2026 Milan Cortina Olympic venues: city arenas, scenic mountains, iconic ceremony landmarks

NBC Sports

12-02-2025

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics feature venues spread across the city of Milan and the mountains of Northern Italy, plus two iconic landmarks for Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Competition in 116 medal events among 16 sports will be shared by three regions: Lombardia (which includes Milan), Trentino and Veneto (which includes Cortina d'Ampezzo, the 1956 Winter Games host).
The Games kick off Feb. 6, 2026, with the Opening Ceremony at the San Siro, the most famous soccer stadium in Italy and home to AC Milan (since 1926) and Inter Milan (since 1947).
MILAN, ITALY - MAY 11: In an aerial view, the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza stands, before the Serie A TIM match between AC Milan and Cagliari at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 11, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images)
The San Siro is home to two of Italy's most storied soccer teams — AC Milan and Inter Milan. (Getty)
Milan: Figure skating, hockey, short track, speed skating
As with recent Winter Games, the indoor ice sports are clustered together in a city.
The Milan Ice Skating Arena will hold figure skating and short track. Hockey will be in two venues — the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena (including all the medal games) and a temporary venue at the Fiera exhibition center. The exhibition center will also hold speed skating.
Cortina d'Ampezzo: Alpine Skiing (Women), Biathlon Bobsled, Curling, Luge, Skeleton
In 1956, Cortina became the first Italian host of an Olympics (Summer or Winter), back when there were 24 total medal events on the Winter Games program. Cortina is often called the 'Queen of the Dolomites' for its scenery. Though Cortina is one of multiple hosts this time, it will actually hold more medal events in 2026 (30 total) than it did in 1956.
Women's Alpine races will be at the Olimpia delle Tofane, a regular stop on the annual World Cup circuit. Bobsled, luge and skeleton will be at a rebuilt version of the 1956 Olympic sliding track. Organizers expect the track to be ready in time, but Lake Placid, New York, is ready as a plan B option if necessary.
Though curling wasn't part of the 1956 Cortina Games, the 2026 Olympic Curling Stadium is on the site of the 1956 Opening and Closing Ceremonies and figure skating events (which were outdoors).
Biathlon will be at Anterselva, about an hour drive north of Cortina, crossing from the Veneto region into Trentino and nearing the Austrian border.
The Olympia delle Tofane Alpine skiing venue is in the Dolomite Mountains. (Milan Cortina 2026)
Valtellina: Alpine Skiing (Men), Freestyle Skiing, Ski Mountaineering, Snowboarding
Valtellina will have the most medal events out of the venue clusters — 34 in total.
Bormio will hold men's Alpine skiing (at the famed Stelvio course) and the new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering. In ski mountaineering, often called skimo, athletes race up and down a course and can alternate between being on skis and on foot (with their skis attached to their back).
Livigno, which is near the Swiss border, hosts freestyle skiing and snowboarding, two historically strong sports for the U.S.
Val di Fiemme: Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping
Val di Fiemme is nestled in Trentino, between Bormio to the west (in Lombardia) and Cortina to the east (in Veneto).
Within Val di Fiemme, ski jumping will be at Predazzo and cross-country skiing at Tesero. The valley held the world championships for Nordic skiing events in 1991, 2003 and 2013, plus is the site of the annual final stages of the Tour de Ski cross-country skiing event.
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The Closing Ceremony is Feb. 22 at the Verona Arena, the third-largest Roman amphitheater still in existence. It was built in 30 AD to host gladiator fights. Since 1913, it has held outdoor operas.
The Verona Arena will host the Olympic Closing Ceremony and Paralympic Opening Ceremony. (Milan Cortina 2026)
Nick Zaccardi,