Twelve total Olympic cross-country skiing events will take place at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games. There are six events for both men and women. The distances for each event now are the same for both men and women, unlike in Beijing, where each men's event was longer than the corresponding women's event.

The final event will be the 50km classic for both men and women. For comparison, the women raced 30km in Beijing. If an athlete competes in the full Olympic program, they would ski more than 96km (60 miles) over the course of the Games.

• Norwegian skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo is the most decorated male cross-country skier of all time. He is among the top Olympic gold medal contenders for all six men's events. He has won seven medals in cross-country skiing at the Olympics so far and has the opportunity to become the first winter Olympian ever to win six medals at a single Games.
• Jessie Diggins is the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time with an Olympic medal in every color. She won the 2025 FIS World Cup Crystal Globes for distance and overall. Diggins is expected to compete for gold in the 10km freestyle. She also has predicted to be a podium contender in skiathlon.
• Norwegian skier Heidi Weng is expected to be a top contender in the 50km classic. Weng took bronze at the Sochi Games in skiathlon and did not compete in Beijing.
• Italian skier Federico Pellegrino finished runner-up to Norway's Johannes Hosflot Klaebo in the men’s sprint at the last two Olympics.
• Sweden's Jonna Sundling took home a medal of every color in Beijing. She's predicted to be a top contender in the women's individual and team sprint events.
• Sweden's Frida Karlsson earned bronze in the 4x5km relay in Beijing. She's expected to be a top contender in the newly introduced women's 50km classic after winning the 2025 world title in the 50km freestyle.

Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher are two major breakout stars in cross-country skiing since Beijing. Ogden and Schumacher potentially could be the best chances for the U.S. men to end the team's 50-year medal drought.

• Ogden took third place in the 10km freestyle in Jan. 2025. It marked his second career World Cup podium finish.
• Schumacher earned his first-ever World Cup win in Feb. 2024 in the 10km freestyle and became the youngest U.S. athlete ever to win a World Cup race
• Schumacher also became the first American man ever to reach the World Cup podium in a 20km freestyle mass start race in Feb. 2025. The second-place finish was his second career World Cup podium appearance.

Norway's Therese Johaug will not be returning for the 2026 Olympics. She earned a total of six Olympic medals since 2010, including four gold medals.

At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games, there will be a total of six events for both men and women of equal distances. This format is different from the Games in Beijing, where each men's event was longer than the corresponding women's event.

Norway has won the most medals in cross-country skiing at the Olympics overall with 129, including 52 gold. Sweden is second with 84 total medals.

At this year's world championships, Norway swept all of the men’s events which Sweden swept all of the women's events.

Norwegian skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo is the most decorated men's cross-country skier of all time. He is among the top Olympic gold medal contenders for all six men's events. He has won seven medals in cross-country skiing at the Olympics so far and has the opportunity to become the first winter Olympian ever to win six medals at a single Games.

On the women's side, Swedish skier Jonna Sundling won a medal of each color in Beijing and is a heavy favorite in the two sprint events. Ebba Andersson also will compete for Sweden and has two Olympic medals in the 4x5km relay. Frida Karlsson also will compete for Sweden after she took home bronze in the 4x5km relay in Beijing. Norwegian skier Heidi Weng is expected to be a top contender in the 50km classic. Weng took bronze at the Sochi Games in skiathlon.

Men's:

• Ben Ogden took third place in the 10km freestyle in Jan. 2025. It marked his second career World Cup podium finish.
• Gus Schumacher earned his first-ever World Cup win in Feb. 2024 in the 10km freestyle and became the youngest U.S. athlete ever to win a World Cup race
• Schumacher also became the first American man ever to reach the World Cup podium in a 20km freestyle mass start race in Feb. 2025. The second-place finish was his second career World Cup podium appearance.
• Ogden and Schumacher are the best chances for the U.S. men to end the team's 50-year medal drought

Women's:

• Jessie Diggins is the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time with an Olympic medal in every color. She won the 2025 FIS World Cup Crystal Globes for distance and overall. Diggins is expected to compete for gold in the 10km freestyle. She also has predicted to be a podium contender in skiathlon.
• American Julia Kern teamed up with Diggins in the women’s team sprint classic at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and took home silver