THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck - AP Photo/Lee Jin-man - THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young - THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Canadian Curling Trials to decide Team Canada’s four-player teams for Milano Cortina 2026

November 20, 2025

By Paula Nichols

Rocks will soon be ready to roll at the Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax.

Starting November 22, eight women’s teams and eight men’s teams will take to the pebbled ice with the singular objective of booking their tickets to Milano Cortina 2026.

Team Canada’s spots in the women’s and men’s Olympic tournaments were secured this past spring, based on combined placements from the respective 2024 and 2025 World Curling Championships. Team Homan won back-to-back women’s world titles for Canada, while Team Jacobs captured bronze at the men’s worlds this year after Team Gushue claimed silver the year before.

For the first time, Canadian athletes will be permitted to compete in both mixed doubles and four-player curling at the Olympic Games. That means Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, who were officially nominated to Team Canada in May after winning the Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials in January, will be in Halifax with their respective teams—Peterman on Team Lawes and Gallant on Team Jacobs.

Dressed in red tops and black pants Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant hold a Canadian flag behind them — Jocelyn Peterman, left, and Brett Gallant during the 2026 Canadian Olympic Mixed Doubles Curling team announcement in Toronto, O.N. on May 5, 2025. Photo by Anil Mungal/COC

Here is everything you need to know about what is arguably the most pressure-packed curling competition in Canada this season.

Who are the qualified women’s teams for the Canadian Curling Trials?

Team Rachel Homan (Ottawa, Ont.) – 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion
Team Kerri Einarson (Gimli, Man.) – Highest ranked team in 2023-24 Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) standings not already qualified
Team Kayla Skrlik (Calgary, Alb.) – Highest ranked team in 2024-25 CTRS standings not already qualified (because 2025 Tournament of Hearts champion Team Homan was already qualified)
Team Kaitlyn Lawes (Winnipeg, Man.) – Highest ranked team in combined two-year (2023-24 & 2024-25) CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Kate Cameron (Winnipeg, Man.) – Highest ranked team in combined two-year (2023-24 & 2024-25) CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Christina Black (Halifax, N.S.) – Highest ranked team in combined two-year (2023-24 & 2024-25) CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Corryn Brown (Kamloops, B.C.) – Highest ranked team in 2024-25 CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Selena Sturmay (Edmonton, Alb.) – Winner of Canadian Curling Pre-Trials

As mentioned, Team Homan has won two straight women’s world titles. During the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, they won a total of 142 games and took only 15 losses. They also got off to a strong start this season, winning the first two Grand Slam of Curling events. Skip Rachel Homan and second Emma Miskew are the members of that team with previous Olympic experience, having competed together in the women’s event at PyeongChang 2018.

Five women curlers dressed in red jackets celebrate with a trophy while wearing gold medals — Team Homan (l-r Rachel Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes, Rachelle Brown) celebrates winning the 2025 World Women’s Curling Championship (World Curling/Stephen Fisher)

READ: Team Homan focused on process, not past dominance, in pressure-packed Olympic season

Team Einarson won four straight national titles from 2020 to 2023 and were the runners-up to Team Homan at the 2025 Tournament of Hearts. Skip Kerri Einarson led her team to bronze medals at the world championships in 2022 and 2023.

Team Lawes also features two Olympians. Kaitlyn Lawes and Jocelyn Peterman played together in the women’s event at Beijing 2022. Lawes is a two-time Olympic champion, having won gold in the women’s event at Sochi 2014 and gold in mixed doubles at PyeongChang 2018.

Who are the qualified men’s teams for the Canadian Curling Trials?

Team Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) – 2024 Montana’s Brier champion
Team Brad Jacobs (Calgary, Alb.) – Highest ranked team in 2023-24 CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Matt Dunstone (Winnipeg, Man.) – Highest ranked team in 2024-25 CTRS standings not already qualified (because 2025 Brier champion Team Jacobs was already qualified)
Team Mike McEwen (Saskatoon, Sask.) – Highest ranked team in combined two-year (2023-24 & 2024-25) CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Kevin Koe (Calgary, Alb.) – Highest ranked team in combined two-year (2023-24 & 2024-25) CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Ryan Kleiter (Saskatoon, Sask.) – Highest ranked team in combined two-year (2023-24 & 2024-25) CTRS standings not already qualified
Team John Epping (Sudbury, Ont.) – Highest ranked team in 2024-25 CTRS standings not already qualified
Team Jordan McDonald (Winnipeg, Man.) – Winner of Canadian Curling Pre-Trials

Team Gushue features three members of the team that won bronze in the men’s event at Beijing 2022: skip Brad Gushue, third Mark Nichols, and lead Geoff Walker. Gushue and Nichols are also Olympic gold medallists from the last time the Winter Games were held in Italy at Turin 2006.

READ: 5 Great Brad Gushue Moments

Four male curlers in blue shirts huddle around the Brier trophy — Brett Gallant, Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert celebrate their victory at the 2025 Brier (Michael Burns/Curling Canada)

Brad Jacobs was the skip of the team that won gold at Sochi 2014. His current teammates are also familiar with playing on Olympic ice. Third Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert won gold together at Vancouver 2010 while second Brett Gallant was a bronze medallist at Beijing 2022.

Team Dunstone were the runners-up at the 2025 Brier. The front end duo, brothers E.J. and Ryan Harnden, were members of the Olympic gold medal winning-team at Sochi 2014.

What is the competition format of the Canadian Curling Trials?

Each tournament will start with a round robin among all eight teams. Three teams will advance to the playoffs. The first place team will get a bye directly to the final while the second and third place teams face off in the semifinal to see who will move on.

For the first time in the history of the Canadian Curling Trials, the final will be best-of-three games.

What is the competition schedule of the Canadian Curling Trials?

The women’s round robin will begin at 2:00 p.m. AT on Saturday November 22. The men will begin play that evening at 7:00 p.m. AT.

Detailed Draw Schedule for 2025 Canadian Curling Trials

For the next four days (Sunday November 23 to Wednesday November 26), there will be three draws per day at 9:00 a.m. AT, 2:00 p.m AT, and 7:00 p.m. AT, alternating between women’s and men’s matches.

Thursday November 27 will see the semifinals in the spotlight, the women up first at 1:00 p.m. AT followed by the men and 7:00 p.m. AT.

The first final games will be played on Friday November 28, the women at 1:00 p.m. AT and the men at 7:30 p.m. AT. The second final games are on Saturday November 29, the women at 1:00 p.m. AT, the men at 7:00 p.m. AT. If necessary, the third final games will be played at those same times on Sunday November 30.

How to watch the Canadian Curling Trials

TSN will have exclusive broadcast coverage of every draw of the Canadian Curling Trials. Each draw will have a featured match with drop-ins to key moments on the other sheets.