How Team Canada can qualify for Milano Cortina 2026
Less than 500 days to go until the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and it’s time to cheer on Team Canada’s winter sports stars as they travel the world on their various competition circuits.
But there is something extra special about the 2024-25 season as it marks the start of the Olympic qualification window for many sports.
Team Canada Olympic Qualification Tracker for Milano Cortina 2026
So, if you have questions such as:
- What competitions will count towards Olympic qualification?
- How many Olympic quota places can Team Canada earn?
- When will we know how many Canadian athletes are qualified in each Olympic sport and event?
Well, you’re in luck because we have the answers in this sport-by-sport breakdown of how Team Canada can qualify for Milano Cortina 2026.
Alpine Skiing
Total Athletes: 306 (153 men, 153 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 22 (11 men, 11 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of four athletes per individual event and a maximum of four teams (each comprising one downhill skier and one slalom skier) in each team combined event.
FIS Alpine Skiing Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events |
|---|---|
| Downhill Super-G Giant Slalom Slalom Team Combined | Downhill Super-G Giant Slalom Slalom Team Combined |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to earn the required Olympic FIS Points for eligibility and for results to count towards the Olympic Quota Allocation List.
Allocation #1 – Basic Quota: Each eligible NOC will receive one men’s quota place and one women’s quota place.
Allocation #2 – Top 30 FIS World Cup Start List (WCSL): Each NOC with athlete(s) ranked in the top 30 of the FIS WCSL for each individual event will receive up to two additional quota places per gender.
Allocation #3 – Olympic Quota Allocation List: All remaining quota places will be allocated based on the Olympic Quota Allocation List, which includes all male and female athletes from the top 500 of the Olympic FIS Points List in their two best events. Moving down the list, one quota place will be awarded per athlete. Once an NOC has reached its maximum quota per gender, the next eligible NOC on the list will get a quota place.
Biathlon
Total Athletes: 210 (105 men, 105 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 12 (6 men, 6 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of four athletes per individual event and a maximum of one team per relay event.
IBU Biathlon Qualification System
| Men’s Event | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| 10km Sprint 20km Individual 12.5km Pursuit 15km Mass Start 4×7.5km Relay | 7.5km Sprint 15km Individual 10km Pursuit 12.5km Mass Start 4x6km Relay | Mixed Relay |
Qualification Periods: November 25, 2024 to March 23, 2025 and November 29, 2025 to January 18, 2026 to earn results and ranking points in IBU World Cups, IBU Cups, and IBU World Championships.
Allocation #1 – 2024-25 World Cup Nation Cup Final Score: For each gender, NOCs ranked 1-3 will earn six quota places, NOCs ranked 4-10 will earn five quota places, and NOCs ranked 11-20 will earn four quota places.
Allocation #2 – IBU Qualifying Points List on January 18, 2026: NOCs not already allocated quota places can receive up to two quota places per gender.
Bobsleigh
Total Athletes: 170 (114 men, 56 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 18 (12 men, 6 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of three sleds/crews per event.
IBSF Bobsleigh Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events |
|---|---|
| Two-Man Four-Man | Monobob Two-Woman |
Qualification Period: October 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for pilots to make themselves eligible by being ranked in a minimum number of races on a minimum number of tracks. The IBSF Ranking Lists will count results from World Cup, Europe Cup, North American Cup, and Asian Cup races during the 2025-26 season.
Two-Man and Four-Man Allocation – IBSF Combined Ranking List: The two NOCs with the best third-ranked pilots will each qualify three crews for both two-man and four-man. Then, the seven NOCs not already qualified with the best second-ranked pilots will each qualify two crews for both two-man and four-man. Lastly, the eight NOCs not already qualified with the best-ranked pilot will each qualify one crew for both two-man and four-man.
Two-Woman Allocation – IBSF Combined Ranking List: The three NOCs with the best third-ranked pilots will each qualify three crews for two-woman. Then, the five NOCs not already qualified with the best second-ranked pilots will each qualify two crews for two-woman. Lastly, the six NOCs not already qualified with the best-ranked pilot will each qualify one crew for two-woman.
Women’s Monobob Allocation – IBSF Combined Ranking and IBSF Women’s Monobob Ranking Lists: Two NOCs already qualified for two-woman will qualify three pilots for monobob based on best third-ranked pilots. The best four eligible NOCs already qualified for two-woman will qualify two pilots for monobob. The next best five eligible NOCs in the IBSF Combined Ranking List will qualify one pilot for monobob. The remaining six quota places will be allocated based on the IBSF Women’s Monobob Ranking List.
Cross-Country Skiing
Total Athletes: 296 (148 men, 148 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 16 (8 men, 8 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. NOCs can enter a maximum of four athletes per individual event and one team per team/relay event.
FIS Cross-Country Skiing Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events |
|---|---|
| 10km + 10km Skiathlon Sprint Classic Team Sprint Free 4×7.5km Relay 10km Free 50km Mass Start Classic | 10km + 10km Skiathlon Sprint Classic Team Sprint Free 4×7.5km Relay 10km Free 50km Mass Start Classic |
Qualification Periods: July 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to achieve the FIS points necessary to make them eligible to compete in particular events. November 29, 2024 to March 23, 2025 for athletes to earn points towards the FIS Cross-Country Nation Ranking.
Allocation #1 – Basic Quota: Each eligible NOC will receive one men’s quota place and one women’s quota place.
Allocation #2 – FIS Cross-Country Nation Ranking 2024-25: For each gender, NOCs ranked 1-5 will each qualify four athletes. NOCs ranked 6-10 will each qualify three athletes. NOCs ranked 11-20 will each qualify two athletes. NOCs ranked 21-30 will each qualify one athlete.
Allocation #3: Most remaining quota places will be allocated in four rounds based on the FIS Cross-Country Nation Ranking 2024-25. The last 10 quota places per gender will be assigned to NOCs not yet qualified based on FIS World Cup results during the 2025-26 season.
Curling
Total Athletes: 120 (60 men, 60 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 12 (6 men, 6 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of one men’s team, one women’s team, and one mixed doubles team.
World Curling Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Mixed Doubles |
International Qualification Events: 2024 and 2025 World Curling Championships (Women – March 15-23, 2025 | Men – March 29-April 6, 2025 | Mixed Doubles – April 26-May 3, 2025), Olympic Qualification Event (TBD December 2025)
Canadian Qualification Events: Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials (December 30, 2024-January 4, 2025 in Liverpool, NS) and Canadian Curling Trials (November 22-30, 2025 in Halifax, NS)
Allocation #1 – World Curling Championships: Country placements at the 2024 World Curling Championships and the 2025 World Curling Championships for each event are correlated to points. The top eight NOCs from both world championships combined will earn Olympic spots in the respective event.
Allocation #2 – Olympic Qualification Event: NOCs that do not qualify via the world championships will have the opportunity to play for the two remaining Olympic spots in each event.
Team Canada Qualification: The team that wins the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials will compete at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship and will be nominated to Team Canada for Milano Cortina 2026, pending Canada’s qualification. The men’s and women’s teams that win the Canadian Curling Trials will be nominated to Team Canada for Milano Cortina 2026, pending Canada’s qualification.
Figure Skating
Total Athletes: 142 (71 men, 71 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 18 (9 men, 9 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of three entries per discipline and one team for the team event.
ISU Figure Skating Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Singles (29 entries) | Singles (29 entries) | Pairs (19 entries) Ice Dance (23 entries) Team Event (10 entries) |
International Qualification Events: 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships (March 25-30, 2025) and ISU Figure Skating Qualifying Competition (TBD fall 2025)
Team Event Qualification Period: January 2025 to December 2025
Allocation #1 – World Figure Skating Championships: Most quota places in men’s and women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance will be allocated based on results at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.
An NOC that has three entries in an event will only count the top two results towards qualification. An NOC that has two entries in an event will count both results. In both scenarios, if the two placements add up to 13 or less (ex: 6th and 7th or 2nd and 11th), the NOC provisionally earns three spots in that event. If the two placements total 14-28, the NOC qualifies two spots. Any total of more than 28 points qualifies only one spot, until the maximum quota being allocated via the world championships is reached (24 spots in men’s singles, 24 spots in women’s singles, 16 spots in pairs, 19 spots in ice dance).
For an NOC that has only one entry in an event, a top-10 finish will provisionally qualify two spots. Any placement lower than that qualifies one spot, until the maximum quota being allocated via the world championships is reached.
An NOC cannot directly qualify more Olympic spots in an event than the number of competitors it had in the respective free skate at the world championships. For example, if an NOC’s lone entry places in the top 10, provisionally qualifying two spots, the second spot is not awarded until it is earned at the ISU Figure Skating Qualifying Competition in the fall.
Allocation #2 – ISU Figure Skating Qualifying Competition: Only NOCs without quota spots in an event or NOCs needing to officially earn a provisional quota spot can be allocated quota spots to fill out the respective fields. A maximum of one quota spot per event can be earned by an NOC at this competition.
Team Event Qualification: Ten NOCs will qualify for the team event. Qualification rankings will be based on results from the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, 2025-26 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events and Final, as well as (if needed) the 2025 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2025 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and 2025-26 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating events.
Freestyle Skiing
Total Athletes: 284 (142 men, 142 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 30/32 (16 men, 16 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of four athletes per individual event. An NOC is only entitled to the maximum quota of 32 athletes if at least three athletes qualify in aerials and could form a team for mixed team aerials. Otherwise, there is a maximum NOC quota of 30 athletes and within that a maximum of 16 men or 16 women. For quota allocation purposes, moguls/dual moguls and slopestyle/big air are each considered one event per gender.
FIS Freestyle Skiing Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Aerials (25 entries) Moguls (30 entries) Dual Moguls Ski Cross (32 entries) Halfpipe (25 entries) Slopestyle (30 entries) Big Air | Aerials (25 entries) Moguls (30 entries) Dual Moguls Ski Cross (32 entries) Halfpipe (25 entries) Slopestyle (30 entries) Big Air | Mixed Team Aerials |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to earn the required FIS Points and the required results for eligibility, as well as for FIS World Cup points and athlete ranking points from the 2025 FIS Freestyle Ski and Freeski World Championships to count towards the Olympic Quota Allocation List.
Allocation #1 – Olympic Quota Allocation List: Starting at the top of the list and moving down, one quota place will be awarded per athlete until the maximum quota per event and gender is reached.
Allocation #2 – Mixed Team Aerials: If there are less than eight NOCs which have qualified three aerialists (including at least one of each gender), then the next eligible NOC with either one athlete of each gender or two athletes of the same gender will be allocated an additional quota place to form a team.
Ice Hockey
Total Athletes: 530 (300 men/12 teams, 230 women/10 teams)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 48 (25 men, 23 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. Canada is already qualified for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. The men’s team ranked first in the 2023 IIHF World Ranking. The women’s team ranked first in the 2024 IIHF World Ranking.
IIHF Ice Hockey Qualification System
Luge
Total Athletes: 106 (59 men, 47 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 14 (7 men, 7 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of three athletes in each of the singles events and a maximum of two teams in each of the doubles events. An NOC can start a maximum of one team in the team relay.
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Singles Doubles | Singles Doubles | Team Relay |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2024 to January 12, 2026 for athletes to make themselves eligible by earning the required points and competing in a required number of races. The Olympic Season World Cup Ranking List (General Class) counts points earned from July 1, 2025 to January 12, 2026.
Allocation – Olympic Season World Cup Ranking List: In each singles event, NOCs with one ranked athlete will be allocated a quota place until 15 spots have been allocated. Then, seven more spots will be allocated to NOCs with a second ranked athlete. Then, three more spots will be allocated to NOCs with a third ranked athlete. For men’s doubles, NOCs with one ranked team will be allocated a quota place until 14 spots have been allocated. Then, three more spots will be allocated to NOCs with a second ranked team. For women’s doubles, NOCs with one ranked team will be allocated a quota place until 11 spots have been allocated.
Nordic Combined
Total Athletes: 36 (36 men)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 3 (3 men)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC.
FIS Nordic Combined Qualification System
| Men’s Events |
|---|
| Individual Gundersen Normal Hill/10km Individual Gundersen Large Hill/10km Team Sprint Large Hill 2×7.5km |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to earn FIS World Cup points to count towards the Olympic Quota Allocation List.
Allocation – Olympic Quota Allocation List: Starting at the top and moving downwards, one quota place will be allocated per athlete, with a maximum of two per NOC. If less than 36 quota places have been allocated, starting from the top of the list again, a third quota place will be allocated to eligible NOCs until the field is full.
Skeleton
Total Athletes: 50 (25 men, 25 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 6 (3 men, 3 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of three athletes in each individual event and a maximum of two teams in the mixed team event.
IBSF Skeleton Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Mixed Team |
Qualification Period: October 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to make themselves eligible by being ranked in a minimum number of races on a minimum number of tracks. The IBSF Ranking Lists will count results from World Cup, Europe Cup, North American Cup, and Asian Cup races during the 2025-26 season.
Men’s Skeleton Allocation – IBSF Ranking List: The two NOCs with the best third-ranked athletes will each qualify three spots. Then, the six NOCs not already qualified with the best second-ranked athletes will each qualify two spots. Lastly, the seven NOCs not already qualified with the best-ranked athlete will each qualify one spot.
Women’s Skeleton Allocation – IBSF Ranking List: The two NOCs with the best third-ranked athletes will each qualify three spots. Then, the four NOCs not already qualified with the best second-ranked athletes will each qualify two spots. Lastly, the 11 NOCs not already qualified with the best-ranked athlete will each qualify one spot.
Mixed Team Allocation: NOCs with quota spots in both men’s and women’s skeleton will be allocated quota spots in the mixed team event.
Ski Jumping
Total Athletes: 100 (50 men, 50 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 8 (4 men, 4 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of four athletes per individual event and one team per team event.
FIS Ski Jumping Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Normal Hill Individual Large Hill Individual Super Team | Normal Hill Individual Large Hill Individual | Mixed Team |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to earn the required FIS World Cup or Grand Prix or (Inter-) Continental Cup Points for eligibility and for World Cup/Grand Prix results to count towards the Olympic Quota Allocation List and for (Inter-) Continental Cup results to count towards the (Inter-) Continental Cup Olympic List.
Allocation #1 – Olympic Quota Allocation List: Starting from the top and moving downwards, one quota place is allocated per athlete until 45 men’s spots and 47 women’s spots are allocated. For men, an NOC can only qualify four athletes if they are all ranked in the top 25. Otherwise, there is a maximum of three men per NOC. There is no required ranking for an NOC to qualify the maximum of four women’s spots.
Allocation #2 – (Inter-) Continental Cup Olympic List: If the Olympic Quota Allocation List has been exhausted and quotas remain, they will be allocated to the NOCs with the next best-ranked athlete(s) on the (Inter-) Continental Cup Olympic Lists.
Allocation #3 – Men’s Individual & Super Team: NOCs with one or no athletes on the Quota Allocation List will receive one of the four available spots to enable the NOC to participate in individual or team competitions.
Allocation #4 – Women’s Individual & Mixed Team: NOCs with at least two men and one woman qualified will receive one of the two additional women’s spots to enable the NOC to participate in the women’s individual and the mixed team competitions.
Ski Mountaineering
Total Athletes: 36 (18 men, 18 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 4 (2 men, 2 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of one team (consisting of one man and one woman) in the mixed relay event.
ISMF Ski Mountaineering Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Sprint | Sprint | Mixed Relay |
Qualification Period: November 1, 2024 to December 21, 2025 for athletes to achieve performance requirements and for results to count towards the Olympic Sprint Ranking List and Olympic Mixed Relay Ranking List.
Allocation #1 – 2025 ISMF World Championships – Mixed Relay: The two highest ranked teams will each be allocated one quota place per gender.
Allocation #2 – Continental Quota – Mixed Relay: For continents without quota spots, the highest-ranked NOC from the respective continent, according to the Olympic Mixed Relay Ranking List, will be allocated one quota spot per gender.
Allocation #3 – Olympic Mixed Relay Ranking List: For NOCs not already qualified, moving from the top of the list downwards, one quota spot per gender will be allocated until a total 12 spots per gender has been reached through the first three methods of allocation.
Allocation #4 – 2025 ISMF World Championships – Sprint: The two highest ranked athletes in each of the men’s event and the women’s event will each earn one quota spot for their NOC.
Allocation #5 – Olympic Sprint Ranking List: All remaining quota spots will be allocated until the maximum overall quota per gender is reached.
Snowboard
Total Athletes: 238 (119 men, 119 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 26 (13 men, 13 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of four athletes per individual event and a maximum of three teams in the mixed team snowboard cross event. For quota allocation purposes, slopestyle/big air are considered one event per gender.
FIS Snowboard Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel Giant Slalom (32 entries) Halfpipe (25 entries) Snowboard Cross (32 entries) Slopestyle (30 entries) Big Air | Parallel Giant Slalom (32 entries) Halfpipe (25 entries) Snowboard Cross (32 entries) Slopestyle (30 entries) Big Air | Mixed Team Snowboard Cross (16 entries) |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2024 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to earn the required FIS Points and results for eligibility, as well as for FIS World Cup points and athlete ranking points from the 2025 FIS Snowboard World Championships to count towards the Olympic Quota Allocation List.
Allocation #1 – Olympic Quota Allocation List: Starting at the top of the list and moving down, one quota place will be awarded per athlete until the maximum quota per event and gender is reached.
Allocation #2 – Mixed Team Snowboard Cross: All NOCs with at least one man and one woman qualified in snowboard cross will be eligible to compete in the mixed team snowboard cross event. All eligible NOCs will get their first team, followed by the potential for a second team and a third team until the maximum of 16 entries is reached.
Speed Skating – Long Track
Total Athletes: 164 (82 men, 82 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 18 (9 men, 9 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of three athletes in 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 3000m (women) / 5000m (men) and a maximum of two athletes in 5000m (women) / 10,000m (men) and the mass starts. There is a maximum of one team per NOC in each team pursuit.
An NOC can only qualify the maximum of nine athletes per gender if qualified for the respective team pursuit and if it has been allocated the maximum quota for all individual events.
ISU Speed Skating Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events |
|---|---|
| 500m 1000m 1500m 5000m 10,000m Mass Start Team Pursuit | 500m 1000m 1500m 3000m 5000m Mass Start Team Pursuit |
Qualification Period: July 1, 2025 to January 18, 2026 for athletes to achieve qualifying times. November 1, 2025 to December 14, 2025 for results from four ISU World Cup competitions to count towards the Special Olympic Qualifying Classifications (SOQC).
Allocation #1 – SOQC: The SOQC for each event will combine two sets of rankings: SOQC Points ranking (according to World Cup points achieved in the designated World Cup competitions) and SOQC Times ranking (based on best times per athlete during the designated World Cup competitions).
For each gender and event, quota spots will be allocated as follows:
| Event | SOQC Points | SOQC Times |
|---|---|---|
| 500m, 1000m, 1500m (men and women) | 21 spots | 7 spots |
| *3000m (women), 5000m (men) | 15 spots | 5 spots |
| *5000m (women), 10,000m (men) | 9 spots | 3 spots |
| Mass Start (men and women) | 24 spots | – |
| Team Pursuit (men and women) | 6 spots | 2 spots |
*For the women’s 3000m/5000m and men’s 5000m/10,000m, the SOQC Points will be based on the World Cup points total achieved in both distances while the SOQC Times will be based on times achieved only in the distance concerned.
Speed Skating – Short Track
Total Athletes: 112 (56 men, 56 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 10 (5 men, 5 women)
Quota places are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can enter a maximum of three athletes per individual event and a maximum of one team per relay event. An NOC can only qualify the maximum of five athletes per gender if qualified for the respective relay. Otherwise, there is a maximum of three athletes per gender.
ISU Short Track Speed Skating Qualification System
| Men’s Events | Women’s Events | Mixed Events |
|---|---|---|
| 500m 1000m 1500m 5000m Relay | 500m 1000m 1500m 3000m Relay | 2000m Relay |
Qualification Period: September 15, 2025 to December 5, 2025 for results from four designated ISU Short Track World Tour competitions to count towards the Special Olympic Qualifying Classifications (SOQC). The SOQC for each distance/event is based on the best three out of four results achieved in that distance/event.
Allocation #1 – SOQC for men’s and women’s relays: The top eight NOCs in each of the men’s and women’s relays will qualify for the respective relay event.
Allocation #2 – SOQC for individual distances: NOCs with skaters ranked first in each of 500m, 1000m, and 1500m will get one starting place in the respective distance. Then, NOCs with skaters ranked second in each event get one starting place, and so on, until the maximum quota per NOC per gender per event is reached and the maximum overall quota for each event is reached (32 entries in each of the 500m and 1000m events and 36 entries in each of the 1500m events).
Allocation #3 – SOQC for mixed team relay: Up to a maximum of 12 teams, NOCs who have been allocated at least two quota spots per gender will qualify for the mixed team relay in the order of the SOQC.