How is Olympic opening ceremony order of countries determined?

Editor's note: Follow Olympics opening ceremony live updates from Milano Cortina.

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics kicks off the Games at Milano-Cortina on Friday, Feb. 6. Greece, as always, will be the first country introduced in the Parade of Nations.

The opening ceremony will not only be spotlighted at famed San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, but also spread out at other Olympic venues in Cortina, Predazzo and Livigno. The spread-out opening ceremony is the first in Olympic history.

The format for the Parade of Nations follows the same parameters every year, although the order of appearance for each country sometimes changes based on where the Olympics are located.

The opening ceremony is one of the most emotional events in sports, with athletes receiving the rare opportunity to represent their countries in front of the world.

Here's how the order for the Parade of Nations is determined ahead of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics:

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How Olympic opening ceremony order of countries is determined

Greece is traditionally the first country to appear in the Parade of Nations order, dating back to the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam.

The reasoning? Greece was the birthplace of the original Olympic Games and pitting it first in the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony is a nod to ancient times.

Following Greece is each participating country in alphabetical order. However, the countries' order sometimes changes, based on the native language of the host country. For example, the United States would appear earlier in the order if it was referred to as Estados Unidos, the country's name in Spanish.

Italy, the host country, will appear last. France will appear second-to last, due to being the next host country for the 2030 Winter Olympics. The United States will appear third-to last due to being the host for the 2034 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Salt Lake City.

What is the Parade of Nations?

The Parade of Nations is how each country is introduced at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. It traditionally includes every athlete from each country, with two flagbearers – one male and one female.

The Team USA flagbearers are nominated and voted on by their fellow countrymates. Italy, however, will have four flagbearers, since it's the host country.

The main section of the Parade of Nations will take place in Milan, Italy, at San Siro Stadium, where famed soccer clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan play. Due to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics being spread across multiple sites, there will also be Parade of Nations opportunities for those whose events aren't as close to Milan, such as athletes competing in Cortina d'Ampezzo.