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 are now the same for both men and women, unlike in Beijing, where each men's event was longer than the corresponding women's event.

Women's events:

• Skiathlon (10km + 10 km) [Feb. 7]
• Individual Sprint (Classical) [Feb. 10]
• 10km (Freestyle) [Feb. 12]
• 4x7.5km Relay [Feb. 14]
• Team Sprint (Freestyle) [Feb. 18]
• 50km (Classical) [Feb. 22]

Men's events:

• Skiathlon (10km + 10 km) [Feb. 8]
• Individual Sprint (Classical) [Feb. 10]
• 10km (Freestyle) [Feb. 13]
• 4x7.5km Relay [Feb. 15]
• Team Sprint (Freestyle) [Feb. 18]
• 50km (Classical) [Feb. 21]

The sport's Olympic events are broken down into six competition formats:

• Individual: Skiers race 10km (6.2 miles)
• Sprint: In 2026, the sprint course is 1,585 meters (just less than a mile long)
• Team Sprint: In 2026, the sprint course is 1,585 meters (just less than a mile long)
• Skiathlon: Skiers race 10km (6.2 miles) and use the classic technique followed by 10km (6.2 miles) in freestyle
• Relay: Each skier races a 7.5km (4.6 miles) leg
• Mass Start: Skiers race 50km to the finish line, which converts to about 31 miles

Milan Cortina 2026 cross-country skiing events will be held at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

Cross-country skiing events at the Olympics vary by distance, start method (mass start vs. interval start), technique (classical vs. freestyle), and competition format. In interval start races, skiers begin racing one at a time, while mass start requires all racers to begin together.

• Individual: Skiers race 10km (6.2 miles) against the clock. They start one at a time in 30 second intervals. The athlete with the fastest time wins.
• Sprint: In 2026, the sprint course is 1,585 meters (just less than a mile long). The men's and women's individual sprints will use a knockout progression format. In the qualifying round, the fastest-30 skiers progress to elimination rounds. Times do not carry over. There are five quarterfinal heats, each of which includes six athletes. The fastest-two skiers in each quarterfinal heat advance to the semifinals, in addition to two “lucky losers” (athletes with the fastest time from any quarterfinal heat who aren’t already qualified). There are two semifinal heats, each with six skiers. The fastest-two athletes in each semifinal advance to the final, in addition to two “lucky losers” from the entire semifinal field. The winner is the first athlete to cross the finish line in the final.
• Team sprint: In 2026, the sprint course is 1,585 meters (just less than a mile long). The men's and women's team sprints will use a knockout progression format. Teams consist of two athletes, who alternate skiing one leg at a time. In qualification, there are two laps (one for each team member), with teams going off at an interval of 30 seconds. The final round consists of one heat of 15 teams. There are six laps in the final (three for each team member). The team whose anchor leg crosses the finish line first in the final is the winner
• Skiathlon: Skiers race 10km (6.2 miles) using the classic technique and then 10km (6.2 miles) in freestyle. All of the skiers start the race at the same time. The first athlete to cross the finish line wins the gold medal.
• Relay: Each skier races a 7.5km (4.6 miles) leg. All of the athletes skiing the first leg of the relay for their respective teams start together. The team whose anchor leg skier crosses the finish line first wins the gold medal.
• Mass Start: Skiers race 50km to the finish, which converts to about 31 miles. The entire field starts together. The first athlete to cross the finish line wins.

The maximum team size is 16 athletes for each country, made up of eight men and eight women. However, the final team size depends on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) quota. A maximum of four athletes per discipline in each gender are permitted to start each competition.

Teams for each country are selected based on FIS Cross-Country World Cup results as well as discretionary selection.

The first selection method designates the top eight individual final World Cup finishers to the team; however, this method cannot exceed more than 75% of the total team quota. The second method is discretionary selection and cannot exceed 25% of the total team quota.

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. Italy, the home country for the 2026 Olympics, has won 36 medals. The U.S. has won four medals.

Men's top skiers and countries to watch:

Italy:

• Italian skier Federico Pellegrino is one of the world’s best sprinters. He's finished runner-up to Norway's Johannes Hosflot Klaebo in the men’s sprint at the last two Olympics and at the 2025 World Championships.
• Pellegrino has the potential to become the first athlete in any sport to win silver in the same individual event at three Winter Olympics. He's announced plans to retire after the 2026 Games.

Norway:

• At this year's world championships, Norway swept all of the men’s events.
• 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.
• Norway’s most dominant event is the men’s team sprint which Klaebo has participated in 11 times since Feb. 2018 across the Olympics, world championships and World Cup; Norway has won all 11 times.

U.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 top skiers and countries to watch:

Norway:

• Norwegian skier Heidi Weng is expected to be a top contender in the 50km classic. Weng took bronze at the Sochi Games in skiathlon.

Sweden:

• Sweden swept all of the women’s events at the 2025 World Championships.
• 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 and took home bronze in the 4x5km relay in Beijing.

U.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.