The world’s top winter athletes are preparing for the next Olympic chapter. The 2026 Winter Olympics will bring the Games back to Europe, with competitions spread across Italy and some of the sport’s most iconic alpine settings.
The most recent Winter Games were held at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where athletes competed in Beijing and surrounding mountain venues, and Norway finished atop the medal table. As anticipation builds for the next edition, many fans are wondering exactly when the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place and how long the Games will run. Find out below.
Where Are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Italy, with events spread across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Italy was awarded the Games in 2019 after winning the Olympic bid, beating out Sweden in the final round, per USA TODAY. The 2026 edition will mark Italy’s fourth time hosting the Olympics.
The Opening Ceremony is set to take place at San Siro, home to AC Milan, while the Closing Ceremony will be held at the historic Verona Arena. The previous Winter Olympics were hosted by China in 2022, making it the first country to host both the Summer and Winter Games.
The countdown starts now! ❄️ One Year to the 2026 #WinterOlympics on NBC and @peacock. pic.twitter.com/DIvUHQaHls
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) February 12, 2025
When Are the Next Winter Olympics?
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026. The upcoming Games are expected to feature 116 medal events across 16 sports, making it one of the largest Winter Olympics to date.
In a first for the Olympic movement, the official logos for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games were chosen by public vote, allowing fans to have a direct hand in shaping the Games’ visual identity. Adding to the excitement, Tina was selected as the official Olympic mascot, serving as the playful face of the 2026 Winter Olympics, while her counterpart Milo represents the Paralympic Games.
The new logos for the @milanocortina26 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games have been revealed! 🇮🇹❄️
For the first time in history, a popular vote has decided the emblem of the Games. pic.twitter.com/NzXckKB4ib
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) March 30, 2021
What Sports Will Be Featured in the Winter Olympics?
The 2026 Winter Olympics will include many fan-favorite events such as figure skating, alpine skiing, snowboarding, and ice hockey, while also introducing several exciting updates to the program. Making its Olympic debut is ski mountaineering, often referred to as skimo, a demanding endurance race that sends athletes uphill across rugged terrain before finishing with a fast downhill ski.
In addition to the new sport, the 2026 Games will feature several new medal events, including men’s and women’s doubles luge, dual moguls, and large-hill individual ski jumping, expanding opportunities for athletes and adding fresh competition to the Winter Olympic lineup.
When Is the Next Summer Olympics?
The United States will be hosting the next Summer Olympics in 2028. The competition will take place in Los Angeles from July 21 to August 6, 2028. Los Angles was picked as the next location back in 2017. Los Angles previously hosted the Olympics in 1984 and 1932, per CBS. The last Summer Olympics took place in Paris, France in 2024.
