When to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics ice hockey events

• Thursday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb. 22.

Where to watch

• The 2026 Winter Olympics will air in the US on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSN and Peacock.

With almost 1.2 million tickets sold across both the men's and women's tournaments, the ice hockey events are among the hottest tickets at the Milano-Cortina games. Interest seemed to spike in no small part due to the return of NHL players in the men's event for the first time since Sochi 2014. 

Leading the charge for Team USA will be the Florida Panthers' two-time Stanley Cup champ, Matthew Tkachuk. Among others, he'll be joined by New Jersey Devils siblings Luke and Jack Hughes, while Canada boasts veterans of the Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 winning squads, Drew Doughty and Sidney Crosby.

As with the men's event, Canada enters the women's tournament as the favorite. Nevertheless, the defending champs head to Italy looking to bounce back, having slipped to a one-sided defeat to Team USA in last month's Rivalry Series. 

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics ice hockey events will take place at the Milano Rho and Milano Santagiulia ice hockey arenas, kicking off with preliminary round matches on Thursday, Feb. 5, running through to the men's gold medal match on Sunday, Feb. 22. A full schedule of the ice hockey events can be found down below. 

How to watch the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics ice hockey events in the US without cable 

NBC once again has exclusive Olympic broadcast rights in America, and all events will stream on NBCUniversal's Peacock. Coverage of the ice hockey events will be spread out across NBC, USA Network and CNBC's linear channels, with USA Network broadcasting the American men's and women's opening group phase games as well as a majority of matches leading up to the medal rounds. 

Every ice hockey match at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be available to watch live and in full on Peacock in 4K. Live TV streaming platforms such as YouTube TV, DirecTV and Hulu Plus Live TV carry NBC, USA and NBC Sports Network.

Read more: Best Super Bowl 2026 TV Deals: The Only TVs Our Tech Experts Recommend for Live Sports

Peacock offers two Premium plans, and after recent price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $11 a month and the ad-free Premium Plus plan costs $17 a month.

Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics ice hockey schedule

Women's ice hockey

• Thursday, Feb. 5
• Sweden vs. Germany: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Italy vs. France: 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• USA vs. Czechia: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Finland vs. Canada: 12:10 p.m. ET/9:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Friday, Feb. 6
• France vs. Japan: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Czechia vs. Switzerland: 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Saturday, Feb. 7
• Germany vs. Japan: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Sweden vs. Italy: 8:40 a.m. ET / 5:40 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• USA vs. Finland: 10:40 a.m. ET / 7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Switzerland vs. Canada: 12:10 p.m. ET / 9:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Monday, Feb. 9
• Switzerland vs. USA: 2:40 p.m. ET / 11:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Canada vs. Czechia: 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT (Peacock)
• Tuesday, Feb. 10
• Canada vs. USA: 2:10 p.m. ET / 11:10 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock) 

• Friday, Feb. 13

• Quarterfinal — TBC vs. TBC: 10:40 a.m. ET / 7:40 a.m. PT (Peacock) 
• Quarterfinal — TBC vs. TBC: 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. (Peacock) 

• Saturday, Feb. 14

• Quarterfinal — TBC vs. TBC: 10:40 a.m. ET / 7:40 a.m. PT (Peacock) 
• Quarterfinal — TBC vs. TBC: 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT (Peacock) 

• Monday, Feb. 16

• Semifinal — TBC vs. TBC: 10:40 a.m. ET / 7:40 a.m. PT (Peacock, USA Network)
• Semifinal — TBC vs. TBC: 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT (Peacock, USA Network)

Medal games

• Thursday, Feb. 19
• Bronze Medal Game: 8:40 a.m. ET / 5:40 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Gold Medal Game: 1:10 p.m. ET/ 10:10 a.m. PT (NBC, Peacock)

Men's ice hockey

• Wednesday, Feb. 11
• Slovakia vs. Finland: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Sweden vs. Italy: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (USA Network)
• Thursday, Feb. 12
• Switzerland vs. France: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (Peacock)
• Czechia vs. Canada: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Latvia vs. USA: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Friday, Feb. 13
• Finland vs. Sweden: 6:10 a.m. ET/3:10 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Canada vs. Switzerland: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (Peacock)
• Saturday, Feb. 14
• USA vs. Denmark: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Sunday, Feb. 15
• Canada vs. France: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• USA vs. Germany: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)

• Tuesday, Feb. 17
• Qualification playoff: TBD vs. TBD: 12:10 p.m. ET/9:10 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Qualification playoff: TBD vs. TBD: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Qualification playoff: TBD vs. TBD: 8:10 p.m. ET/5:10 p.m. PT (Peacock)

• Wednesday, Feb. 18
• Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD: 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD: 1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (Peacock)
• Quarterfinal: TBD vs. TBD: 6:10 p.m. ET/3:10 p.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)

• Friday, Feb. 20
• Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD: 11:50 a.m. ET/8:50 a.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)
• Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD: 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT (Peacock)

Medal games

• Saturday, Feb. 21
• Bronze Medal Game: 2:40 p.m. ET/11:40 a.m. PT (USA Network)
• Sunday, Feb. 22
• Gold Medal Game: 8:10 a.m. ET/5:10 a.m. PT (NBC, Peacock)

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics with a VPN

If you're traveling abroad and want to keep up with 2026 Winter Olympics action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. 

It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security.

However, some streaming services may have policies that restrict VPN use to access region-specific content. If you're considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform's terms of service to ensure compliance. 

If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider's installation instructions, ensuring you're connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. Prices start at $3.49 a month on a two-year plan for the service's Basic tier.

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