THEo San Siro Stadium in Milan, historic temple of football, is preparing to resonate with a sound different from the scream of the crowd for a goal: on February 6, 2026the opening of XXV Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina 2026 will mark the return of the great sporting event in Italy after twenty years and will do so with an exceptional guest: Mariah Carey. She is the first international star announced for the ceremony of an event that will be a spectacular fusion between the adrenaline of sport and the universal appeal of music.
Mariah Carey opens the Olympic Games in Milan Cortina
Mariah Carey’s choice is not random. The organizing Foundation has in fact revealed that its presence, together with other artists of international level, is intended to embody the guiding theme of the event: Harmonya principle that goes beyond the mere musical performance, but which wants to celebrate the connection and dialogue between different stories and sensitivities. For the occasion, the Giuseppe Meazza stadium will be transformed into a global stage, where the iconic voice of Mariah Careycapable of crossing generations and cultures with successes ranging from pop to soul, will be the spokesperson for a message of inclusion and unionfundamental values of the Olympic spirit.
Not just the Queen of Christmas
Although for many Mariah Carey is now inextricably linked to the holiday season like the “Queen of Christmas” for the timeless success of All I Want for Christmas Is Youa 1994 song that returns to the top of the global charts every year, its success goes far beyond Christmas magic. His career is, in fact, dotted with awards that attest to his stature, including 6 Grammy Awardsincluding the prestigious Grammy Global Impact Award received in 2024 for its planetary impact, 19 World Music Awards and numerous other awards. Bringing a figure of this caliber onto the San Siro stage means projecting the Milan Cortina 2026 Games in a dimension of star power and immediate global resonancewell beyond, therefore, the traditional sports audience.
The organizing committee entrusts the opening to a global icon, ensuring that the Milanese ceremony is an epochal and memorable event (Getty)
The great return of the Winter Games in Italy
The 2026 edition of the Winter Olympics is an event of great importance for Italy, which hosts the event again after the 2006 Turin Games. The distinctive imprint of Milano Cortina 2026 lies in its widespread nature, embracing a vast geographical area involving the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. The opening ceremony will kick off the Games on 6 February 2026 in the San Siro Stadium in Milan, but the emotion will extend far beyond the Lombard capital.
Different scenarios for competitions
The competitions will take place in several key venues, such as slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo for women’s alpine skiing and curling, Valtellina with Bormio for men’s alpine skiing and Livigno for snowboarding, and the Val di Fiemme for Nordic disciplines such as ski jumping and cross-country skiing. The journey will end in an equally evocative setting: the closing ceremony, scheduled for February 22, 2026, it will in fact be held in the majestic Arena of Veronaa Roman amphitheater that will add a touch of history and grandeur to the final show.
Milan, the beating heart of games, and the mountains
These Winter Olympic Games they are announced as the most extensive evera real embrace between the mountains and the metropolis. We will not only compete in historic places such as Cortina d’Ampezzo, already an Olympic venue in 1956, but we will also witness the debut of new disciplines in modern contexts. For example, biathlon competitions they will be held in the Anterselva Arena (South Tyrol), a venue already renowned on the international circuit.
In Milanin addition to the opening ceremony, Ice hockey, short track and figure skating competitions will be heldhosted in various city arenas. A complex organization, which involves an area of 22,000 square kilometers.
In short, Milan Cortina 2026 will not just be the Olympics: Italy, twenty years later, is ready to light the flame of the Games with an explosive mix of glamour, history and sporting passion.