The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Continuing a long-established tradition, the 2026 Winter Olympics will officially begin this Friday, Feb. 6, with a ceremony honoring the host nation’s culture and heritage. Few places fit the bill better than Milan, Italy, which — in addition to being a global fashion capital — features the stunning Milan Cathedral and is home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.”
The Games are spread across northern Italy, with events taking place in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. The ceremony will see the participation of the nearly 3,000 Olympic athletes competing in this year’s 16 disciplines. More than 90 nations will be represented in the roughly three-hour ceremony, which has a theme of “Armonia,” or harmony in Italian.
How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in the U.S.
- Venue: San Siro Stadium — Milan
- Time: 2 p.m. ET, Friday
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
An enhanced encore presentation will air at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Check out The Athletic’s Olympic schedule interactive page and Games Briefing, a daily Olympics newsletter.
Opening ceremonies are heavy on detailed presentation and captivating entertainment, and this year’s edition is no exception. Marco Balich, who’s been involved in the production of 16 Olympic ceremonies, will direct the show in Milan. Among those performing are Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, Andrea Bocelli, Sabrina Impacciatore and Pierfrancesco Favino.
The live NBC broadcast is hosted by Mary Carillo (filling in for Savannah Guthrie) and Terry Gannon, with former Olympian Shaun White joining as a special guest for the Parade of Nations. Mike Tirico will also contribute to the broadcast off-site — the opening ceremony is just days before he’ll be on the call for Super Bowl LX.
Bobsledder Frank Del Duca and speedskater Erin Jackson will serve as flag bearers for Team USA. Rapper Snoop Dogg will interview Del Duca and other members of the U.S. bobsledding team as one of NBC’s five on-site reporters.
While not technically the start of the Winter Olympics (Wednesday marked the beginning of several sports, including alpine skiing and curling), the opening ceremony is symbolic to the introduction of the Games. The lighting of the Olympic flame is an integral part of the tradition, and the torch relay has been underway for months. It was lit in Olympia, Greece, on Nov. 26 and made its way through Italy before arriving in Milan on Feb. 5.
To ensure that those attending the Games outside of Milan have the opportunity to participate, additional parades and ceremonies will unfold simultaneously in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Predazzo and Livigno. There will also be two cauldrons for the first time in Winter Olympics history: one at the Arco della Pace in Milan and another in Piazza Dibona, Cortina’s main square.
To mark the conclusion of the Winter Olympics, a closing ceremony will be held on Feb. 22 at the Verona Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater in Verona, Italy.
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