The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are getting closer, and athletes are preparing to achieve their dreams on a global scale.

To qualify for the games, athletes must earn the right to compete through a process outlined by every international federation and agreed upon by the International Olympic Committee.

Ice Hockey Qualification Tournaments

The year will begin with a bang in women’s ice hockey, with the Final Olympic Qualification Tournaments taking place from February 6-9. Twelve national teams will battle over three Olympic quota places in the rough-and-tumble sport of ice hockey. The highest-ranked team in each group will leave the tournament with an Olympic quota place, while the remaining three teams will return home empty-handed. Japan, Sweden, and Germany will each host one of the groups due to their status as the highest-ranked non-qualified teams through the 2024 IIHF World Ranking.

Figure Skating Direct Qualification Events

Figure skating will crank the qualification dial up to 10 with a pair of direct qualification events scheduled to take place in 2025. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025 in Boston, USA from March 24-30 will be the first event, where skaters will attempt to earn their NOCs an Olympic quota through their individual placement in the single, pairs, and ice dance events. There will be a large number of athlete quotas available in each of the four events at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025. Skaters who fail to snag a quota for their NOC at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025 will be given a second chance in the autumn at the ISU Figure Skating Qualifying Competition in Beijing, People’s Republic of China from September 17-21.

Curling World Championships

Curling will offer its own set of thrilling qualification events in 2025, with a trio of World Championships having a direct effect on quota allocations for Milano Cortina 2026. The dates and location of each world championship competition are as follows: While a top placement alone won’t be enough to guarantee qualification to the Olympics, it will go a long way towards a quota. The eight highest-ranked NOCs, according to the combined ranking determined by each team’s placements at the respective 2024 and 2025 World Championships, in each event – men’s team, women’s team, and mixed doubles – will earn a quota place for Milano Cortina 2026.

Ski Mountaineering Qualification

Ski mountaineering will make its debut at the world’s greatest celebration of winter sport, the Olympic Winter Games. The quest for an Olympic place will begin at the 2025 ISMF World Championships in Morgins, Switzerland from March 2-9. Athletes will compete to earn quotas in all three events on the Olympic programme – men’s sprint, women’s sprint, and mixed relay. With a limited number of Olympic quotas available in each event, competition will be fierce. Athletes who miss out on a quota place through the world championships will have a second chance to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026 via the Olympic Mixed Relay Ranking List and Olympic Sprint Ranking List, which will be published on December 23.

Cross-Country Skiing Qualification

For many cross-country skiers, there will be few competitions as pivotal as the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2025 or FIS Under-23 Nordic World Ski Championships 2025. The qualification hopes of many athletes will be realised or crushed at both competitions, which serve as a major step on the qualification pathway for Milano Cortina 2026. Athletes looking to claim a “basic quota” for their NOC, as outlined in the qualification system for cross-country skiing at Milano Cortina 2026, will need to register a valid result in any event at either of the two competitions that satisfy minimum eligibility requirements to remain in the hunt for an Olympic quota place. Male athletes will need to achieve a result equal to or less than 300.00 FIS points (including penalty) in at least one individual event at either of the two competitions, with female athletes required to score 330.00 FIS points (including penalty) or less in at least one individual event at either of the two competitions.

Other Winter Sports Qualification

While there may not be direct qualification competitions in every winter sport, 2025 will still be an important year for athletes looking to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026 via individual or team ranking lists. This will be the primary method of qualification for athletes competing in Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton, short track speed skating, and speed skating.