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Cross-Country Skiing World Cup 2026/27: How to Watch Live for Free
Welcome to VPNent.com‘s cross-country skiing page!
The 2026/27 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup opens in Ruka, Finland, on November 27–29, 2026, and ends with the Finals in Ulricehamn, Sweden, on March 19–21, 2027. The highlights of the season are the Tour de Ski on January 1–10, 2027, the Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, on February 24–March 7, 2027, and the 50 km races at Holmenkollen on March 13–14, 2027.
On this page, you’ll find the full 2026/27 schedule, where to watch in the US and the UK, and a simple guide to watching every race for free. We have similar guides for ski jumping and alpine skiing.
In the US and the UK, the World Cup is shown on paid services. However, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) streams the races for free on its official YouTube channel in countries where the TV rights haven’t been sold. With a VPN, you can watch those free streams wherever you are.
You need a VPN to watch free cross-country skiing streams on the FIS YouTube channel
With a VPN, you can also watch other free FIS streams, such as ski jumping and alpine skiing, directly on YouTube.
NordVPN is the best choice for getting around YouTube’s regional blocks!
Table of contents:
- How to watch the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup for free on YouTube
- Cross-country skiing today
- Cross-Country Skiing World Cup schedule 2026/27
- Tour de Ski 2027
- How to watch cross-country skiing in the US and the UK
- Canada, Australia and watching while traveling
- Free TV channels that show cross-country skiing
- Race formats and World Cup scoring
- Frequently asked questions
How to watch the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup for free on YouTube
1. Sign up for NordVPN and download the app.
2. Connect to a server in one of these countries: South Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand or Vietnam.
3. Go to the FIS Cross-Country YouTube channel and watch World Cup races live or on replay for free.
The FIS Cross-Country channel streams the World Cup live in countries where the TV rights haven’t been sold. In the US and the UK, the live streams are blocked because paid services hold the rights. Once your VPN is connected to one of the countries above, you’ll find upcoming broadcasts under the channel’s Live tab. Without a VPN, the live streams simply don’t show up.
Of all the services we’ve tested, NordVPN unblocks YouTube streams most reliably and keeps the picture quality steady.
Cross-country skiing today
Next races: Ruka, Finland
Friday, November 27, 2026: 10 km classic, women and men
Saturday, November 28, 2026: classic sprint, women and men
Sunday, November 29, 2026: 20 km mass start freestyle, women and men
Ruka, in the municipality of Kuusamo, opens the season. The Ruka Nordic weekend also includes Nordic combined and ski jumping. FIS will publish the start times closer to the event.
Cross-Country Skiing World Cup schedule 2026/27
Here are all of this season’s World Cup races. Women and men race the same events every weekend.
Ruka, Finland – November 27–29, 2026 (10 km classic, classic sprint and 20 km mass start freestyle)
Trondheim, Norway – December 1–3, 2026 (10 km classic, freestyle sprint and 20 km skiathlon)
Davos, Switzerland – December 11–13, 2026 (5 km freestyle, freestyle sprint and freestyle team sprint)
Tour de Ski – January 1–10, 2027 (Les Rousses, France; Oberstdorf, Germany; and Val di Fiemme, Italy)
Engadin, Switzerland – January 22–24, 2027 (mixed relay, freestyle sprint and 20 km mass start freestyle)
Toblach, Italy – January 29–31, 2027 (10 km freestyle, freestyle sprint and 20 km mass start classic)
Lahti, Finland – February 12–14, 2027 (classic sprint, 20 km skiathlon and 10 km classic)
Nordic World Ski Championships, Falun, Sweden – February 24–March 7, 2027
Oslo (Holmenkollen), Norway – March 13–14, 2027 (50 km mass start classic, women and men on separate days)
Drammen, Norway – March 16, 2027 (classic sprint)
Finals in Ulricehamn, Sweden – March 19–21, 2027 (10 km freestyle, freestyle sprint and 20 km mass start classic)
Tour de Ski 2027
The Tour de Ski is the toughest stage race of the season. In 2027, it has eight stages in three countries, and women and men race the same distances on the same days. January 4 and 7 are rest days.
Friday, January 1, Les Rousses – classic sprint
Saturday, January 2, Les Rousses – 20 km mass start classic
Sunday, January 3, Les Rousses – 15 km pursuit freestyle
Tuesday, January 5, Oberstdorf – 15 km mass start classic
Wednesday, January 6, Oberstdorf – 5 km freestyle
Friday, January 8, Val di Fiemme – 15 km skiathlon
Saturday, January 9, Val di Fiemme – freestyle sprint
Sunday, January 10, Val di Fiemme – final climb up Alpe Cermis
The last stage climbs the Alpe Cermis ski slope, which is so steep that the skiers have to herringbone up much of it. Read more in our Tour de Ski 2027 guide.
How to watch cross-country skiing in the US and the UK
US: In 2025/26, the Cross-Country World Cup and the Tour de Ski were streamed in the US on the paid skiandsnowboard.live service, while Peacock didn’t carry cross-country. The 2026/27 arrangement hadn’t been confirmed when we wrote this, so check before the first race.
UK: In the UK, cross-country skiing is shown on TNT Sports and streamed on HBO Max, which both require a paid subscription. The BBC axed Ski Sunday in September 2026, so there’s no longer a regular free-to-air winter sports show in the UK.
US and UK broadcasters for the World Championships in Falun hadn’t been announced when we wrote this. If you’d rather not pay, you can watch the World Cup for free on the FIS YouTube channel or on a free foreign TV channel with a VPN.
Canada, Australia and watching while traveling
In 2025/26, the FIS Cross-Country YouTube channel streamed the World Cup for free in both Canada and Australia. Check that the streams are still open in 2026/27 before the season starts.
If you’re traveling abroad over the holidays, for example during the Tour de Ski, the free YouTube streams you watch at home may be blocked where you are. With a VPN connected to a server back home, you can keep watching as usual.
Free TV channels that show cross-country skiing
Several public broadcasters show cross-country skiing for free. They also stream online, but only to viewers in their own country. With a VPN connected to a server in the right country, you can watch them from anywhere.
ARD and ZDF (Germany): The German public broadcasters show the World Cup races in Germany for free from 2026/27 to 2029/30, including the Tour de Ski stages in Oberstdorf. Connect to a VPN server in Germany.
ORF ON (Austria): ORF streams winter sports live on the free ORF ON service, with German commentary. Connect to a VPN server in Austria.
Play SRF (Switzerland): Swiss public television shows races including Davos and Engadin. Connect to a VPN server in Switzerland.
CBC Gem (Canada): CBC Gem is the best free option for winter sports with English commentary, and it streamed the Alpine World Cup in 2025/26. Check its listings for cross-country and connect to a VPN server in Canada.
These channels are a great alternative to paid services, with long broadcasts that include studio analysis and interviews. The European channels broadcast in their own languages.
Race formats and World Cup scoring
Cross-country skiing has two techniques: classic and freestyle. In the skiathlon, skiers race the first half in classic and the second half in freestyle, switching skis midway.
Sprint: Skiers first race a qualifying prologue, and the top 30 advance to the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. In the team sprint, two skiers from the same country take turns.
Distance races: These use either an interval start, where skiers start one at a time, or a mass start, where everyone starts together. The longest race of the season is the 50 km at Holmenkollen.
Relay: In the mixed relay, teams are made up of women and men.
The top 30 in each World Cup race score points. The winner gets 100 points, second place 80, third place 60 and 30th place 1 point. The skier with the most points after the Finals in Ulricehamn wins the big Crystal Globe. Small Crystal Globes are also awarded for the sprint and distance standings.
The Norwegian men and the Swedish women are usually the teams to beat, although American Jessie Diggins won the women’s Tour de Ski in 2025/26.
More winter sports
Following other winter sports too? Check out our guides to the Ski Jumping World Cup and the Alpine Skiing World Cup. You’ll find all of our sports guides on the Sports page.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch cross-country skiing in the US and the UK?
In the UK, the World Cup and the Tour de Ski are on TNT Sports and HBO Max. In the US, they were streamed on skiandsnowboard.live in 2025/26. You can also watch the races for free on the FIS Cross-Country YouTube channel with a VPN.
Can I watch cross-country skiing for free?
Yes. FIS streams the World Cup for free on the FIS Cross-Country YouTube channel in countries where the TV rights haven’t been sold. With a VPN, you can watch these streams from the US or the UK. Germany’s ARD and ZDF and Austria’s ORF also show many races for free.
When does the 2026/27 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup start?
The season starts in Ruka, Finland, on November 27–29, 2026, and ends with the Finals in Ulricehamn, Sweden, on March 19–21, 2027.
When is the 2027 Tour de Ski?
The Tour de Ski takes place on January 1–10, 2027, in Les Rousses, Oberstdorf and Val di Fiemme.
Where are the 2027 Nordic World Ski Championships?
The 2027 Nordic World Ski Championships take place in Falun, Sweden, on February 24–March 7, 2027.
The best VPNs for watching FIS Cross-Country
