Curling at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, competition schedule

MILAN — Curling has emerged as a cult traditional at the Winter Olympics.

The U.S. will likely be represented in all three curling occasions the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, with Team Casper competing in the males’s curling event after John Shuster’s bid to compete at his sixth consecutive Winter Games fell brief. Team Peterson and the duo of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin will also characterize Team USA in the women’s curling event and combined doubles, respectively.

All three groups will look to win Team USA’s first curling medal in eight years. The U.S. has only received two curling medals in Olympic historical past, most notably a gold medal received by Team Shuster in the males’s event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The U.S. hasn’t made the Olympic podium in the women’s or combined doubles occasions.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin poses for a photograph during the U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the 2026 Milan Olympic Winter Games at Javits Center in NYC on Oct. 28, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin poses for a photograph during the U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the 2026 Milan Olympic Winter Games at Javits Center in NYC on Oct. 28, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the U.S. in action during the match against Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada on April 4, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the U.S. in action during the match against Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada on April 4, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin and Team USA in action during the match against Norway at the World Men’s Curling Championship Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada on April 2, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Curling – World Men’s Curling Championship – Mosaic Place, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada – March 30, 2025
Korey Dropkin of the U.S. reacts during their match against Switzerland at the World Men’s Curling Championship, Mosaic Place, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada on March 30, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin, Mark Fenner, Tom Howell and Andrew Stopera of the U.S. during their match against Switzerland at the World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada on March 30, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the U.S. reacts during his match against Italy at the World Men’s Curling Championship at Mosaic Place, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada on March 29, 2025.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin (middle) sends the rock down the ice during U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska on Nov. 21, 2021.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin reacts during U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb. on Nov. 21, 2021.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the United States delivers a stone during Game 3 of the US Olympic Team Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 21, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the United States delivers a stone during the US Olympic Team Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 21, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin watches the rock during U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling at Baxter Arena on Nov. 21, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the United States watches action during Game 2 of the US Olympic Team Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 20, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the United States delivers a stone during Game 2 of the US Olympic Team Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 20, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.

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Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles roller for Team USA

Korey Dropkin of the United States watches after delivering a stone during Game 1 of the US Olympic Team Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 19, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.

When did curling change into a Winter Olympic sport?

Men’s curling was a part of the inaugural 1924 Chamonix Winter Games, however it was held as an illustration event in 1932 at Lake Placid, in 1988 at Calgary and in 1992 at Albertville. Men and women’s curling have been formally added to the program for the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games, while combined doubles made its debut at Pyeongchang in 2018.

How does Olympic curling work?

Two groups of 4 people each take turns gliding 44-pound stones down a sheet of ice towards a goal that appears to be like like a bullseye. Each match options six to 10 rounds, called ends. The stones have a deal with on them, so when they’re launched, they curl down the ice. As the stone glides towards the goal, gamers sweep the ice in entrance of it, which may have an effect on the route and the speed of the stone.

During each round, groups take turns throwing eight rocks, and the team with the rock or rocks closest to the middle of the goal wins the end. Players can throw guards to dam the goal, attracts to attempt to score or takeouts to take away the opponent’s stones as each end performs out. There are three curling occasions:

Who are the top Team USA athletes in curling?

Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin: The duo is ready to make its Olympic debut in combined doubles at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games after turning into the first U.S. combined doubles team to win gold at the world championships in 2023. Thiesse will also characterize Team U.S. in the women’s curling event.

Danny Casper: The 24-year-old skipper leads Team Casper, which dethroned Team Shuster at the 2025 U.S. Olympic Curling Trials. Team Casper is also made up of Luc Violette (third), Ben Richardson (second), Aidan Oldenburg (lead) and Rich Ruohonen (alternate).

Tabitha Peterson: The 36-year-old skipper leads Team Peterson, which received the 2025 U.S. Olympic Curling Trials and earned the final berth in the women’s competition in the 2026 Winter Games. Team Peterson also contains Cory Thiesse (third), Tara Peterson (second) and Taylor Anderson-Heide (lead).

International panorama

Canada holds the most Olympic curling medals with 12 general, including six gold medals between all occasions, the most of any nation. Sweden is a detailed second with 11 whole medals and 4 golds, including a gold in the males’s event in Beijing 2022, along with a bronze in the women’s event and combined doubles.

Olympic curling schedule

Feb. 4-10: Mixed doubles round robin with semifinals on Feb. 9 and medal games on Feb. 10.

Feb. 11-19: Men’s and women’s round robin

Feb. 19: Men’s semifinals

Feb. 20: Women’s semifinals; males’s bronze medal game

Feb. 21: Women’s bronze medal game; males’s gold medal game

Feb. 22: Women’s gold medal game

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This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Curling at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, what to know

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Curling at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, competition schedule