Curling rules, schedule, and more at 2026 Winter Olympics

The Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy are nearly at hand, but among the sports that get underway before those ceremonies kick off is one that creates a peculiar fascination among fans of the Winter Games. Yes, we’re talking about curling, the niche sport with a cult following that gets a boost of attention every four years when the Olympics come around.

This year there will be three separate tournaments taking place over two-plus weeks, with Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles teams all competing for medals. For sports fans who want to become more familiar with “The Roaring Game,” we have a detailed primer on the rules, history, and basic strategy of curling, as well as a look at who will be representing Team USA in each of the three tournaments.

Curling, at its core, is a relatively simple game. Teams alternate throwing large granite stones down a sheet of ice, looking to land as many of their own stones as possible near the center of the target area on the other side. After each team’s 8 stones have been thrown – that’s 16 stones in total – the round, or “end,” is complete and the teams tally up the score and start again in the opposite direction. In Olympic competition, teams play 10 ends; in the event that the score is tied after the 10th end is complete, the teams play a full extra end to decide the winner.

The sport gets underway from Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium early on Thursday, February 5 with Mixed Doubles. The Men’s and Women’s tournaments will follow, beginning on February 11th and 12th, respectively and concluding with the medal rounds on the Games’ final weekend.

Need more information? Here’s an in-depth look at the Olympic curling tournament format and a much deeper dive into the history and the finer details of the sport.

2026 Olympic Tournament Format and Schedule

There are three distinct curling disciplines at the Winter Olympics, with Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles teams all competing in separate tournaments. Men’s and Women’s teams each have four members (plus an alternate), while a Mixed Doubles team is just two individuals: one man and one woman.

10 teams will participate in each tournament. For each one, Italy automatically qualifies as the host country, with the next 7 highest-ranked countries in the world (based on points from the 2024 and 2025 World Championships) all earning automatic qualification. That leaves two spots available to qualify via the Olympic Qualification Events, which took place in Kelowna, British Columbia in December 2025.

Team USA qualified for the 2026 Olympics in all three tournaments. The Men’s and Women’s teams, led by Daniel Casper and Tabitha Peterson, earned spots via the Olympic Qualification Events; the Mixed Doubles team of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin was an automatic qualifier.

Each tournament consists of a round-robin in which every team plays the other nine over the course of several days. Once the round-robin is complete, the four teams with the best records advance to the medal round, a classic 1 through 4 bracket where the semifinal winners meet in the Gold medal match and the losers play for the Bronze.

All curling events at the 2026 Olympics will be held at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. This historic venue was constructed for the 1956 Winter Olympics and was remodeled to hold four curling sheets for the 2026 Games.

Tournament Schedule

Mixed Doubles

• Round Robin: Wednesday 4 February through Monday, 9 February
• Semifinals: Monday, 9 February (18:05 local, 12:05 PM Eastern Time)
• Bronze Medal Match: Tuesday, 10 February (14:05 local, 8:05 AM ET)
• Gold Medal Match: Tuesday, 10 February (18:05 local, 12:05 PM ET)

Men’s

• Round Robin: Wednesday, 11 February through Thursday, 19 February
• Semifinals: Thursday, 19 February (19:05 local, 1:05 PM ET)
• Bronze Medal Match: Friday, 20 February (19:05 local, 1:05 PM ET)
• Gold Medal Match: Saturday, 21 February (19:05 local, 1:05 PM ET)

Women’s

• Round Robin: Thursday, 12 February through Thursday, 19 February
• Semifinals: Friday, 20 February (14:05 local, 8:05 AM Eastern)
• Bronze Medal Match: Friday, 21 February (14:05 local, 8:05 AM Eastern)
• Gold Medal Match: Sunday, 22 February (11:05 local, 5:05 AM Eastern)

Curling Background

Curling is an ancient sport that originated on the frozen ponds of Scotland. Today it is played in arenas or dedicated curling facilities on modern, man-made, and meticulously maintained ice. Put simply, the goal of curling is to slide a large granite stone, or rock, down the ice and have it come to rest as close as possible to the center of a specified target area.

Curling clubs tend to be social clubs or community organizations that foster a strong sense of community and friendly competition, while holding regular leagues for members and tournaments, called “Bonspiels,” to welcome teams from other clubs. A typical tradition at a curling club is for the winning team to buy the losing team a drink after a match, further fostering a sense of community and shared appreciation for the sport.

The Stones

Curling stones are polished, round pieces of granite with a concave bottom that leaves only a fairly small surface area in contact with the ice. Olympic curling stones weigh approximately 42 pounds (19 kg) and are made from granite that is exclusively sourced from a single island, Ailsa Craig, which is located off the southwest coast of Scotland.

This granite is particularly dense, hard, and strong, and all of these are essential qualities for the stones. They will frequently make contact with each other at high speeds over the course of a match as teams try to move each others’ stones – and, often, their own – around the playing surface. The single source of the granite also helps to ensure consistency across the stones, which can be affected by small, imperceptible imperfections.

After being chiseled into the proper shape and polished, a stone is fitted with a colored handle to allow for ease of handling and delivery by players, as well as to identify which team it belongs to. Each curling sheet has 16 stones, eight each with two different colors.

Playing Surface

Each playing surface is called a “sheet,” and there are typically several sheets at a single curling facility. An Olympic curling sheet is 150 feet long (45 meters) long and 15 feet, 7 inches (4.75 meters) wide. At each side of the sheet is a large bullseye, known as the “house,” which is made up of concentric rings around its center.

At the center of the house is a single circle with a diameter of 6 inches (30 cm). Outside that are several rings named by their diameters: the 4-foot, 8-foot, and 12-foot circles. Each house is centered at 18 feet from its end of the ice, making the centers of the houses 114 feet apart.

Additionally, two perpendicular lines cross each other at the center of the house: the Tee line, which runs from side to side, and the Center line, which runs the length of the ice down the center of the sheet. The other important lines on the ice are the back lines, which are aligned at the rear edges of each house, and the Hog lines, which are 21 feet away from the Tee lines. 

Finally, six feet behind the back line is the Hack. The Hack is a pair of rubber wedges mounted in the ice and providing a surface to push off, similar to a runner’s starting block. When delivering a stone, a player will place one foot in the Hack on the appropriate side and push off, sliding along the ice while holding onto the stone’s handle until releasing it at the appropriate time.

A full view of the approved dimensions for competitive curling sheets is available here from the World Curling Federation.

The other essential quality of curling ice is how it is prepared for competition. Unlike ice hockey or figure skating, where a rink is periodically treated with a Zamboni-style machine, curling ice should not be smooth after preparation. Instead, the ice is sprinkled with water droplets, which quickly freeze and create a bumpy, “pebbled” texture. This pebbling reduces the amount of surface area that contacts the bottom of the stone, allowing it to glide farther while helping the thrower to control which direction the stone will move.

Other Equipment

Thankfully, curling stones are provided by each playing facility, so teams do not need to lug around hundreds of pounds of granite when traveling from city to city. However, there are two main pieces of equipment that are essential for high-level curlers: shoes and a broom.

Curling shoes are a unique piece of footwear. One shoe has a thick, textured rubber sole to help ensure good grip on the ice. The other has a thick plastic sole called a “slider” instead, which allows a player to glide smoothly along the ice while delivering a stone. Which foot has the rubber sole and which has the plastic sole depends on the handedness of the player – a right-handed thrower will have the slider on the left foot, as they push out of the Hack with their right foot and slide on their left; a left-handed thrower will be reversed. In either case, players also typically have removable rubber “grippers” that they can place over their slider shoe to improve their stability on the ice when they are not actively delivering a stone.

The other critical piece of equipment is the broom. Once upon a time, these were literal brooms with wooden handles and corn or hair brushes, but technological advancements in recent decades have yielded massive changes. Brooms now have lightweight shafts made of fiberglass or carbon fiber, with specialized heads covered by highly regulated synthetic fabric.

Due to rapid advancement in broom technology in the early 2010s, the World Curling Federation began strictly regulating the material and composition of broom heads in 2016, prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. The WCF now certifies specific models of brooms for use in high-level competitions to ensure consistency of equipment and ensure a level playing field.

One additional piece of equipment may be used by some curlers, though more frequently at the club level. Rules state that a player may use any type of stability aid when delivering a stone. Most players will use their typical sweeping broom for balance during delivery, but some may use a corn broom or other item, such as a plastic stabilization aid, to help their balance.

How Does Curling Work?

Placing a stone exactly where you want it in the house is a difficult task that requires physical coordination, teamwork, and an understanding of how the ice and the stone work together. Each delivery of a stone involves four individuals: the thrower, two sweepers, and the fourth team member who directs the sweepers from behind the target house.

Throwing

1. The thrower steps into the hack with one foot, holds onto the stone’s handle with one hand and their broom or delivery aid with the other, and firmly pushes out of the hack, allowing their momentum to carry them and the stone forward. 
2. The thrower must then release the stone prior to reaching the near Hog Line; touching the handle after this line disqualifies the stone and it is removed from play. Olympic stones are fitted with electronics that clearly identify if the thrower is still touching the stone at the Hog Line.
3. When the thrower releases the stone, they will slightly rotate it in one direction or the other, depending on the stone’s desired path. A stone will gradually move laterally across the sheet in the same direction as the rotation: Stones turned clockwise will move from left to right, while those rotated counter-clockwise will move from right to left.

Sweeping

The sweepers are responsible for helping to direct the stone to its desired location. Sweeping is arguably the most distinctive act in the entire sport, consisting of one or both sweepers rapidly brushing the ice directly in front of the stone. The friction of the broom’s fabric on the ice melts a tiny layer of the ice, which has two primary effects on the stone.

First, sweeping allows the rock to glide farther down the ice. A rock that is swept consistently all the way down the ice will come to rest several feet farther from its origin than a rock that is thrown exactly the same way but without being swept at all. Secondly, sweeping directs the stone laterally across the ice. Sweeping generally reduces the amount of distance that a stone curls, keeping it on a straighter line than it would take on its own, though some recent advancements in sweeping technology and techniques do allow for players to induce more curl and make it move more. But in general, sweeping has historically been intended to keep the rock on a straighter path and to make the rock go farther down the ice.

The sweepers’ role is therefore twofold. First, they must judge how hard the stone has been thrown – referred to as the “weight” of the delivery –  and sweep accordingly. If the stone is not thrown hard enough (it is too light), the sweepers will sweep to make it glide farther and reach its intended destination. However, if a stone is too heavy and is thrown too hard, there is nothing sweepers can do to slow it down. (At least not according to the rules of the sport, which as of January 2026 include a few specific limitations on sweeping techniques.)

The other main function of sweepers is to keep the rock on its intended trajectory; this is where the Skip’s instructions – often provided through extremely loud yelling – inform the sweepers that they should sweep for directional purposes.

Finally, teams may only sweep their own rocks down the ice, though there can be any number of players sweeping at a time. The only time at which a team can sweep an opponent’s stone is if it crosses the Tee line in the house; then, a single player (usually the one calling the shot) is allowed to sweep an opposing stone, usually doing so in an effort to get it to fully cross the back line and be taken out of play.

Eventually, a stone will either come to rest on its own, collide with another stone that is in play, or pass through the house and be removed from play. The following conditions will result in a stone being removed from play:

1. The thrower does not release the stone before the near Hog line
2. A sweeper touches the stone in any way, including with a broom (this is known as “burning” a stone)
3. A stone does not fully cross the far Hog line (this is known as “hogging” a stone)
4. A stone touches the boundary on either side of the sheet
5. A stone fully crosses the back line behind the far house

Additionally, any stone that was in play and is moved via collision with another stone will be removed from play if it touches either side of the sheet or fully crosses the back line.

Types of Curling Shots

While there are nuances to what a team will try to accomplish with an individual delivery, most types of shots fall into one of these broad categories:

• Guard: these shots are intended to come to rest between the far Hog Line and the house (an area known as the Free Guard Zone) in order to block pathways on the ice for the opposing team.
• Draw: draws are intended to come to rest in or around the house, usually with the intent of having the thrown stone end up in a competitive scoring position.
• Takeout or Hit: the thrown stone is intended to collide with another stone that is in play, usually with the goal of removing the target stone from play.

Gameplay & Strategy

A standard competitive curling match consists of up to 10 rounds of play, called “ends.” In an end, each team delivers eight stones from one hack to the opposite house, with the teams alternating throws until all 16 rocks have been delivered. Once the last rock has come to rest, the teams review their positions to determine the scoring for that end.

Teams throwing the final rock in an end have a significant advantage, as they have the final opportunity to affect the playing field. The final rock of an end is known as the “Hammer,” and teams generally will try to score two or more points in any end when they have the Hammer.

A coin toss at the start of the match gives the winner of the toss the option to take the Hammer in the first end or to choose which colored stones to throw in the game. Because the Hammer is a significant strategic advantage, teams will almost always choose the Hammer, leaving the other team to select color.

Which team holds the Hammer in a given end can change from end to end throughout the match. If Team A scores in one end, then Team B receives the hammer in the next end. Therefore, teams will try to maximize the number of points that they can score when they have the hammer, knowing that if they score any points at all, they will forfeit it in the following end. 

Scoring

Once all 16 rocks have been thrown, the end is complete and players convene to confirm the scoring for that end. Only one team can score in a single end, and only stones that are touching the house may be eligible to score points. 

A simple way to score an end is as follows:

1. First, determine which team has the closest stone to the center of the house. This is the team that will score points in this end.
2. Determine the closest stone to the center for the non-scoring team.
3. Count how many stones belonging to the scoring team are closer to the center of the house than the closest stone by the non-scoring team. That is the number of points scored in that end.

If neither team has any stones in the house, no points are awarded and the team that had the hammer in that end gets to keep it for the next end. A scoreless end is referred to as a “blank,” and it is often a strategic move for a team with the hammer to deliberately play for a blank; in doing so, they keep the hammer for the next end, rather than scoring only a single point and giving it back to their opponents.

(Note: this is another area where mixed doubles is different: the hammer does change teams on a blank end in mixed doubles.)

Here’s a scoring example:

In this case, the team throwing the red rocks will score because they have the closest stone to the center of the house. Yellow’s closest stone is just barely touching the white circle (the 8-foot). Red has two stones closer to the center than that yellow stone, so red earns two points for this end. Note that even though the red stone near the bottom of the image is touching the house, it does not score a point because it is farther away from the center than the yellow stone in the house.

A regulation match consists of 10 ends, and the team with the most points at the conclusion of the 10th end is the winner. Teams may also concede prior to the conclusion of all ten ends. If the match is tied after 10 ends, an extra end will be played to determine the winner.

Team Composition

Curling is generally played between two teams of four players each. During each delivery of a stone, one player is the one performing the delivery, two are sweeping ahead of the stone, and one is behind the target house calling the shot and directing the sweepers.

Delivery rotates through the four players on the team in a specific order, which must be kept the same throughout an entire match. One of the four players delivers a team’s initial two stones, followed by a second player who throws stones 3 and 4, then a third throwing 5 and 6, and then finally a fourth who completes the end with stones 7 and 8. 

The players’ positions are named, rather uncreatively, by the order in which they throw their team’s rocks. The player throwing the team’s first two stones is in the first position. The player throwing the team’s next set of stones is in second position, followed by the third and fourth positions. Often, players are simply referred to by their positions, such as “the Second,” though the player in the first throwing position is also often called the “Lead.”

Each team has a captain, usually called the Skip, who makes the team’s strategic decisions. When not delivering their own stones, the Skip will generally be the player standing behind the target house, calling the shots for their team while the other three players rotate through the delivery and sweeping positions. Typically, the Skip throws in the fourth position, though they may occupy any position in the throwing order.

Teams also generally designate a Vice, who is effectively the second-in-command. That player typically throws third in the order and frequently consults with the Skip on strategic decisions. The Vice also is usually the player who stands behind the house and directs the sweepers when the Skip is delivering their rocks, and the two teams’ Vices are generally the players who agree on the final scoring decisions for each end.

This means that in a typical lineup, the First and Second each sweep six stones down the ice, while the Vice typically sweeps only four and the Skip sweeps none. The First and Second are therefore expected to be skilled sweepers who must judge quickly whether the rock has been thrown with the desired weight.

Each team in Olympic competition also has an alternate, a 5th member who is part injury substitute, part equipment tester, and part assistant coach. The alternate is available to play if a player is injured or cannot continue in the middle of a match, as well as to substitute in for a full match if needed. Additionally, the alternate has an important role in scouting ice conditions and pairing up stones so that each thrower has a pair that behave similarly to one another.

Mixed Doubles

Mixed Doubles has a modified format, however. In that format, the teams consist of two players each, one male and one female, and ends have only six stones per team. Additionally, matches only last for eight ends instead of the typical ten.

One stone for each team is placed on the sheet in a specific location shown below, with the position depending on which team has the hammer. Then, each team delivers only five stones per end; one player delivers stones 1 and 5, while the other throws stones 2, 3, and 4. Either the male or female player can be in either throwing position, and both players are allowed to sweep all of their team’s stones – even the thrower can get up and sweep if needed.

The team with the hammer must place their first rock at the back of the 4-foot ring at the center line, while the team without the hammer places a guard on the center line in the Free Guard Zone. In one end per game, a team can elect to use a “Power Play,” which allows rocks to be placed off the center line instead (though in similar positions as guards and in the house) and can often result in higher-scoring ends.

Other Notable Rules

Once you understand the scoring, Curling is fairly simple. Teams trade off throwing their stones down the ice, trying to block pathways for their opponents or remove their opponents’ stones while placing their own in protected areas with the intent of putting multiple stones near the center of the house.

There are a few final rules that are important to know for strategy purposes.

Free Guard Zone Rule

This is one of the most important rules in curling that has affected game strategy over the years. It states that during the first five total stones of an end, teams may not remove an opponent’s stone from play if it is in the Free Guard Zone (the space between the far Hog Line and the house). If this were to happen, the thrown stone must be removed from play and the guard stone is placed back in its original location. There are a few points worth clarifying on this rule, however. 

A team can make contact with an opponent’s stone that is in the Free Guard Zone and move it slightly, so long as the guard stone is not fully removed from play. This type of throw is called a “tick,” and some teams may try to move opposing guards to set up more advantageous shots later on. However, a recent rule addition states that teams may not tick a guard stone that is touching the center line and move it off the center line. This is known as the “No-Tick Rule,” which was added to the Free Guard Zone rules within the last few years and will be in place during the Olympics for the first time in 2026. In that event, the non-offending team has the option to return all stones to their original positions and remove the offending stone, or to accept the result of the throw.

Keep in mind that these rules apply only to opponents’ stones, so a throwing team may remove any of its own guards at any time. Additionally, any stone that touches even the outer edge of the house is not protected. So if a team throws a stone into the house, it is eligible to be removed at any time, even during the first five stones. 

Finally, the Free Guard Zone rule does apply in Mixed Doubles as well. However, it only applies to the first three thrown stones, rather than the first five.

Why do these rules exist? In short, they make matches more exciting and increase scoring. The Free Guard Zone and No-Tick rules encourage teams to throw guards early in an end, knowing that the other team cannot remove those stones immediately. In turn, that leads to more aggressive shot selection and higher-scoring ends.

Got all that? If not, keep this primer handy as you watch some curling over the next few days and weeks, and it will all start to fall into place. And if you, like so many before you, catch curling fever during the Olympics, be sure to look up a local curling club in your area. Odds are that there’s a club near you that will be holding introductory or instructional sessions in an effort to further grow the sport.

Evan Western is a contributor to SB Nation and a Managing Editor at Acme Packing Company, the SB Nation community for the Green Bay Packers. He has been curling out of the Columbus Curling Club in Columbus, Ohio for the last 15 years.