Betting on the Winter Olympic 2026 Online

How to bet on the Winter Olympics 2026 in the UK

If you want to place bets on the Winter Olympics 2026, the process is straightforward and follows the same steps as betting on other major sporting events. For players in the UK, it is essential to use platforms that are properly licensed to ensure a safe experience. Follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1: Choose a Reputable Online Sportsbook

Start by selecting a licensed and regulated sportsbook that offers dedicated Olympic markets. A good platform should cover a wide range of winter sports, including ice hockey, skiing, and skating, while offering competitive odds and clear market rules. It’s also worth checking payment options, withdrawal speed, and whether the site supports live betting during events.

Step 2: Create an Account and Verify Your Identity

Once you’ve chosen a sportsbook, sign up by entering your basic details and creating a secure account. You’ll then need to complete identity verification, also known as KYC (Know Your Customer). This usually involves uploading a photo ID and proof of address. Verification is typically quick and ensures you can withdraw winnings without issues later.

Step 3: Deposit Funds

After registration, deposit funds using your preferred payment method. Most sportsbooks accept popular payment methods for the Winter Olympics, such as Apple Pay, PayPal, Boku, Klarna, and Revolut. Before depositing, check minimum deposit limits and any transaction fees. Funding your account early helps avoid delays once Olympic events are underway.

Step 4: Navigate to the Winter Olympics Section

During the Games, sportsbooks usually feature a dedicated Winter Olympics 2026 section. You’ll find it under areas like “Sports,” “Winter Sports,” or “Special Events.” Some sites group all Olympic betting together, while others organise markets by individual sports such as ice hockey or alpine skiing.

Step 5: Explore Available Betting Markets

Winter Olympics betting markets vary by sport. Common options include betting on gold medal winners, match winners in ice hockey or curling, over or under totals, podium finishes, country medal counts, and head-to-head athlete matchups. Markets may also differ between qualification rounds, finals, and live events.

Step 6: Place Your Bet and Confirm

Select your market, enter your stake, and review your bet slip carefully before confirming. Double-check the event, athlete or team, and odds to avoid mistakes. Sports Olympic schedules are busy, so placing bets accurately is especially important when multiple events are happening at the same time.

Step 7: Follow the Action

Once your bet is live, you can track results as events unfold. Many sportsbooks offer live betting and cash-out features, particularly for ice hockey matches. These tools allow you to react to changing situations during competition, giving you more flexibility while following the Winter Olympics.

Top Platforms for Winter Olympics Betting in 2026

Choosing the right sportsbook can make a real difference in terms of odds quality, market variety, and overall experience during a global event like the Winter Olympics. Here are some top options, from our team at BettingRanker:

• 1xBet – A major international sportsbook with deep global markets and extensive winter sports coverage, including skiing and ice hockey.
• Betwinner – Well-known across multiple regions for wide event coverage and competitive odds on a variety of Olympic disciplines.
• Melbet– A well-established sportsbook with solid odds, live betting, and medal market options for Winter Olympic events.

Availability may vary depending on your location. Always check that the operator is licensed in your region.

Which nations are competing in the 2026 Winter Games?

A total of 92 nations are expected to participate in Milano Cortina 2026, making it one of the largest Winter Olympics in history. While not every country competes across all disciplines, the field includes traditional winter sports powerhouses and emerging nations alike.

Here’s a look at the major participating countries and their key disciplines:

Explore our 2026 Winter Olympics Teams & Odds, for the full list of participating countries.

Winter sports categories for Milano Cortina 2026

Milano Cortina 2026 features 8 sports and 16 disciplines, producing a total of 116 medal events. Here’s the full lineup:

• Alpine Skiing— Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Combined, Mixed Team
• Biathlon— Sprint, Individual, Pursuit, Mass Start, Relay, Mixed Relay
• Bobsleigh— Two-Man, Four-Man, Women’s Monobob, Two-Woman
• Cross-Country Skiing— Sprint, Team Sprint, Individual, Mass Start, Relay
• Curling— Men’s, Women’s, Mixed Doubles
• Figure Skating— Men’s, Women’s, Pairs, Ice Dance, Team Event
• Freestyle Skiing— Moguls, Dual Moguls (new), Aerials, Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Ski Cross
• Ice Hockey— Men’s Tournament, Women’s Tournament (NHL players return)
• Luge— Men’s, Women’s, Doubles, Team Relay
• Nordic Combined— Individual, Team
• Short Track Speed Skating— Individual distances, Relay, Mixed Team Relay
• Skeleton— Men’s, Women’s, Mixed Team (new)
• Ski Jumping— Normal Hill, Large Hill, Team, Women’s Large Hill (new), Mixed Super Team (new)
• Ski Mountaineering— Men’s & Women’s Sprint, Men’s & Women’s Individual, Mixed Relay (all new — Olympic debut)
• Snowboarding— Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Giant Slalom, Snowboard Cross, Mixed Team
• Speed Skating— Various distances (500m–10,000m), Mass Start, Team Pursuit

The headline additions for 2026 are the debut of ski mountaineering— a grueling discipline combining uphill climbing and downhill racing — and the return of NHL players to Olympic ice hockey, restoring the tournament to its full best-on-best potential.

Top contenders for medals in the Winter Olympics 2026

Based on historical performance, current rankings, and form heading into the 2026 cycle, these are the countries and athletes most likely to lead the medal table:

• Norway— The all-time leader in Winter Olympic medals. Dominant in cross-country skiing, biathlon, and ski jumping. Expected to contend for the top spot on the medal table once again.
• Germany— Consistently in the top three. Powerhouse in biathlon, bobsleigh, luge, and speed skating. Their depth across sliding sports alone could yield a significant medal haul.
• United States— Strong across snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and alpine skiing. With NHL players back, the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams are gold medal contenders.
• Canada— Always a top-five medal nation. Expect strong performances in ice hockey (both genders), freestyle skiing, and speed skating.
• Netherlands— Speed skating specialists. The Dutch routinely sweep long track events and could pile up medals at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium alone.
• Italy (Host)— Home advantage matters. Italy has medal pedigree in short track speed skating, alpine skiing, and could benefit from the ski mountaineering debut — a sport with deep roots in Italian alpine culture.

Athletes to watch: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA, Alpine Skiing) will look to add to her Olympic medal collection, while Johannes Thingnes Bø (Norway, Biathlon) enters 2026 as the dominant force in his sport.

A look back at the history of the Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics trace their roots to the Nordic Games, a winter sports event that began in Sweden in 1901. After figure skating and ice hockey were successfully featured at the Summer Olympics, the IOC organised an “International Winter Sports Week” in Chamonix, France in January 1924. The event — featuring 258 athletes from 16 nations competing in 16 events — was such a success that it was retroactively recognised as the first official Winter Olympic Games.

During the early years (1924–1960), the Games grew steadily, with hosts including St. Moritz, Lake Placid, Oslo, and notably Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956— Italy’s first time hosting, exactly 70 years before the country hosts again in 2026.

The Cold War era (1960–1994) saw the Games become politically charged, with the Soviet Union and East Germany emerging as major forces. Television coverage expanded the audience dramatically, and in 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games into alternating two-year cycles.

The modern era (1994–present) brought NHL players to Olympic hockey (1998), record viewership, and steady expansion. By Beijing 2022, the programme had grown to 109 events — now expanding to 116 for Milano Cortina 2026.

Memorable moments in the history of the Winter Olympics

• "Miracle on Ice" (1980, Lake Placid)— A team of American college players defeated the dominant Soviet Union hockey team 4-3 and went on to win gold, becoming one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
• Torvill and Dean’s “Boléro” (1984, Sarajevo)— British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean received unanimous perfect 6.0 scores, delivering the highest-scoring single performance in figure skating history.
• Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards (1988, Calgary)— The British ski jumper finished last in both events but became a beloved Olympic icon, embodying the spirit of simply showing up and competing.
• Hermann Maier’s Crash & Comeback (1998, Nagano)— The Austrian skier suffered a horrific downhill crash, flying through safety fences. Three days later, he won gold in both Super-G and Giant Slalom.
• Steven Bradbury’s Miracle Gold (2002, Salt Lake City)— Dead last in the short track 1000m final, Bradbury watched all four skaters ahead of him crash on the final turn and cruised to Australia’s first-ever Winter Olympic gold.
• Ester Ledecká’s Double Gold (2018, Pyeongchang)— The Czech athlete became the first woman to win gold in two different sports at a single Winter Games: Alpine Skiing Super-G and Snowboarding Parallel Giant Slalom.