Watch the Winter Olympics 2026: Free Streams, TV & VPN Options

When and Where Are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The Winter Games run February 6–22, 2026 in northern Italy, split between the Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo clusters (with a few nearby venues in Lombardy and Veneto). Think ice events around Milan; alpine and sliding up in the Dolomites. Local time is CET (UTC+1), so a Milan primetime event lands mid-afternoon on the US East Coast and morning on the West Coast. Schedules do overlap, so we’ll point you to streams with replays and highlights if a start time is rough where you are.

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How to Watch the Winter Olympics 2026 on TV and Streaming

Where to watch by country (quick list)

United States – Peacock (NBC): Live streams + replays in one place.

United Kingdom – BBC iPlayer: Free with a TV licence; live and on-demand coverage.

Australia – 9Now: Free-to-air streaming; live + catch-up.

Canada – CBC Gem: Multiple concurrent feeds + replays.

Europe:

France – France.tv: Live + replays.

Germany – ARD/ZDF: Broadcast + streams; discovery+ carries full coverage.

Italy – RAI Play: National coverage and catch-up.

Spain – RTVE Play: Live streams + highlights.

Netherlands – NPO Start (NOS): Public broadcaster coverage.

Austria – ORF TVthek: Live + on-demand.

Sweden — SVT Play: Live + replays. svtplay.se

Norway — NRK TV: Streams and highlights. tv.nrk.no

Portugal — RTP Play: Live + highlights. rtp.pt/play

Heads-up: rights and schedules can shift as we get closer to February 2026. If you’re traveling, your usual app may show a different library—connect to a server in your home country with a VPN, refresh the app, and try again. If a stream is still blocked, switch servers or clear cookies and retry.

How to Watch the Winter Olympics for Free

Several countries stream highlights and selected events free on public platforms – think BBC iPlayer (UK), 9Now (AU), CBC Gem (CA), France.tv (FR), RTÉ Player (IE), RAI Play (IT), RTVE Play (ES), ARD/ZDF Mediathek (DE), and SVT Play (SE).

“Free” usually means not everything is live: you’ll get big moments, highlights, and replays, but some events are delayed or missing. Great for casual viewing – just don’t expect full, every-session coverage. If you’re abroad, connect to a server in your home country with a VPN, refresh, and try again.

How to Watch the Winter Olympics Without Cable Using a VPN

Most streaming platforms change their catalogs by country (geo-blocking). That’s why Peacock, BBC iPlayer, CBC Gem, 9Now, etc can look different – or stop working – when you’re abroad.

A VPN helps when you’re traveling, on temporary relocation, stuck on hotel Wi-Fi, or on a work trip. You connect to a server in your home country, refresh the app, and you’ll usually see your normal library again.

Here’s the quick setup we use:

• Pick a streaming-friendly VPN – we recommend these providers:

  • Surfshark – best value & unlimited devices
  • NordVPN – best for speed & consistency
  • ProtonVPN – best for privacy-first streaming

• Connect to the country you want (e.g., UK for iPlayer, US for Peacock, CA for CBC Gem).

• Open the streaming platform and sign in as usual.

• If it doesn’t load or the catalog looks wrong, switch servers, clear cookies/app cache, or try browser vs. app.

No VPN works 100% of the time on every service, but a nearby server + fresh cookies solves most roadblocks in our experience.

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Best Devices for Watching the Winter Olympics With a VPN

Mobile & desktop (easiest).
If you just want it to work, use your phone, tablet, or laptop. Install the VPN app, connect to the country you need (UK/US/CA/etc.), then stream in the browser or the platform’s app. This is the most reliable setup for unblocking, and it’s fast to switch servers if a feed is stubborn.

Smart TV / Fire TV / Android TV.
Many big-name VPNs have native apps for Fire TV and Android TV—install from the app store, sign in, connect, and open your streaming apps. On other smart TVs (Samsung/LG), you can:

• use Smart DNS (included with some VPNs) to tweak region on the TV without a full VPN app, or
• run the VPN on your router so the entire home network (including the TV) routes through the VPN.
  Router mode is set-and-forget, but takes a bit more setup; check that your router firmware supports VPN (or flash something like OpenWrt if you’re comfortable).

Winter Olympics 2026 Event Schedule

The Games run February 6 – 22, 2026.

The Opening Ceremony kicks things off on February 6 in CET (UTC+1), with the Closing Ceremony on February 22.

Expect alpine racing and sliding events to dominate the first week, while figure skating finals, short-track showdowns, and the men’s/women’s ice hockey gold medal games land in the back half.

Schedules overlap across Milan and Cortina, so if a live start isn’t friendly for your time zone, most broadcasters post full replays and highlights shortly after each session.

We’ll update this section once the official day-by-day program is finalized – bookmark and check back closer to the start.

Frequently Asked Questions