The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics , scheduled for February 6-22, 2026, continue to break ticket sales records, reflecting the global public's passion for winter sports. Organizers have announced that nearly 1.2 million tickets have been sold so far, representing approximately 75% of the total capacity available to fans and sponsors, a strong indicator of the Games' success even before they begin.
A strong comeback for the National Hockey League (NHL)
Perhaps the most notable feature of this edition is the return of National Hockey League (NHL) players to the Olympics for the first time since Sochi 2014. This decision directly contributed to ice hockey topping the ticket sales charts with approximately 350,000 tickets sold. This return is considered a pivotal event in the history of the modern Winter Games, as fans eagerly anticipate seeing the best professional players from North America and Europe competing under their national flags, which explains the strong turnout from American and Canadian fans.
The opening ceremony at San Siro: a blend of history and modernity
Milan's historic San Siro stadium is gearing up to host the opening ceremony on February 6, with over 50,000 tickets already sold out of its 75,000 available seats. The choice of this stadium is highly symbolic, as it is one of the oldest and most prestigious in Europe, lending a classic air to the event. To encourage attendance, the organizing committee has introduced smart promotional offers, including discounted tickets for those under 26 (two tickets for the price of one) and special discounts for volunteers, ensuring the stadium is filled to capacity.
Unique geographical distribution of competitions
The Milan-Cortina Games are unique in that they were the first Winter Olympics to be held across a vast geographical area encompassing the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. The events are distributed as follows:
- Milan: Hosts hockey, figure skating and short track competitions.
- Cortina d'Ampezzo: It embraces alpine skiing, tobogganing, and skeleton.
- Valtellina and Livino: Designed for cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and freestyle skiing.
- Antholz-Antersilva: The traditional stronghold of biathlon competitions, which alone sold 150,000 tickets.
Attendance and pricing statistics
Sales demographics reveal a striking international diversity, with Italian fans accounting for only 29% of buyers, while German fans made up 15% and those from the United States 12%, underscoring the event's tourist and sporting appeal. Ticket prices cater to a wide range of budgets, from €33 for preliminary matches to €2,860 for premium seats in the ski finals, with over 20% of tickets available at budget-friendly prices.
Historical comparison and significance of the event
Comparing these figures to previous editions, Milan-Cortina 2026 is on track to surpass the Turin 2006 Games, also hosted by Italy, which sold 900,000 tickets. Current figures are also approaching the ticket sales of major events like Vancouver 2010 and Salt Lake City 2002 (around 1.5 million tickets). This high demand reflects the recovery of the sports tourism sector and the world's renewed interest in winter sports, especially with the inclusion of new sports like mountaineering and skiing, which sold out in record time.
