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Winter Olympics 2026: How to watch Milano Cortina online and for FREE from anywhere

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116 gold medals will be up for grabs for Italy — and you can watch the action unfold for FREE

French athletes pose in front of Olympics Rings on February 01, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics commence on February 6th, 2026.
(Image credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Image)
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Watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams

The countdown to the Winter Olympics 2026 is almost over. The torch relay is nearly complete and the world’s leading winter sports athletes are descending on Italy as they prepare to contest 16 sports across 19 days of unforgettable action.

Winter Olympics 2026 preview

The 25th Winter Olympics sees the Games return to Italy for the first time in two decades, with both the fashion capital of Milan and the famed resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo hosting a variety of events. These include some new additions, with ski mountaineering making its debut, skeleton adding a mixed team event, luge including women’s double and ski jumping adding super team events.

In total, 116 gold medals will be up for grabs across almost three weeks of action. Among those seeking to add to their tally is legendary skier Lindsey Vonn. The American came out of retirement two years ago and is now seeking to add to her tally of medals, some 22 years after making her Olympic debut in Salt Lake City. Another American chasing gold is figure skater Ilia Malinin, known as the ‘Quad God’ for his ability to land quadruple jump combinations.

Whether you prefer the scintillating speed of alpine skiing and bobsleigh, or the tactics of the biathlon and the curling, you won’t want to miss any of the action from Italy.

So read on to discover everything you need to know to watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams — including international TV channels, a full schedule and FREE streams.

Winter Olympics 2026 free stream

The good news is that there are a host of ways to watch free live streams of the 2026 Winter Olympics in different parts of the world.

Australia (9Now), the UK (BBC iPlayer) and Canada (CBC Gem) all offer FREE live coverage, which can be accessed via their websites or apps.

What's more, in the US you can get free coverage from NBC, USA Network and CNBC thanks to the 21-day trial to YouTube TV.

Away from home? You can use a VPN to access a live stream without being blocked...

Watch Winter Olympics live stream 2026 from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Winter Olympics live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch any Winter Olympics 2026 live stream from anywhere in the world.

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Watch Winter Olympics live streams 2026 in the US

There are numerous ways to watch the Winter Olympics 2026 in the US but it is NBCUniversal which has all of the action covered through its numerous channels, including NBC, USA Network and CNBC.

To watch the Winter Olympics, you'll need access to the Peacock streaming service. You'll need the Premium subscription, which starts from $10.99/month or 109.99/year).

Alternatively, cord-cutters can opt for a service like Sling TV. The Sling Blue package costs from $45.99/month and gives you access to more than 30 channels including NBC (select markets) and USA.

If you're outside the U.S. but have one of these subscriptions, you can watch Winter Olympics 2026 live streams using a VPN such as Norton VPN.

Watch Winter Olympics 2026 live stream in the UK

UK fans are in luck as much of the Winter Olympics will be broadcast for free on the BBC and its BBC iPlayer service.

However, it won't show all of the action from Italy. For the most comprehensive coverage, you'll need to sign up to Discovery Plus. Its standard Entertainment plan costs £3.99/month, or combine it with a full TNT Sports package for £33.99/month.

Away from the UK? You can still follow Winter Olympics 2026 live streams thanks to Norton VPN.

Watch Winter Olympics live stream 2026 in Australia

As mentioned above, Aussies can watch the best action from the Winter Olympics 2026 for free across the 9Network and its 9Now streaming site and app.

However, if you are looking for comprehensive coverage and don't want to miss anything, then you'll need Stan Sport. It costs from AU$32/month ($22/month right now!), with 4K UHD action available for an extra $10.

Away from Oz? Use a VPN to access your local live stream from overseas – without being blocked.

Watch Winter Olympics live stream 2026 in Canada

Coverage of the Winter Olympics 2026 in Canada is provided by CBC, with more than 2,000 hours of content to be live streamed for FREE online on the CBC Gem streaming platform. All you need to do is register for a free account to watch.

Away from Canada? You can use a VPN such as Norton VPN to make your device believe it's back home in Canada.

Winter Olympics 2026 schedule

Adrian Back
Adrian Back

Adrian is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about sport for a wide range of publications including World Soccer Magazine, Newsweek, Yahoo and FourFourTwo. Having covered everything from the NBA Finals and French Open to the London Olympics and F1 in Abu Dhabi, his great passion remains football – a sport he could write and talk about all day long.

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