Curling at Milano Cortina 2026

Chess on Ice Has Never Had Higher Stakes

Here’s a question that might surprise you: which Winter Olympic sport consistently draws the highest TV ratings in North America after figure skating and ice hockey? The answer is curling — and it’s not even close among the non-traditional sports. What started as a curiosity for casual viewers has become appointment television, thanks to the sport’s unique combination of strategy, precision, and the very human drama of watching athletes shout at a sliding stone.

Curling at Milano Cortina 2026 takes place at the Fiera Milano (Rho) convention center, which will be transformed into a dedicated curling venue with multiple sheets of ice. The event features three medal competitions: men’s tournament (10 teams), women’s tournament (10 teams), and mixed doubles (10 teams). Mixed doubles opens the schedule as one of the first events of the entire Games.

How the Game Actually Works

A curling match consists of ten ends (think innings). In each end, two teams alternate throwing eight stones apiece (16 total) toward the house — the circular target at the far end of the sheet. After all 16 stones are thrown, the team with the stone closest to the button (the center) scores one point for every stone closer than the opponent’s nearest stone.

The strategy is layered. Teams with the hammer (last-stone advantage) typically aim to score two or more points, because scoring just one — called a “blank” if you intentionally score zero — means you keep the hammer for the next end. Giving up a steal (allowing the team without the hammer to score) is the cardinal sin of curling strategy.

Sweeping: More Important Than It Looks

Sweeping isn’t decoration. When teammates vigorously sweep the ice in front of a moving stone, they’re creating friction that heats the ice surface, reducing curl and extending the stone’s travel distance by as much as 10-15 feet. The skip (team captain, usually throwing last) reads the ice and calls line, while sweepers control weight. Communication between skip and sweepers — the shouting you hear — is genuinely tactical.

Ice conditions change throughout a game. Fresh pebble (tiny water droplets sprayed on the ice surface) makes stones curl more. As the pebble wears down, the ice gets straighter and faster. Good teams adjust their strategy based on how the ice evolves, which is why you’ll see skips studying stone paths obsessively between shots.

U.S. Curling Enters a New Era

U.S. curling had its watershed moment in 2018 when John Shuster’s men’s team won a stunning gold medal in PyeongChang. That team returned in Beijing and finished fifth, but the moment fundamentally changed the sport’s profile in America. Shuster has since retired from competitive play, and a new generation of American curlers — many of whom grew up inspired by that 2018 run — are fighting for roster spots.

On the women’s side, the U.S. has been competitive but hasn’t broken through for a medal since the program’s bronze in 2006. South Korea’s team skip Kim Eun-jung, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg, and Canada perennially field strong squads.

The mixed doubles competition is where the U.S. may have its best medal shot. The event is growing in prestige and the American pairing has shown strong chemistry on the World Championship circuit.

If You’re Tuning In for the First Time

Watch the last three ends. That’s where curling transforms from chess to poker. Teams with leads may play conservatively, keeping the house clean. Trailing teams take risks, putting stones in play as guards and attempting angle raises that require millimeter precision. The final stone of the final end — when it matters — is one of the highest-pressure moments in all of sports.

Athletes to Watch

Bruce Mouat (GBR, Men’s Team / Mixed Doubles) — The Scottish skip is one of the most talented curlers of his generation, having competed in both the men’s and mixed doubles events in Beijing and leading Great Britain’s medal ambitions.

Niklas Edin (SWE, Men’s Team) — The Swedish legend finally won his elusive Olympic gold in Beijing after three previous medals, and at 40 he’s pursuing one final Games to cement his legacy as the greatest men’s skip of all time.

Anna Hasselborg (SWE, Women’s Team) — The 2018 Olympic gold medalist skip continues to lead one of the most consistent women’s teams on the World Championship circuit, blending tactical precision with steady nerves.

Amos Mosaner (ITA, Mixed Doubles) — The Italian mixed doubles star, who won gold on home soil for the host nation in curling at Beijing alongside Stefania Constantini, will look to replicate that magic in front of an even larger Italian crowd.

Tabitha Peterson (USA, Women’s Team) — Peterson has emerged as the leading U.S. women’s skip with strong World Championship performances and represents the new wave of American curling talent post-Shuster.

Venue Spotlight

Curling at Milano Cortina 2026 is staged at the Fiera Milano convention center in Rho, on the outskirts of Milan, converted into a purpose-built curling arena with multiple sheets. The urban setting offers easy access for spectators and gives curling a high-visibility stage. The venue’s controlled indoor environment ensures consistent ice conditions throughout the tournament.