The women's curling tournament at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics begins on February 12 with ten teams vying for gold in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Canada, led by two-time world champion Rachel Homan, enters as the favorite after a dominant run, while hosts Italy and powerhouses like Sweden and Switzerland aim to challenge. The round-robin format promises intense competition, with opening matches including Canada versus Denmark and Italy versus Switzerland.
The women's curling event features ten nations: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, Denmark, United States, China, Great Britain, and Italy as host. Competition starts at 3:05 a.m. ET on Thursday, February 12, 2026, with four initial games: Canada vs. Denmark, Italy vs. Switzerland, Japan vs. Sweden, and South Korea vs. United States.
Canada's team, skipped by Rachel Homan in her third Olympics, has won the last two world championships and eight Grand Slam titles since 2022. They posted a 142-15 record over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, though 12-9 against the top 10 teams this year. Homan's squad finished fifth at the 2022 Games and seeks Canada's first women's curling medal since 2014. "We're ready together as one unit. Here we come, Italy," Homan said after the Olympic Trials.
Switzerland, led by Silvana Tirinzoni in her third Olympics, is a top contender after four world titles from 2019 to 2023 and runner-up finishes the last two years. With vice-skip Alina Paetz also in her third Games, the team placed fourth in 2022 and emphasizes honest communication amid the crowd noise in Cortina. They face Italy in their opener.
Sweden's Anna Hasselborg skips the same lineup that won gold in 2018 and bronze in 2022, marking five straight Olympic medals for the nation. The team finished fifth at the 2024 and 2025 Worlds.
Hosts Italy, skipped by Stefania Constantini—a two-time Olympic mixed doubles medalist who won bronze earlier this week—qualified automatically. Their women's team placed 10th at the 2025 Worlds.
United States features sisters Tabitha and Tara Peterson, with Tabitha a three-time Olympian who led the 2022 sixth-place team. Newcomer Taylor Anderson-Heide plays lead, and Cory Thiesse adds experience from a recent mixed doubles silver.
Great Britain's Team Morrison, skipped by Sophie Jackson, includes Jennifer Dodds, the only returnee from the 2022 gold winners. They finished sixth at the 2025 Worlds and seventh in Olympic rankings.
Other teams include South Korea's Gim Eun-ji (second Olympics), Denmark's sisters Denise and Madeleine Dupont (fifth and fourth Games, respectively), China's Wang Rui (third Olympics), and Japan's Sayaka Yoshimura with veterans Kaho Onodera and Anna Ohmiya.
The Swiss view the event as near-home games, aiming for their first women's medal since 2006, with high confidence after an excellent season.
