For the first time in Olympic history, two cauldrons will be lit during the opening ceremony.
One cauldron will be located in Milan at the Arco della Pace, while the other will be at Piazza Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The opening ceremony will mark the end of a long tour, as the Olympic torch relay covered 12,000 kilometers (approximately 7,500 miles) and made stops in dozens of cities.
After starting its journey in Greece back in November, the Olympic flame will finally find its way to the cauldrons in Italy. Are you ready for the Milan Cortina Games to officially begin?
Here is everything you need to know about the Olympic torch lighting, including TV and streaming options for this year’s opening ceremony.
What time is the Olympic torch lighting?
- Date: Friday, Feb. 6
- Opening ceremony start time: 2 p.m. ET (8 p.m. local time in Italy)
- Approximate torch lighting time: 4:30-5 p.m. ET (10:30-11 p.m. local time in Italy)
The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6. The ceremony is expected to last approximately three hours, so the Olympic cauldrons should be ignited around 4:30-5 p.m. ET.
Who will light the Olympic cauldron?
Officials have not yet revealed the identity of the people who will light the Olympic cauldrons during the opening ceremony. Olympic organizers typically do not share many details about the opening ceremony in order to add an element of surprise for spectators.
Where to watch Olympics opening ceremony: TV channel, live stream
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock
If you have a traditional cable or satellite package, you can watch the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC. Peacock will also carry the opening ceremony live.
The NBC-owned streaming service’s sports programming features live coverage of NFL Sunday Night Football, the NBA, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Premier League soccer, Big Ten football and basketball, Notre Dame football, Big East and Big 12 basketball, PGA Tour golf and more.
Olympics opening ceremony schedule 2026
If you miss the live broadcast of the opening ceremony, you can watch a replay of the event at 8 p.m. ET.
| Event | Time (ET) | TV channel/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| Opening ceremony | 2-5 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
| Encore presentation | 8-11 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
Olympic torch route 2026
- Nov. 26: Ancient Olympia, Kalavryta, Karpenisi
- Nov. 27: Metsovo
- Nov. 28: Kastoria
- Nov. 29: Naousa
- Nov. 30: Thessaloniki
- Dec. 1: Lamia
- Dec. 2: Acropolis
- Dec. 3: Athens
- Dec. 4: Handover ceremony
- Dec. 5: Roma
- Dec. 6: Viterbo
- Dec. 7: Terni
- Dec. 8: Perugia
- Dec. 9: Siena
- Dec. 10: Firenze
- Dec. 11: Livorno
- Dec. 12: Nuoro
- Dec. 13: Cagliari
- Dec. 14: Palermo
- Dec. 15: Agrigento
- Dec. 16: Siracusa
- Dec. 17: Catania
- Dec. 18: Reggio Calabria
- Dec. 19: Catanzaro
- Dec. 20: Salerno
- Dec. 21: Pompei
- Dec. 22: Napoli
- Dec. 25: Latina
- Dec. 26: Benevento
- Dec. 27: Potenza
- Dec. 28: Taranto
- Dec. 29: Lecce
- Dec. 30: Bari
- Dec. 31: Campobasso
- Jan. 1: Pescara
- Jan. 2: L’Aquila
- Jan. 3: Ancona
- Jan. 4: Rimini
- Jan. 5: Bologna
- Jan. 6: Ferrara
- Jan. 7: Parma
- Jan. 8: Genova
- Jan. 9: Cuneo
- Jan. 10: Torino
- Jan. 11: Aosta
- Jan. 12: Novara
- Jan. 13: Varese
- Jan. 14: Pavia
- Jan. 15: Piacenza
- Jan. 16: Brescia
- Jan. 17: Verona
- Jan. 18: Mantova
- Jan. 19: Vicenza
- Jan. 20: Padova
- Jan. 21: Venezia
- Jan. 22: Trieste
- Jan. 23: Udine
- Jan. 24: Belluno
- Jan. 25: Cortina d’Ampezzo
- Jan. 26: Bolzano
- Jan. 27: Cavalese
- Jan. 28: Trento
- Jan. 29: Livigno
- Jan. 30: Sondrio
- Jan. 31: Lecco
- Feb. 1: Bergamo
- Feb. 2: Como
- Feb. 3: Monza
- Feb. 4: Milan
