Get ready for a day of high-stakes curling action at the 2026 Crown Royal Players' Championship, because Friday is make-or-break time for teams vying for a spot in the playoffs. With only six teams from each division advancing in this prestigious Grand Slam event, every stone thrown could be the difference between glory and going home early. But here's where it gets intense: the playoff picture is still far from clear, especially on the women's side, where no team has secured a spot yet. And this is the part most people miss—the intricate point system and head-to-head matchups that could dramatically shift the standings by day's end.
Streaming live on watch.rockchannel.com, the action kicks off with Draw 9 at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ in Canada. Stick with us throughout the day for live updates and results, and don’t forget to check out the Draw Schedule & Results, Standings, and Broadcast Info for all the details.
MUST-SEE MATCHUPS
The clash between Canada’s Team Rachel Homan and Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg in Draw 13 (1 p.m. ET / Noon CT) is more than just a rivalry—it’s a battle for survival. Homan, sitting at 1-0-0-2 (three points), needs a win to stay in contention, especially with another tough match against Team Tabitha Peterson of the U.S. later in Draw 15 (9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT). But Hasselborg (1-1-1-1, six points) isn’t just playing for pride; she’s also in a points race against Team Isabella Wranå to represent Sweden at the World Women's Curling Championship. Wranå holds a 14-point lead, meaning Hasselborg must qualify for the playoffs here to close the gap. Controversial question: Is Hasselborg’s focus on this event a smart move, or is she spreading herself too thin?
Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s Team Matt Dunstone (0-2-0-1, four points) faces a grueling day, taking on Italy’s Team Joël Retornaz in the afternoon and Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte in the evening. If you haven’t grabbed your ticket for Draw 15, you’re out of luck—it’s already sold out.
WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT
The playoff picture is a tangled web, particularly in the women’s division, where almost every team is still in the running. Only Team Ikue Kitazawa and Team Momoha Tabata have been eliminated. On the men’s side, three teams have secured their spots:
Men’s Division Leaders:
- Team Kyle Waddell (3-2-0-0, 13 points): The undefeated Scots clinched a semifinal bye with a thrilling 7-6 shootout win over Whyte.
- Team Xu Xiaoming (3-1-0-1, 11 points): Xu punched their first-ever Grand Slam playoff ticket with an 8-7 victory over Edin.
- Team Yannick Schwaller (3-0-1-0, 10 points): Schwaller’s spot is secure, as no more than six teams can reach 10 points.
Battling for the remaining spots are Team Joël Retornaz, Team Ross Whyte, Team Bruce Mouat, Team Matt Dunstone, and Team John Shuster. Eliminated teams include Daniel Casper, Mike McEwen, Brad Jacobs, and Niklas Edin.
Women’s Division:
It’s a free-for-all, with Team Eun-ji Gim, Team Tabitha Peterson, Team Silvana Tirinzoni, Team Satsuki Fujisawa, Team Anna Hasselborg, Team Kerri Einarson, Team Sayaka Yoshimura, Team Xenia Schwaller, Team Isabella Wranå, and Team Rachel Homan all still in contention. Bold prediction: With so many teams clustered near the top, we could see a tiebreaker round on Saturday—who do you think will rise to the occasion?
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Draw 12: 9:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. CT
- Xu 8, Edin 7: Watch Replay (Cantonese) | Linescore
- Waddell 7, Whyte 6 (shootout): Watch Replay | Linescore
- Einarson 6, Kitazawa 3: Watch Replay | Linescore
- Fujisawa 5, Peterson 4 (shootout): Watch Replay | Linescore
Draw 13: 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT
- Tirinzoni vs. Yoshimura: Watch Live | Linescore
- Homan vs. Hasselborg: Watch Live | Linescore
- Casper vs. Shuster: Watch Live | Linescore
- Dunstone vs. Retornaz: Watch Live | Linescore
Draw 14: 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT
- Gim vs. Tabata: Watch Live | Linescore
- X. Schwaller vs. Wranå: Watch Live | Linescore
- Mouat vs. Y. Schwaller: Watch Live | Linescore
- Jacobs vs. McEwen: Watch Live | Linescore
Draw 15: 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT
- Dunstone vs. Whyte: Watch Live | Linescore
- Shuster vs. Edin: Watch Live | Linescore
- Homan vs. Peterson: Watch Live | Linescore
- Tirinzoni vs. Einarson: Watch Live | Linescore
ABOUT THE EVENT
The Crown Royal Players' Championship is the season’s fifth and final Grand Slam of Curling event, featuring the top 12 men’s and women’s teams globally. Teams are divided into two pools of six for round-robin play, with the top six overall advancing to the playoffs. The top two teams earn byes to the semifinals, and a tiebreaker round may be played on Saturday if needed. In round-robin matches, tied games after eight ends go to a draw-to-the-button shootout, with teams earning three points for a regulation win, two for a shootout win, and one for a shootout loss. Extra ends replace shootouts in the playoffs, with quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday and both finals on Sunday.
Final Thought: With so much on the line, who do you think will rise to the top? Let us know in the comments—and don’t miss a moment of this curling spectacle!
