With one session of round-robin play remaining in the men's and women's curling tournaments at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy, semifinal spots remain undecided for several teams. Switzerland and Canada have clinched in the men's event, while Sweden and Switzerland are locked in for the women's semifinals. Outcomes of Thursday's games will determine the final qualifiers, with tiebreakers potentially decided by the Draw Shot Challenge.
The men's curling tournament sees Switzerland (8-0) and Canada (7-1) secured as the top two seeds for the semifinals. Great Britain (5-4) holds third place but faces elimination if both Italy (4-4) and Norway (4-4) win their final games against Switzerland and Canada, respectively. The United States (4-5), after a 9-2 loss to Great Britain on Wednesday, sits sixth and needs losses from Italy, Norway, and China (2-6) to advance, relying on head-to-head advantages. A four-way tie at 4-5 involving the U.S., Italy, Norway, and Germany (3-5) would favor the U.S. due to its 2-1 record among those teams; otherwise, the Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) could decide, where the U.S. leads at 17.663 cm ahead of Italy's 18.764 cm.
U.S. skip Danny Casper reflected on the loss, saying, "We're grateful to be here and to have had this experience. It's earned." Teammate Luc Violette added, "That's the hope. It's been an incredible week here."
In the women's event, Sweden (7-2) clinched first after a head-to-head win over Switzerland (6-2), which secured second. Canada (5-3), South Korea (5-3), and the United States (5-3) are tied for third, while Great Britain (4-4) lurks in sixth. Canada faces South Korea on Thursday morning; the winner takes third seed. The U.S. can advance with a win over Switzerland or a Great Britain loss to Italy (2-6). If the U.S. loses and Great Britain wins, tiebreakers may involve DSC, where Great Britain leads at 16.764 cm, ahead of South Korea's 20.064 cm and the U.S. over 37 cm.
Canada's Rachel Homan must win against South Korea to reach semifinals, following a close extra-end victory over Italy. Great Britain's Rebecca Morrison noted, "I actually have no idea what we need to happen, so I'm just minding my own business at the moment."
Thursday's session begins at 3:05 a.m. ET for men (China vs. Germany, Italy vs. Switzerland, Norway vs. Canada, Sweden vs. Czechia) and 8:05 a.m. ET for women (Canada vs. South Korea, Great Britain vs. Italy, Japan vs. China, Switzerland vs. United States). Semifinals follow at 1:05 p.m. ET for men.
