How to watch, schedule of events, and everything else you need to know about the Winter Games

The 2026 Winter Olympics are taking place in Italy this year, with all the action taking place in Milan and the Alpine city of Cortina. This year marks the fourth time Italy has hosted the Winter Games; most recently, Turin hosted in 2006. Of the 16 sports that will be featured at the Winter Olympics, there will be 15 returning favorites, including figure skating, Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, speedskating, snowboarding, freestyle skiing and ski jumping, and one entirely new sport, snow mountaineering. (Will it be as big a hit as the 2024 Summer Games’ new addition, breaking? It remains to be seen.)

Live coverage of every event at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be available to stream on Peacock — though thanks to the time difference between Italy and the U.S., to watch many of the events live, you’ll have to wake up (or stay up) until 2AM or 3AM ET. Primetime replays and select live coverage will air on NBC. The games officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, 2026.

Here’s what else you need to know about watching the 2026 Winter Olympics.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics

Dates: Feb. 6 – Feb. 22

TV channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, although some events will start as early as Feb. 4). The Milano Cortina 2026 games will run through Feb. 22. The closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in the Arena di Verona on Feb. 22.

Where are the Winter Olympics this year?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Northern Italy, primarily in Milan and also the Alpine mountain resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where events like bobsled, skeleton, alpine skiing, curling, para snowboard, and more will take place.

What channel are the Olympics on?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics without cable

For $10.99 a month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription will let you stream coverage of every event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Plus, get the entire Peacock library and NBC content on demand, as well as select live sports and events, including Super Bowl 60 (on Feb. 8).

For $17 a month, you can upgrade to an ad-free Premium Plus subscription, which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

Apple TV also recently launched a bundle with Peacock. You can bundle Apple TV and ad-supported Peacock for $15/month, or go ad-free for $20.

When is the Winter Olympics opening ceremony?

The Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony will be held on Feb. 6, 2026. Due to the time difference, the ceremony will kick off around 2PM ET/11AM PT.

Winter Olympics time difference

This year’s Olympic Games are in Italy, which is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Meaning that some events will start bright and early for U.S. viewers, and live coverage will likely wrap up around 4PM ET each day. NBC will have primetime replays of the biggest moments each night.

2026 Winter Olympics TV/streaming schedule:

All times Eastern.

Wednesday, Feb. 4 (early competition starts)

• Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Alpine skiing training – 3–6AM (Peacock – Live)

Thursday, Feb. 5

• Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle skiing qualifications – 4AM (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

Friday, Feb. 6 – opening ceremony

• Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (team event short programs) – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard slopestyle qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating (early distances) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• opening ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)

• opening ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)

Saturday, Feb. 7

• Alpine skiing (men’s downhill) – 3AM (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard slopestyle finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating medals – 7AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (team free programs) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (group play begins) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)

Sunday, Feb. 8

• Alpine skiing (women’s downhill) – 3AM (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle skiing moguls finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (pairs short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Luge (singles runs) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (group play) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)

Monday, Feb. 9

• Biathlon sprint – 5AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating medals – 7AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (pairs free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)

• Skeleton (heat 1–2) – 11AM (Peacock – Live)

Tuesday, Feb. 10

• Alpine skiing (giant slalom) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard halfpipe qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (men’s short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)

Wednesday, Feb. 11

• Nordic combined – 4AM (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle skiing aerials finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (men’s free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating medals – 11AM (Peacock – Live)

Thursday, Feb. 12

• Alpine skiing (slalom) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard halfpipe finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (ice dance rhythm dance) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (medal round qualifiers) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)

Friday, Feb. 13

• Biathlon pursuit – 5AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (ice dance free dance – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Skeleton finals – 10AM (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (quarterfinals) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)

Saturday, Feb. 14

• Alpine skiing (team combined) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)

• Cross-country skiing distance race – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (women’s short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating medals – 11AM (Peacock – Live)

Sunday, Feb. 15

• Snowboard cross finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (women’s free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Luge relay – 11AM (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (semifinals) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)

Monday, Feb. 16

• Freestyle skiing dual moguls – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Cross-country skiing team sprint – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (medal games) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)

Tuesday, Feb. 17

• Biathlon relay – 5AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating team pursuit – 7AM (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (placement games) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)

Wednesday, Feb. 18

• Alpine skiing (final technical events) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle skiing big air – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (gold medal match) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)

Thursday, Feb. 19

• Cross-country skiing marathon – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard parallel events – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (bronze medal games) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)

Friday, Feb. 20

• Biathlon mass start – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• Speedskating final medals – 8AM (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating gala – 1PM (Peacock – Live)

Saturday, Feb. 21

• Men’s hockey gold medal game – 12PM (Peacock – Live)

• Women’s hockey gold medal game – 3PM (Peacock – Live)

• Men’s hockey gold medal game – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)

Sunday, Feb. 22 – closing ceremony

• Cross-country skiing final event – 6AM (Peacock – Live)

• closing ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)

• closing ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)

More ways to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC

While Peacock is the best way to watch the Winter Olympics, there are other options if you restrict yourself to the NBC broadcasts. As our guide to the best live TV streaming services to cut cable notes, both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are excellent options, but you’ll want to skip Fubo until and unless the service resolves its contract dispute with Comcast, as NBC channels remain unavailable for now.