From Greece leading the parade to Italy’s four-athlete honor, here’s how the Milan–Cortina Opening Ceremony will unfold on 6 February.
2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony: order and flag bearers by country
The Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics takes place on 6 February 2026, unfolding in an unusual, multi-site format across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Predazzo, and Livigno. At the heart of the spectacle is the traditional Parade of Nations, with athletes marching behind their flags as the Games officially begin.
Why does Italy have four flag bearers?
Under International Olympic Committee regulations, each participating country may appoint two flag bearers, typically one woman and one man. As host nation, Italy is allowed four, reflecting its split presence across venues. Flag bearers lead their delegations and are often among the most accomplished or symbolic athletes on the team.
Why is Greece starting the flag parade?
As always, Greece opens the parade in tribute to the Olympic movement’s origins, while the remaining nations follow in alphabetical order based on the host language. The United States will be in their customary alphabetical place. Italy will appear last.
Below is the most complete list available at the time of writing, combining official announcements from national Olympic committees and reports.
| Nation (parade order) | Flag bearer(s) | Sport(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | AJ Ginnis | Alpine skiing | Traditionally marches first |
| Albania | Lara Colturi; Denni Xhepa | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| Andorra | Joan Verdú; Cande Moreno; Irineu Esteve | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing; cross-country skiing | Three athletes across venues |
| Saudi Arabia | Rakan Alireza | Cross-country skiing | – |
| Argentina | Franco Dal Farra; Francesca Baruzzi | Cross-country skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| Armenia | Karina Akopova; Nikita Rakhmanin | Figure skating; figure skating | – |
| Australia | Matt Graham; Jakara Anthony | Freestyle skiing; freestyle skiing | – |
| Austria | Benjamin Karl; Anna Gasser | Snowboarding; snowboarding | – |
| Azerbaijan | Anastasia Papatoma; Vladimir Litvintsev | Alpine skiing; figure skating | – |
| Belgium | Hanne Desmet; Maximilien Drion | Short-track speed skating; ski mountaineering | – |
| Benin | Nathan Tchibozo | Alpine skiing | – |
| Bolivia | Timo Juhani Grönlund | Cross-country skiing | – |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Marko Šljivić; Elvedina Muzaferija | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| Brazil | Lucas Pinheiro Braathen; Nicole Silveira | Alpine skiing; skeleton | – |
| Bulgaria | Alexandra Feigin; Vladimir Iliev | Figure skating; biathlon | – |
| Canada | Mikaël Kingsbury; Marielle Thompson | Freestyle skiing; freestyle skiing | – |
| Czechia | Lucie Charvátová; David Pastrňák | Biathlon; ice hockey | – |
| Chile | Not yet announced | – | – |
| China | Ning Zhongyan; Zhang Chutong | Speed skating; short-track speed skating | – |
| Cyprus | Yianno Kouyoumdjian; Andrea Loizidou | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| Colombia | Fredrik Fodstad | Cross-country skiing | – |
| South Korea | Cha Jun-hwan; Park Ji-woo | Figure skating; speed skating | – |
| Croatia | Matija Legović; Valentina Aščić | Biathlon; short-track speed skating | – |
| Denmark | Jesper Jensen Aabo; Denise Dupont | Ice hockey; curling | – |
| Ecuador | Klaus Jungbluth | Cross-country skiing | – |
| United Arab Emirates | Alexander Astridge; Piera Hudson | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| Eritrea | Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda | Alpine skiing | – |
| Estonia | Johanna Talihärm; Marten Liiv | Biathlon; speed skating | – |
| Philippines | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Finland | Krista Pärmäkoski; Mikko Lehtonen | Cross-country skiing; ice hockey | – |
| Georgia | Luka Berulava; Diana Davis | Figure skating; figure skating | – |
| Germany | Leon Draisaitl; Katharina Schmid | Ice hockey; ski jumping | – |
| Jamaica | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Japan | Wataru Morishige; Sena Tomita | Speed skating; snowboarding | – |
| Great Britain | Brad Hall; Lilah Fear | Bobsleigh; figure skating | – |
| Guinea-Bissau | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Haiti | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Hong Kong (China) | Eloise Yung Shih King; Darren Kwok Tsz Fung | Alpine skiing; short-track speed skating | – |
| India | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Iran | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Ireland | Anabelle Zurbay; Thomas Maloney Westgård | Alpine skiing; cross-country skiing | – |
| Iceland | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Israel | Mariia Seniuk; Jared Firestone | Figure skating; skeleton | – |
| Kazakhstan | Denis Nikisha; Ayaulym Amrenova | Short-track speed skating; freestyle skiing | – |
| Kenya | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Kyrgyzstan | Artur Saparbekov | Cross-country skiing | – |
| Kosovo | Kiana Kryeziu; Drin Kokaj | Alpine skiing; not specified | – |
| Latvia | Kaspars Daugaviņš; Dženifera Ģērmane | Ice hockey; alpine skiing | – |
| Lebanon | Andrea El Hayek | Alpine skiing | – |
| Liechtenstein | Martin Kranz | Bobsleigh | – |
| Lithuania | Allison Reed; Saulius Ambrulevičius | Figure skating; figure skating | – |
| Luxembourg | Gwyneth ten Raa; Matthieu Osch | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| North Macedonia | Jana Atanasovska;Stavre Jada | Alpine skiing; cross‑country skiing | TBC |
| Madagascar | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Malaysia | Aruwin Salehhuddin | Alpine skiing | – |
| Malta | Jenny Axisa Eriksen | Cross-country skiing | – |
| Morocco | Pietro Tranchina | Alpine skiing | – |
| Mexico | Donovan Carrillo; Sarah Schleper | Figure skating; alpine skiing | – |
| Moldova | Iulian Luchin; Elizaveta Hlusovici | Cross-country skiing; not specified | – |
| Monaco | Arnaud Alessandria | Alpine skiing | – |
| Mongolia | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Montenegro | Branislav Peković | Alpine skiing | – |
| Nigeria | Samuel Ikpefan | Cross-country skiing | – |
| Norway | Kajsa Vickhoff Lie; Peder Kongshaug | Alpine skiing; speed skating | – |
| New Zealand | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Netherlands | Jens van ’t Wout; Kimberley Bos | Short-track speed skating; skeleton | – |
| Pakistan | Muhammad Karim | Alpine skiing | – |
| Poland | Kamil Stoch; Natalia Czerwonka | Ski jumping; speed skating | – |
| Portugal | Vanina Guerillot; José Cabeça | Alpine skiing; cross-country skiing | – |
| Puerto Rico | Kellie Delka | Skeleton | – |
| Romania | Julia Sauter; Mihai Tentea | Figure skating; bobsleigh | – |
| San Marino | Rafael Mini | Alpine skiing | – |
| Serbia | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Singapore | Faiz Basha | Alpine skiing | – |
| Slovakia | Viktória Čerňanská; Tomáš Tatar | Bobsleigh; ice hockey | – |
| Slovenia | Nika Prevc; Domen Prevc | Ski jumping; ski jumping | – |
| Spain | Joaquim Salarich; Olivia Smart | Alpine skiing; figure skating | – |
| South Africa | Nicole Burger; Matthew Smith | Skeleton; cross-country skiing | – |
| Sweden | Sara Hector; Walter Wallberg | Alpine skiing; freestyle skiing | – |
| Switzerland | Fanny Smith; Nino Niederreiter | Freestyle skiing; ice hockey | – |
| Chinese Taipei | Lin Sin‑rong; Li Yu‑Hsiang | Bobsleigh; figure skating | TBC |
| Thailand | Karen Chanloung; Mark Chanloung | Cross‑country skiing; cross‑country skiing | TBC |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Emma Gatcliffe; Nikhil Alleyne | Alpine skiing; alpine skiing | – |
| Turkey | Not yet announced | – | – |
| Ukraine | Vladyslav Heraskevych; Yelyzaveta Sydorko | Skeleton; short-track speed skating | – |
| Hungary | Bence Nógrádi; Maja Somodi | Short-track speed skating; not specified | – |
| Uruguay | Nicolás Pirozzi | Alpine skiing | – |
| Uzbekistan | Daniil Eybog | Short-track speed skating | – |
| Venezuela | Nicolás Claveau-Laviolette | Cross-country skiing | – |
| United States | Erin Jackson; Frank Del Duca | Speed skating; bobsleigh | – |
| France | Clément Noël; Chloé Trespeuch | Alpine skiing; snowboarding | – |
| Italy | Federica Brignone; Amos Mosaner; Arianna Fontana; Federico Pellegrino | Alpine skiing; curling; short-track speed skating; cross-country skiing | Host nation, four flag bearers |
Parade of Nations: countries and flag bearers
What else to know
Several delegations, particularly smaller or late-qualifying teams, were still finalising selections on the eve of the ceremony. Updates may follow right up to the parade itself, but this list reflects the most reliable information available heading into the opening night in Milan and Cortina.
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