Team Homan and Team Jacobs represent Canada in the women's and men's curling events at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, entering as top contenders with strong records and Olympic experience. Both teams earned their spots by winning the Canadian Curling Trials in November 2025, setting the stage for challenging round-robin schedules against international rivals. Their paths to gold will test their dominance against world-ranked opponents in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Canada's curling hopes rest on two powerhouse teams at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. In the women's draw, skip Rachel Homan leads a squad featuring Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes, who have dominated since the 2023-24 season with a 191-27 record, including back-to-back Scotties titles in 2024 and 2025, two world championships, and seven Grand Slams. Ranked No. 1 globally, they swept Team Christina Black in the November 2025 Trials, with Rachel Brown as alternate and coaches Heather Nedohin and Viktor Kjell. Their 2025-26 season stands at 49-12, including three Grand Slam wins, though they recently lost to Japan's Team Satsuki Fujisawa and Canada's Team Kerri Einarson.
Team Homan's round-robin begins February 12 against Denmark's Madeleine Dupont (No. 11), recalling a contentious 2018 Olympic loss where Dupont commented, "I wouldn’t have done it, but we’re different that way." They face the U.S.'s Tabitha Peterson (No. 13) on February 13, Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni (No. 2) on February 14—a rivalry where Homan leads 32-10—and others like Sweden's Anna Hasselborg and South Korea's Eunji Gim (No. 3). Homan is 15-4 this season against Olympic foes, aiming to end Canada's gold drought since Jennifer Jones in 2014.
In the men's event, Brad Jacobs skips a veteran rink with Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert, and Brett Gallant, all prior Olympians—Jacobs with 2014 gold, others with 2010 gold and 2022 bronze. Formed post-2023-24, they won the 2025 Brier after a grueling playoff run, with Jacobs saying post-final, "Unbelievable, unbelievable... It’s been too long since I’ve won this championship." Bronze at the 2025 Worlds followed, and they swept Team Matt Dunstone in Trials. At 39-13 in 2025-26, they hold wins at the Pan Continental and Okotoks Classic.
Jacobs' schedule opens February 11 versus Germany's Marc Muskatewitz (No. 23), includes Sweden's Niklas Edin (February 13), No. 1 Great Britain (Bruce Mouat, February 17), and ends February 19 against Norway. Jacobs leads most head-to-heads but trails Mouat 1-12, noting, "They’re raising the bar in curling... This is a different level." Both teams enter confident, with Jacobs adding, "This is a confident group of guys. We work really, really hard."
These lineups position Canada as favorites, though Olympic pressure proved tough for Homan in 2018 and 2022.
