After all the talk, it is almost time for action. The 25th edition of the Winter Olympics officially begins on February 6, when the opening ceremony raises the curtain on the games.
The main ceremony will be held at San Siro stadium, the home ground of Italian football giants Inter and AC Milan. As per tradition, the Olympic cauldron will be lit to signal the start of the Winter Olympics, while we will also get our first glimpse of the athletes taking part.
Date | Friday, February 6 |
Start Time | 8pm CET / 7pm GMT / 2pm ET |
Free Streams | BBC iPlayer (UK) / CBC Gem (Canada) / 9Now (Australia) |
US Stream | |
Watch from anywhere |
For the first time ever, the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo will stage its own secondary ceremony at the same time as the main event in Milan.
The legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will be part of the San Siro show, with Mariah Carey and Laura Pausini among the other performers. The ceremony will be directed by the creative lead Marco Balic, and several heads of state and political leaders will be present.
Here's where to watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony live streams online from anywhere, and potentially for FREE.
Watch Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026 for FREE
The Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony is available to stream for free in the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland.
🇬🇧 UK: BBC iPlayer
🇨🇦 Canada: CBC Gem
🇦🇺 Australia: 9Now
🇮🇪 Ireland: RTÉ 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 for YouTube TV. That will of course include the Opening Ceremony.
What if you're abroad? Stream the Opening Ceremony from anywhere in the world using Norton VPN.
How to watch any Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony stream using a VPN
How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams in the US
In the US, the opening ceremony is available through NBC and via Peacock.
You need at least a Peacock Premium subscription for access, with the Peacock price starting at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
NBC is available through the likes of Sling TV and YouTube TV.
Outside the US this Friday? Use Norton VPN to access Winter Olympics coverage.
How to watch Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026 live streams in the UK
In the UK, Winter Olympics opening ceremony coverage is shared between the BBC and Discovery+.
BBC Two will show the opening ceremony, with live streaming available via BBC iPlayer. Don't forget you will need a UK postcode for a BBC iPlayer account (e.g. SE1 7PB)
Discovery+ plans start at £3.99/month.
Traveling away from the UK this Friday? Use a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer or Discovery+ from abroad while you're away from home.
How to watch Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026 live streams in Canada
In Canada, CBC will be showing the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
It will be shown across multiple channels including CBC, CBC Gem, CBC News Network, Sportsnet and TSN. The CBC Gem streaming platform is your best port of call.
If you aren't in Canada for Milano Cortina, simply use a VPN to tune in from overseas.
How to watch Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026 live streams in Australia
In Australia, the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony is being shown on 9Now and Stan Sport. The start time is 6am AEDT Saturday morning.
9Now is home to free-to-air Milano Cortina coverage and is our recommendation.
Away from Australia today? Use a VPN to watch 9Now or Stan Sport from abroad.
How to watch Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026 live streams in New Zealand
In New Zealand, Sky Sport NZ will be showing the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
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 Milano Cortina due to work commitments abroad? Norton VPN will unlock access to your home streaming service.
Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026 FAQs
What is the Winter Olympics schedule?
Friday, February 6
– OPENING CEREMONY
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)
Can I watch the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 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).
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.