have plenty of options to experience these Winter Games, whether they want to wake up early for live competition or catch up on the day’s events during prime time.
