What Is the Order of Countries in the Olympics Opening Ceremony?

The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics is fast approaching, and, with it, one of the most cherished traditions of the Games: the parade of delegations.

Each Olympics typically begins with the Head of State of the host country and the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) entering the venue. The national anthem of the host country is played or sung live while the country’s flag is raised. The ceremony also includes the dramatic reveal of the Olympic rings, followed by the Olympic motto: “Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together.” After that comes the parade of delegations, which is when the athletes competing in the Games march into the venue under their nation’s flag.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Read more: Your Guide to the Milan 2026 Olympics Opening Ceremony

While the media team for the 2026 Games declined to provide the full list of countries participating in the parade, it confirmed that the event will stick to the protocol laid out by the IOC. Per tradition, the nations appear in the parade in alphabetical order based on the language of the host country—for this year’s Milano Cortina Games, Italian.

But there are a few caveats to that rule. Because Greece is where the Olympic Games originated, its delegates lead the parade. The host country also closes out the parade, meaning that, this year, Italy’s delegates will appear last. 

And, since the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the hosts of upcoming Games have marched just before the current host country, toward the end of the parade. Ahead of Italy playing host this year, the country’s delegation marched second-to-last in the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, entering just before China. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the delegations for both the U.S.—set to host the Games in 2028—and Australia—which will host in 2032—marched near the end. The next Winter Olympics are set to take place in the French Alps in 2030, and the U.S. will host the 2034 Games in Utah. 

In the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a team of refugee delegates also marched second, after Greece, in the parade of nations.