The 2026 Crown Royal Players' Championship is heating up, and Friday is a pivotal day! But will it be a day of triumph or heartbreak for these curling teams?
Steinbach, Manitoba, is buzzing with anticipation as the final draws for pool play approach. Only 12 teams, six from each division, will advance to the playoffs in this prestigious Grand Slam of Curling event. The pressure is on!
Stream the action live on watch.rockchannel.com or tune in to Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ in Canada, starting with Draw 9 at 1 p.m. ET. Every match is a must-watch, but here's what you can't afford to miss:
Canada vs. Sweden, a Curling Showdown: In Draw 13, Team Rachel Homan of Canada and Team Anna Hasselborg of Sweden face off in a highly anticipated match. With Homan at 1-0-0-2 and Hasselborg at 1-1-1-1, both teams need a win to boost their playoff chances. But here's where it gets interesting: Hasselborg's team is also in a race to represent Sweden at the World Women's Curling Championship, trailing Team Isabella Wranå by 14 points. Can they secure a playoff spot and close the gap?
A Busy Day for Olympic Hopefuls: Team Tabitha Peterson of the United States and Winnipeg's own Team Matt Dunstone have their work cut out for them. Dunstone, currently at 0-2-0-1, faces Italy's Team Joël Retornaz and Scotland's Team Ross Whyte. Meanwhile, Homan takes on Peterson in Draw 15, a match that could be crucial for both teams' Olympic dreams.
The Playoff Picture: On the men's side, three teams have already secured their spots: Team Kyle Waddell, Team Xu Xiaoming, and Team Yannick Schwaller. Waddell's undefeated Scottish squad even secured a bye to the semifinals! But the women's division is a different story—no team has qualified yet, and the competition is fierce. Team Ikue Kitazawa and Team Momoha Tabata are out, but everyone else is still in the running.
Friday's Schedule:
Draw 12: Xu vs. Edin, Waddell vs. Whyte, Einarson vs. Kitazawa, and Fujisawa vs. Peterson.
Draw 13: Tirinzoni vs. Yoshimura, Homan vs. Hasselborg, Casper vs. Shuster, and Dunstone vs. Retornaz.
Draw 14: Gim vs. Tabata, X. Schwaller vs. Wranå, Mouat vs. Y. Schwaller, and Jacobs vs. McEwen.
Draw 15: Dunstone vs. Whyte, Shuster vs. Edin, Homan vs. Peterson, and Tirinzoni vs. Einarson.
The Crown Royal Players' Championship is the grand finale of the curling season, with 12 top men's and women's teams from around the world. The unique format features round-robin play, with a shootout system to break ties. Will your favorite team make it to the playoffs? Tune in to find out and be part of the curling conversation!
