Milano-Cortina 2026 officially begins tonight at 20:00 CET with the Opening Ceremony and the Parade of Nations, introducing a historic multi-venue format as delegations enter across Olympic sites in Italy. See the complete parade order below.

As tradition dictates, the Parade of Nations, where athletes from all participating countries march into the stadium behind their national flags, will be one of the ceremony’s highlights. For athletes, fans, and families around the World, it is a symbolic moment celebrating both competition and the global unity at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

A multi-venue Parade of Athletes

Milano-Cortina 2026 will introduce a historic Opening Ceremony format. While the main ceremony takes place at the Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, the Parade of Athletes will also unfold simultaneously at Olympic venues in Livigno, Predazzo, and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Unlike previous Opening Ceremonies, where delegations traditionally enter a single stadium as a unified procession, most athletes at Milano-Cortina 2026 will parade at venues closest to where they will compete during the Games. The innovative concept reflects the geographically distributed nature of the Winter Olympics and aims to improve athlete logistics while maintaining the symbolic power of the Opening Ceremony.

Greece Leads, Italy Closes

According to Olympic protocol, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games, will lead the Parade of Athletes. Delegations will then follow in alphabetical order by Italian language. As the host nation, Italy will enter last, closing the parade in front of a home crowd.

Future host nations also receive special placement, with the United States and France appearing near the end of the parade as part of Olympic tradition.

Parade of Athletes – Full Order

1. Greece
2. Albania
3. Andorra
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Argentina
6. Armenia
7. Australia
8. Austria
9. Azerbaijan
10. Belgium
11. Benin
12. Bolivia
13. Bosnia and Herzegovina
14. Brazil
15. Bulgaria
16. Canada
17. Czechia
18. Chile
19. People’s Republic of China
20. Cyprus
21. Colombia
22. Republic of Korea
23. Croatia
24. Denmark
25. Ecuador
26. United Arab Emirates
27. Eritrea
28. Estonia
29. Philippines
30. Finland
31. Georgia
32. Germany
33. Jamaica
34. Japan
35. Great Britain
36. Guinea-Bissau
37. Haiti
38. Hong Kong, China
39. India
40. Islamic Republic of Iran
41. Ireland
42. Iceland
43. Israel
44. Kazakhstan
45. Kenya
46. Kosovo
47. Kyrgyzstan
48. Latvia
49. Lebanon
50. Liechtenstein
51. Lithuania
52. Luxembourg
53. North Macedonia
54. Madagascar
55. Malaysia
56. Malta
57. Morocco
58. Mexico
59. Republic of Moldova
60. Monaco
61. Mongolia
62. Montenegro
63. Nigeria
64. Norway
65. New Zealand
66. Netherlands
67. Pakistan
68. Poland
69. Puerto Rico
70. Portugal
71. Romania
72. San Marino
73. Serbia
74. Singapore
75. Slovakia
76. Slovenia
77. Spain
78. South Africa
79. Sweden
80. Switzerland
81. Chinese Taipei
82. Thailand
83. Trinidad and Tobago
84. Türkiye
85. Ukraine
86. Hungary
87. Uruguay
88. Uzbekistan
89. Venezuela
90. United States of America
91. France
92. Italy

Note: Delegations will appear in the order based on the Italian language and Olympic tradition.

What to Expect Tonight

The Parade of Athletes is more than a ceremonial tradition. Each flag bearer represents years of dedication and sacrifice, stepping onto the Olympic stage with hopes of making history over the coming days.

Following the Opening Ceremony, attention will quickly turn to competition, including cross-country skiing and biathlon, two key sports covered by ProXCskiing.com. Complete event programs are available here:

• Program for Cross-Country Skiing at Milano-Cortina 2026
• Program for Biathlon at Milano-Cortina 2026

How to Watch

The Opening Ceremony will be broadcast worldwide via major television networks and streaming platforms. As the event unfolds tonight, fans can follow coverage and updates throughout the Games on ProXCskiing.com.

• Where to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics

The complete program for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games can also be found HERE

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing and biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.

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