Cross-country skiing: How to qualify for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games
Find out everything you need to know about the Olympic qualification system for cross-country skiing, including the number of athletes in each event and key dates.
Cross-Country Skiing
A traditional sport will crown new champions at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. However, 296 male and female athletes from cross-country skiing will have to obtain a quota place in the competition before they have the chance to chase an Olympic medal.
All events will be held in Tesero, Val di Fiemme, at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, a traditional venue of the sport.
The Olympic programme at Milano Cortina 2026 will mirror that of Beijing 2022, with 12 medal events. The only difference is that men and women will compete over the same distances in all events for the first time.
Cross-country skiing has been part of the Winter Olympic programme since the first edition at Chamonix 1924. However, women's competitions were included almost three decades later, at Oslo 1952. The individual sprint event made its debut at Salt Lake City 2002, with team sprint added four years later at Turin 2006.
Norway's Marit Bjoergen is the most successful cross-country skier in history, with 15 Olympic medals, including eight gold. She also holds the record for most podiums. In the men’s competitions, Bjorn Daehlie is the most successful skier, with eight gold and four silver medals.
Recent stars of the sport include five-time Olympic champion Johannes Klaebo and Sweden's Jonna Sundling, who specialises in sprint events and is the current Olympic champion in the women's sprint free.
Find out everything you need to know about the Olympic qualification system in cross-country skiing, including the number of athletes in each event and the qualification timeline.
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How to qualify for the cross-country skiing competition at Milano Cortina 2026?
Qualification for cross-country skiing at Milano Cortina 2026 is based on the World Championships in 2025 and the Nation Rankings 2024/2025.
One male athlete with 300.00 FIS points or less from an individual competition held at the FIS Nordic World Championships 2025 (including the qualification race) or from the FIS Under-23 World Championships will obtain one quota place for his NOC.
In addition, one female athlete with 330.00 FIS Points or less from an individual competition held at the FIS Nordic World Championships (including the qualification race) or from the FIS Under-23 World Championships will obtain one quota place for her NOC.
After the 2024/2025 season, the cross-country skiing Nations Rankings will allocate more quota places. NOCs in positions 1 through 5 will receive four quota places. NOCs from 6 through 10 will obtain three quota places; 11 through 20 obtain two quotas; and 21 through 30 one quota place.
For a detailed explanation of quotas and how to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026, please check the official documents here.
The host country will automatically receive eight quota places (four for men and four for women), for athletes who meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the cross-country skiing qualification document above.
What are the key dates for cross-country skiing qualification for Milano Cortina 2026?
- 1 July 2024 – 18 January 2026: period to achieve FIS Points
- 29 November 2024 – 23 March 2025: period to achieve points for Nation Ranking
- 3 – 9 February 2025: 2025 FIS Under-23 World Championships in Schilpario (ITA)
- 26 February – 9 March 2025: FIS Nordic World Championships (including the qualification race) in Trondheim (NOR)
- TBD: First World Cup period 2025/2026
- 19 January 2026: FIS inform NOCs and NFs of their allocated quota places
- 19 – 20 January 2026: NOCs confirm the use of their allocated quota places
- 21 - 22 January 2026: FIS to reallocate all unused quota places
- 26 January 2026: Milano Cortina 2026 Sport Entries deadline
How many athletes will compete in cross-country skiing at Milano Cortina 2026?
A total of 296 athletes (148 men and 148 women) will take part in the cross-country skiing competitions at Milano Cortina 2026.
The maximum number of quotas per NOC is 16 (8 men and 8 women). The maximum number of athletes from the same NOC in any event is four per gender. Each NOC can have a maximum of one team per team event.
Milano Cortina 2026 Cross-Country skiing competition format and schedule
The cross-country skiing competition at Milano Cortina 2026 will include 12 events:
- Men’s 20km Skiathlon
- Women’s 20km Skiathlon
- Men’s Sprint Classic
- Women’s Sprint Classic
- Men’s 10km Free
- Women’s 10km Free
- Men’s 50km Classic Mass Start
- Women’s 50km Classic Mass Start
- Men’s 4x7,5km relay
- Women’s 4x7,5km relay
- Men’s Team Sprint Free
- Women’s Team Sprint Free
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from 6 to 22 February 2026.
Olympic champions in Cross-Country Skiing from the last Olympic Winter Games
Men sprint free
🥇 Gold: Johannes Klaebo (NOR)
🥈 Silver: Federico Pellegrino (ITA)
🥉 Bronze: Alexander Terentyev (ROC)
Men 15km classic
🥇 Gold: Iivo Niskanen (FIN)
🥈 Silver: Alexander Bolshunov (ROC)
🥉 Bronze: Johannes Klaebo (NOR)
Men 30km skiathlon
🥇 Gold: Alexander Bolshunov (ROC)
🥈 Silver: Denis Spitsov (ROC)
🥉 Bronze: Iivo Niskanen (FIN)
Men’s 50km Mass Start Free (reduced to 30km due to weather)
🥇 Gold: Alexander Bolshunov (ROC)
🥈 Silver: Ivan Yakimushkin (ROC)
🥉 Bronze: Simen Hegstad Krüger (NOR)
Men 4x10km relay
🥇 Gold: ROC
🥈 Silver: Norway
🥉 Bronze: France
Team Sprint classic
🥇 Gold: Norway
🥈 Silver: Finland
🥉 Bronze: ROC
Women sprint free
🥇 Gold: Jonna Sundling (SWE)
🥈 Silver: Maja Dahlqvist (SWE)
🥉 Bronze: Jessica Diggins (USA)
Women 10km classic
🥇 Gold: Therese Johaug (NOR)
🥈 Silver: Kerttu Niskanen (FIN)
🥉 Bronze: Krista Pärmäkoski (FIN)
Women 15km skiathlon
🥇 Gold: Therese Johaug (NOR)
🥈 Silver: Natalya Nepryayeva (ROC)
🥉 Bronze: Teresa Stadlober (AUT)
Women 30km free
🥇 Gold: Therese Johaug (NOR)
🥈 Silver: Jessica Diggins (USA)
🥉 Bronze: Kerttu Niskanen (FIN)
Women 4x5km relay
🥇 Gold: ROC
🥈 Silver: Germany
🥉 Bronze: Sweden
Team Sprint classic
🥇 Gold: Germany
🥈 Silver: Sweden
🥉 Bronze: ROC
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Milano Cortina Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Milano Cortina 2026.