Canada Curling 2026 Olympics: Jacobs Rolls to 3-0 While Homan Faces Early Struggles

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are in full swing at the historic Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, and Canada's curling contingent is experiencing a tale of two tournaments. While Brad Jacobs and his veteran-laden men's team remain perfect through three games, Rachel Homan's heavily favoured women's squad is searching for answers after back-to-back losses dropped them to 1-2 in round-robin play .

With Olympic gold medals and national pride on the line, here is your complete update on how Canada's curlers are faring in Italy.

🇨🇦 Men's Curling: Team Jacobs Dominates Early

Perfect 3-0 Start

Skip Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie-based rink have picked up right where they left off at the Canadian Trials. The 2014 Olympic gold medallist and his star-studded lineup—vice-skip Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, lead Ben Hebert, and alternate Tyler Tardi—stand alone atop the men's standings with a flawless 3-0 record .

Friday's Doubleheader Sweep

The Canadian men delivered a statement performance on Friday, February 13th, winning both of their matches in emphatic fashion.

In the morning draw, Canada defeated Team USA's Daniel Casper by a 6-3 score. The highlight came in the fourth end when Jacobs navigated a razor-thin port to tap his own stone up for a deuce, energizing the Canadian squad .

But the evening draw was the real showcase. Facing reigning Olympic champions Team Niklas Edin of Sweden—gold medallists in Beijing 2022—Canada delivered a knockout blow. With the game tied through seven ends, Jacobs and company exploded for four points in the eighth end, capitalizing on a missed Edin triple-takeout attempt. Canada held on for an 8-6 victory, dropping Sweden to a shocking 0-3 start .

"We just think we've done a really good job of detaching ourselves from results and just being in the moment and focusing on the things that need to be focused on in order to execute," Jacobs said after the win. "And we've been saying for quite a while now, this team, the importance of staying loose and playing free" .

The Jacobs Roster: A Team of Champions

This Canadian men's team is arguably the most decorated in Olympic curling history :

Player	Position	Olympic Experience
Brad Jacobs	Skip	Gold (2014 - Sochi)
Marc Kennedy	Vice-Skip	Gold (2010 - Vancouver), Bronze (2022 - Beijing)
Brett Gallant	Second	Bronze (2022 - Beijing)
Ben Hebert	Lead	Gold (2010 - Vancouver)
Tyler Tardi	Alternate	Olympic debut (served as alternate at 2025 Worlds)

All four core players have stood on Olympic podiums before. Kennedy and Hebert were part of Kevin Martin's legendary undefeated gold medal run on home soil at Vancouver 2010. Gallant earned bronze with Brad Gushue in Beijing. Jacobs himself knows what it takes to climb the mountain, having done so in Sochi .

Men's Standings and Upcoming Schedule

Canada currently sits atop the men's standings alongside Switzerland's Team Yannick Schwaller, also 3-0. The two undefeated powers will collide on Saturday, February 14th at 8:05 a.m. ET in a highly anticipated showdown .

Country	Skip	Record
Canada	Brad Jacobs	3-0
Switzerland	Yannick Schwaller	3-0
Great Britain	Bruce Mouat	2-1
Italy	Joël Retornaz	2-1
Sweden	Niklas Edin	0-3

The men's round robin continues through February 19, with the semifinals set for that afternoon and medal games on February 20 (bronze) and February 21 (gold) .

🇨🇦 Women's Curling: Team Homan Hits Unexpected Bump

Rocky Start in Cortina

If the men's team represents smooth sailing, the women's team—skipped by three-time world champion Rachel Homan—has encountered unexpected turbulence. The Ottawa-based rink of Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes fell to 1-2 after consecutive losses to the United States and Great Britain .

Loss to Great Britain: "We're Not Far Off"

In Saturday morning's session, Canada dropped a tight 7-6 decision to Great Britain's Sophie Jackson, a team ranked 21st in the world .

The turning point came early. In the third end, Canada surrendered a three-spot after Fleury's stone picked, forcing Homan into a desperate double-takeout attempt that missed. Great Britain stole another point in the fourth, and despite Canada's best efforts to claw back, they could never fully recover.

"I just didn't make as many shots as I normally do out there," Homan admitted after the game. "That was a bit unfortunate. But it was just the way the game went" .

Homan finished at just 53 per cent on her hit attempts—well below her world-class standards. Still, teammate Miskew remained optimistic: "We're not far off. We're so close" .

Friday's U.S. Loss: A Four-Pend Thwart

The struggles began Friday when Canada dropped a wild 9-8 decision to American skip Tabitha Peterson. Canada held a 3-2 lead at halftime before disaster struck in the sixth end. With the Americans lying four in the house, Homan twice failed to remove multiple stones, leaving Peterson a routine draw for four points and a 6-3 lead .

To their credit, the Canadians battled back, scoring three in the ninth to take an 8-7 lead into the 10th without hammer. But Homan missed a crucial double-takeout on her final throw, handing Peterson an open draw for two and the victory .

"We just had a bad end there," Fleury said. "It's hard to win a game when you give up four, but we tried our best to fight back, and I'm really proud of how the team. We stayed focused and calm and put some good ends together after that" .

The Weight of History

Homan is competing in her third Olympics but has never reached the playoff round in women's team play. She missed the cut in 2018 in PyeongChang and again in 2022 in Beijing . The last Canadian women's team to win Olympic gold was Jennifer Jones in 2014 .

The pressure is mounting, but the round robin is far from over.

Women's Standings and Road Ahead

Country	Skip	Record
Switzerland	Silvana Tirinzoni	3-0
Sweden	Anna Hasselborg	3-0
South Korea	Gim Eun-ji	2-1
Canada	Rachel Homan	1-2
Great Britain	Sophie Jackson	1-2

Canada faces an enormous test on Saturday evening against Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni—the second-ranked team in the world and a familiar foe. Homan defeated Tirinzoni in both the 2024 and 2025 World Championship gold medal games, but the Swiss skip will be eager for revenge .

The women's round robin continues through February 19, with semifinals on February 20 and medal games on February 21 .

🥌 Mixed Doubles: Gallant and Peterman Fall Short

Tough Tournament for Canada's Mixed Duo

Before the team competitions began, Canada's mixed doubles pair of Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman competed in the early window (February 4-10). The duo—both members of the men's and women's teams respectively—finished with a 3-5 record in round-robin play, failing to qualify for the playoff round .

Great Britain dominated the mixed doubles event, finishing first in the round robin before capturing gold. Italy, the reigning Olympic champions from 2022, took silver .

📺 How to Watch Canadian Curling at the 2026 Olympics

All curling events are taking place at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, originally built for the 1956 Cortina Winter Games .

Broadcast Information

In Canada: CBC is the official Olympic rights-holder. Check CBC's broadcast schedule for live curling coverage .
In the United States: Matches air on USA Network and CNBC, with every draw streaming live on Peacock .

Key Upcoming Canadian Matches

Saturday, February 14

8:05 a.m. ET: Men's Round Robin - Canada vs. Switzerland (Jacobs vs. Schwaller)
3:05 a.m. ET: Women's Round Robin - Canada vs. Great Britain (Homan vs. Jackson) COMPLETED
Evening: Women's Round Robin - Canada vs. Switzerland (Homan vs. Tirinzoni)

Sunday, February 15

1:05 p.m. ET: Men's Round Robin - China vs. Canada
Additional women's draw TBD

🥌 Olympic Curling Format Explained

For those new to the sport, here's a quick refresher on how the Olympic curling competition works :

Round Robin: All 10 teams play each other once (nine games per team).
Tiebreakers: If necessary, ties are broken first by head-to-head results, then by Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) average.
Semifinals: The top four teams advance to the semifinals (1st vs. 4th, 2nd vs. 3rd).
Medal Games: Winners of the semifinals advance to the gold medal game; losers play for bronze.

🔮 Outlook: Can Canada Bring Home Gold?

Men: Poised for a Run

With a 3-0 start including a statement win over the reigning champions, Team Jacobs looks every bit the gold medal contender. The chemistry among these veteran champions is evident, and their ability to stay "loose and free" under pressure bodes well for the long round robin grind . Saturday's showdown with undefeated Switzerland will be an early test of their championship mettle.

Women: Time to Rally

For Team Homan, the math is simple but difficult: they need to find their form, and fast. With nine round-robin games total, 1-2 is far from a death sentence. But with powerhouse Switzerland and Sweden both undefeated, margin for error has evaporated.

"We know that we can put that Maple Leaf on our back with pride. We're going to have the nation behind us, and all we can do is everything we've been doing," Homan said back in December after qualifying for the Olympics .

Now, she and her team must channel that belief into execution. The evening showdown with Tirinzoni is a chance to flip the script and remind the world why they've won back-to-back world championships.

Canada's curling legacy is unmatched: 12 Olympic medals, including six gold, since the sport returned to the Games in 1998 . In 2026, the men are rolling, the women are battling, and the nation watches with bated breath.