The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics begin this week, and this year’s Opening Ceremony promises to be one for the ages. The three-hour event will feature performances from Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, 3,000 athletes participating in the Parade of Nations, and not one but two Olympic cauldrons being lit. (One at Milan’s Arco della Pace, since Milan will serve as the main hub for this year’s Games, and the other in the Alpine city of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where events like skiing will take place.) The festivities are all happening this Friday, Feb. 6, and will air on NBC — you can tune in live on Friday afternoon starting at 2 p.m. ET, or wait for the primetime broadcast at 8 p.m. ET.
If you want to tune in to the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony, we’ve got you covered. Here’s all the info you need to watch, including what channel it’s on, the broadcast schedule, and who will be there.
How to watch the Opening Ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Date: Friday, Feb. 6
Time: Airs live from 2-5 p.m. ET, primetime re-air from 8-11 p.m. ET
Location: San Siro Stadium, Milan
TV channels: NBC
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NBC.com, and more
Where can I stream the Opening Ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and much more.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free 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.
How to watch the 2026 Opening Ceremony on TV:
There will be two broadcasts of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony this Friday. You can tune in live from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon, or catch the encore broadcast from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET that night. Both broadcasts will air on NBC, which is available with DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, and more.
With a live TV streaming service subscription or cable package, you can also catch all of NBC and Peacock’s Olympics coverage on NBC.com and via NBCOlympics.com or the NBC App, just by logging in with your provider.
DirecTV’s Entertainment tier gets you access to loads of channels where you can tune in to college and pro sports, the Winter Olympics, and more. Channels include ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and, depending on where you live, local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
Whichever package you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.Â
DirecTV’s Entertainment tier package is $89.99/month. But you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying out a live-TV streaming service for football season but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.Â
How to watch the Opening Ceremony in Milan without cable:
You can watch the Opening Ceremony live or on-demand on Peacock. If you already subscribe to a live TV streaming service or cable package, you should also be able to catch all of Peacock’s Olympics coverage on NBC.com, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC app.
For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and much more.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free 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.
Who is hosting the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Sportscaster Terry Gannon will be hosting coverage of the 2026 Winter Games Opening Ceremony. Also appearing at the Opening Ceremony will be former Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, and NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico will also participate remotely from San Francisco, where he’ll be pulling double duty covering the Olympics and prepping to call Super Bowl LX.
Who is performing at the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Mariah Carey will headline the Opening Ceremony, and the event will also include a performance from iconic Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Actress Sabrina Impacciatore (The Paper, The White Lotus) and pianist Lang Lang, will also perform. And viewers will also get to see the nearly 3,000 Olympic athletes participating in the Parade of Nations.
Where is the 2026 Olympics Opening Ceremony being held?
The 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony will be held at Milan’s San Siro Stadium, home to football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan. The Opening Ceremony will actually be one of the final events held at San Siro Stadium, it’s set to be demolished some time after the Games end.
