Where is the next Winter Olympics? Which country will host the 2026 Olympic Games - host city and key dates

With the 2022 Winter Olympics already approaching the end of their first week, Beijing have made a hugely successful start to their hosting duties.

The games will continue through until Sunday February 20th, but as we come towards the end of the competition, attention will naturally begin to shift on to where they will take place next time.

In keeping with the traditional Olympic cycle, the next games will be held in 2026.

Here’s everything you need to know about who will be hosting them...

Where are the Winter Olympics 2026 being held?

As announced by the International Olympic Committee in 2019, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be jointly-hosted by the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina.

The pair had to fend of strong competition from a variety of global competitors, including Stockholm, Salt Lake City, Sion, Sapporo, and Calgary, but ultimately did enough to convince authorities that their bid was the strongest.

For Milan, 2026 will represent the first time that the games will be held in the city, while Cortina d’Ampezzo, situated in the Dolomites to the north, has prior experience dating back to the 1956 Winter Olympics.

Italy as a nation have hosted the games on four previous occasions - the first being in 1956, and the most recent being in Turin in 2006.

How will the Winter Olympics 2026 work?

To properly accommodate all of the disciplines that make up the Winter Olympics, events will be spread out across various locations.

Milan will host the opening ceremony, as well as figure skating and ice hockey, while many skiing events will take place in the Valtellina region of Lombardy.

Cortina will also act as a venue for skiing, as well as a number of other disciplines, including luge.

Cross country skiing and speed skating will be held in Val di Fiemme, part of the Trentino province, and the closing ceremony will cap off the games in Verona.

The Milano-Cortina Games will also abide by the IOC’s “New Norm” protocols, a blueprint designed to reduce the environmental and financial burden on the host nation while simultaneously boosting sustainability and efficiency.

When are the Winter Olympics 2026?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will start slightly later than this year’s iteration.

Milan will hold the opening ceremony of the games on Friday February 6th 2026, with the closing ceremony then taking place in Verona on Sunday February 22nd 2026.

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