There are 206 National Olympic Committees worldwide, which are devised by the IOC and the International Sport Federation. These two organizations are the sole authorities who come together to recognize NOCs for the official Summer and Winter Games.

Three countries will be making their Winter Olympic debuts at the 2026 Games, the African nations of Benin and Guinea Bissau along with the United Arab Emirates. But with the established winter sport nations such as Norway,

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games begin on February 6 and will run until February 22, turning northern Italy into the global center of winter sport. This year’s edition is the 25th Winter Olympics since the inaugural Games in Chamonix in 1924.

Bissau, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the Middle East, are making their Winter Olympic debuts, while North Korea has not received an invitation. The exclusion is not due to political reasons or sanctions from the International Olympic Committee (IOC),

Olympics fans can expect a unique dual-city setting, new events and even a new sport, and more TV coverage here in the United States than ever.

2026 Winter Olympics: For the first time in Olympic history, the Winter Games will be jointly hosted by two cities separated by more than 250 miles. Milan, Italy’s economic and cultural centre, will host the opening ceremony and stage the ice events.