The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026 is as big as winter sport gets. Whether it’s skiing in its many forms, the unrivaled artistry of figure skating or the sedate pleasure of curling, there is so much to enjoy as the world’s best winter athletes descend on Lombardy, northeast Italy.
The 2026 Games will certainly be spread out. There are two official joint hosts – the cosmopolitan Milan and Alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo – with as many as 15 venues across northern Italy hosting events. Most indoor ice events are in Milan (figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey), while the ski, curling and sliding events like bobsleigh and luge are up in the mountains in Cortina.
The opening ceremony – featuring a performance by Mariah Carey, no less – will be at San Siro stadium in Milano, with the closing ceremony in Verona.
It’s the actual sport, though, that excites most. Lindsay Vonn has come out of retirement to try to add to the women’s Downhill gold she won at Vancouver in 2010 – the 41-year-old became the oldest skier in the event to win a World Cup event in late 2025.
Then there’s Ilia Malinin. Nicknamed the Quad God, the 21-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, is the first and only skater to land quadruple Axel in competition and is known for many quad-quad combinations. The two-time world champion will be a huge favorite and landed seven quads in a world-record free skate at the 2025 Grand Prix Final.
All eyes will be on Jutta Leerdam in the speed skating. Engaged to influencer-boxer Jake Paul, the 27-year-old Dutchwoman was a silver medallist four years ago in Beijing in the 1000m and will go in her best event again, despite falling in the Dutch trials, plus the 500m.
As for the curling, home hopefuls Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner will defend the gold they won in Beijing – Italy’s first winter medal in its history – in the mixed doubles. There’s also a new sport this year at Milano Cortina 2026. Ski mountaineering – more commonly known as ‘skimo’ – features athletes going up and down a course on both skis and on foot.
Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme! Get on up, it’s Winter Olympics time!
Here’s where to watch the Winter Olympics 2026 live streams online from anywhere, potentially for FREE.
Watch the Winter Olympics 2026 for FREE
Winter sports fans, rejoice! The Winter Olympics 2026 are being shown on free-to-air streaming platforms in the UK, Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
In the UK, the state broadcaster the BBC, and its streaming platform BBC iPlayer, will again be across the top action. You must be a UK resident and have a valid TV license to access the service.
In Canada, CBC Gem has exclusive access to Milano Cortina, while Australia’s free-to-air broadcaster 9Now will also be showing the best of the action. It’s similar in Ireland, with RTE and its streaming platform RTE Player.
Live in the US? All of the coverage provided by NBC, USA Network and CNBC is available for free thanks to the 21-day trial to YouTube TV.
What if you’re abroad? Winter sports fans from the UK, Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland can use NordVPN to watch their usual streaming service from anywhere.
How to watch any Winter Olympics 2026 stream using a VPN
A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 75% discount.
How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams in the US
Live streams from the Winter Olympics 2026 are on NBC channels and Peacock in the US.
The Peacock streaming service has the most comprehensive coverage of live action and highlights. You’ll need at least a Peacock Premium subscription for access, with the Peacock price starting at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
Check your NBC, CNBC and USA Network schedules for their coverage throughout, all of which are available with most cable plans and OTT cable replacement services like Sling TV. Sling carries NBC (in selected cities) and USA on its Blue plan costing from $45.99 a month.
Or, as mentioned above, there’s a 21-day trial available if you watch through YouTube TV.
Outside the US during the Winter Olympics 2026? Use NordVPN to access your Peacock streams.
How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams in the UK
The Winter Olympics 2026 live streams are on the BBC and TNT Sports in the UK.
As mentioned above, BBC TV channels, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website will have free-to-air coverage of select events from Milano Cortina 2026.
If you want exhaustive coverage of the event, you can get it by adding TNT Sports to your Sky, Virgin Media or EE TV package, or pay from £30.99 per month for a Discovery+ plan that includes TNT Sports.
Traveling away from the UK today? Use a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer or Discovery+ from abroad while you’re away from home.
How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams in Canada
CBC has the rights to broadcast the Winter Olympics 2026 for FREE in the Great White North.
You can watch some events on TV via the free-to-air CBC Sports or, for much more comprehensive live and on-demand coverage of Milano Cortina 2026, head to its online CBC Gem streaming platform where more than 2,000 hours of action will be shown over the course of the Games.
If you aren’t in Canada for the games simply use a VPN to tune in from overseas.
How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams in Australia
In Australia, the Winter Olympics 2026 will be on 9Now and Stan Sport.
As mentioned earlier, 9Now is the home of select free-to-air coverage of Milano Cortina 2026 coverage Down Under.
To see every single event, though, winter sports fans will need to subscribe to Stan Sport. It costs $20 a month on top of a regular Stan subscription costing from $12 a month.
Away from Australia right now? Use a VPN to watch 9Now or Stan Sport from abroad.
How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams in New Zealand
Sky Sport NZ is the Winter Olympics 2026 TV rights holder in New Zealand.
You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at $29.99 per day or $54.99 per month.
Missing your favorite event due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.
Winter Olympics 2026 Q+A
Can I watch the 2026 Winter Olympics for free?
Yes! As we’ve outlined above, free coverage is available on BBC iPlayer (UK), CBC Gem (CAN), 9Now (AUS) and RTE Player (IRL). In the US, there’s a free trial option for NBC, USA Network and CNBC coverage via YouTube TV.
Other, non-English language Olympics free streams can be found on ORF (Austria), RTBF (Belgium), VRT (Belgium), DR (Denmark), France TV (France), RAI (Italy), Yle (Finland), ZDF (Germany), RUV (Iceland), NOS (Netherlands), NRK (Norway), TVP (Poland), RTVE (Spain), Canal Nu9ve (Mexico) and the SRF RTS channels (Switzerland).
Fans away from home can use a VPN to watch the free coverage from abroad.
Can I watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on my mobile?
Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone’s browser.
You can also stay up-to-date with all things Autumn Nations on the official social media channels on X (@MilanoCortina2026), YouTube (@Olympics) and Instagram (@milanocortina2026).
Click to see full Winter Olympics 2026 schedule▼
Saturday, February 7
– Alpine skiing (1 medal events)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal events)
– Curling
– Figure skating
– Freestyle skiing
– Ice hockey
– Luge
– Ski jumping (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding (1 medal event)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Sunday, February 8
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Luge (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding (2 medal events)
– Speed skating (1 medal events)
Monday, February 9
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Luge
– Ski jumping (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding (1 medal event)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Tuesday, February 10
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (2 medal events)
– Curling (1 medal event)
– Figure skating
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Luge
– Short-track speed skating (1 medal event)
– Ski jumping (1 medal event)
Wednesday, February 11
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating (1 medal event)
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Luge (2 medal events)
– Nordic combined (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Thursday, February 12
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Luge (1 medal event)
– Short-track speed skating (2 medal events)
– Skeleton
– Snowboarding (2 medal events)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Friday, February 13
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Skeleton (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding (2 medal events)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Saturday, February 14
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Short-track speed skating (1 medal event)
– Skeleton (1 medal event)
– Ski jumping (1 medal event)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Sunday, February 15
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Bobsleigh
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Skeleton (1 medal event)
– Ski jumping (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding (1 medal event)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Monday, February 16
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Bobsleigh (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating (1 medal event)
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Short-track speed skating (1 medal event)
– Ski jumping (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding
Tuesday, February 17
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Bobsleigh (1 medal event)
– Curling
– Figure skating
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Nordic combined (1 medal event)
– Snowboarding (2 medal events)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Wednesday, February 18
– Alpine skiing (1 medal event)
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (2 medal events)
– Curling
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey
– Short-track speed skating (2 medal events)
– Snowboarding (1 medal event)
Thursday, February 19
– Curling
– Figure skating (1 medal event)
– Freestyle skiing (1 medal event)
– Ice hockey (1 medal event)
– Nordic combined (1 medal event)
– Ski mountaineering (2 medal events)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Friday, February 20
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Bobsleigh
– Curling
– Freestyle skiing (2 medal events)
– Ice hockey
– Short-track speed skating (2 medal events)
– Speed skating (1 medal event)
Saturday, February 21
– Biathlon (1 medal event)
– Bobsleigh (1 medal event)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal event)
– Curling (1 medal event)
– Freestyle skiing (3 medal events)
– Ice hockey
– Ski mountaineering (1 medal event)
– Speed skating (2 medal events)
Sunday, February 22
– CLOSING CEREMONY
– Bobsleigh (1 medal final)
– Cross-country skiing (1 medal final)
– Curling (1 medal final)
– Ice hockey (1 medal final)
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