This week, the 2026 Winter Olympics will bring together athletes from around the world as they compete for the top prizes in their respective sports.
Luckily, we can follow all the action of this year’s Winter Olympics from the comfort of our own homes.
To help you prepare to attend the event, Watch with us has put together a short primer on how to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Here’s almost everything you need to know about this year’s sporting events.
After years of fanfare and anticipation, the 2026 Winter Olympics did not get off to an encouraging start. About four minutes after the Games officially began on Wednesday, February 4, there was a partial blackout. Some of the lights went out inside the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where the mixed doubles (…)
How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
Technically, the games started on February 4 in a handful of team sports. But the official start of the 2026 Winter Olympics is scheduled for the opening ceremony. NBC i peacock will continue this live event Friday, February 6, at 11:00am PST / 2:00 p.m. m EST. There will be a condensed prime-time edition of the opening ceremony later that night on NBC at 5:00 pm PST / 8:00 pm EST.
Each day through February 22, NBC will air select daytime events, while Peacock will have them all. NBC will also have nightly highlights on 5:00 pm PST / 8:00 pm ESTas well as a nocturnal edition of the highlights. NBC has also posted a broadcast schedule for each day of the Winter Olympics. This schedule is subject to change should something unforeseen arise, but games are likely to be kept as close to their scheduled times as possible.
The closing ceremony can be seen on NBC and Peacock February 22 at 11:30am PST / 2:30 p.m EST. NBC will rebroadcast the closing ceremony on 6:00 pm PST / 9:00 pm EST.
How many events are there in the Winter Olympics this year?
There are 16 sports to be featured in the 2026 Winter Olympics, but 116 medal events in total. There are several different breakdowns in many of the categories, but some of the most popular events are included below:
- hockey
- alpine skiing
- figure skating
- Speed skating
- snowboarding
- Curling
- Free skiing
- luge
After years of fanfare and anticipation, the 2026 Winter Olympics did not get off to an encouraging start. About four minutes after the Games officially began on Wednesday, February 4, there was a partial blackout. Some of the lights went out inside the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where the mixed doubles (…)
Who are the athletes competing in the Winter Olympics?
Jacqueline Wiles, Lindsey Vonn, Isabella Wright, Mary Bocock, Breezy Johnson and Keely Cashman.
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)2,900 athletes from all over the world they have come to Italy for this year’s Winter Olympics. So don’t feel too overwhelmed if you don’t know them all. There are, however, some famous faces returning to the games this year, including snowboarders Nick Baumgartner i Faye Thelenbobsledgers Kaillie Humphries i Elana Meyers Taylor, figure skater Evan Bateshockey player Hilary Knightand alpine skier Lindsey Vonnall of whom are competing in their 5th Winter Olympics.
All eyes will be on Vonn because he tore his ACL in an accident on January 30. Regardless, Vonn intends to compete in this year’s games, and her success or failure will likely be one of the biggest stories of the event.
Here are some of the other standout athletes at this year’s games.
ice hockey
- Austin Matthews (USA)
- Hilary Knight (USA)
- Tribesflers (USA)
- Connor McDavid (Canada)
- Sidney Crosby (Canada)
snowboarding
- Chloe Kim (USA),
- Gerard Vermell (USA).
- Ayumu Hirano (Japan)
- Kokomo Murase (Japan)
- Scotty James (Australia)
- Anna Gasser (Austria)
Free skiing
- Alex Hall (USA)
- Nick Goepper (USA)
- Buy Jaelin (USA)
- Eileen Gu (China)
figure skating
- Ilya Malinin (USA)
- Amber Glenn (USA)
- Isabel Levito (USA)
- Yuma Kagiyama (Japan)
- Monk Chiba (Japan)
alpine skiing
- Mikaela Shiffrin (USA),
- Radamus River (USA)
- Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA)
- Sofia Goggia (Italy)
The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here, and Team USA is arriving in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world’s best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin’s unmissable moment in men’s figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited redemption tour on (…)
Where are the 2026 Winter Olympics being held?
Several of this year’s Winter Olympic competitions will take place at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. Events such as alpine skiing will be held in various parts of the country.