The third annual Pan Continental Curling Championships gets underway this weekend at the Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex in Lacombe.
The competition serves as a qualifier for the world championships for all World Curling Member Associations from the Americas and Pacific-Asia zones. The Pan Continental Championships has replaced the former world championship qualification routes of the Pacific Asia Curling Championships and the Americas Challenge.
This year’s Pan Continental Championships will feature 16 women’s teams, divided into an A-Division and a B-Division, both of eight teams. In men’s play, 20 teams will take part, divided into an A-Division of eight teams and a B-Division of 12 teams.
In the women’s event, Korea, as world championship hosts, will qualify for the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2025. Additionally, the top four teams will qualify their Member Association for the world championship.
In the men’s event, Canada, as world championship hosts, will qualify for the BKT Tires World Men’s Curling Championship 2025. The top four teams qualify their Member Association.
If a world championship host finishes in the top four places, the fifth-place team will secure the qualification place.
In addition, the bottom A-Division teams in both the women’s and men’s events will be demoted to next season’s B-Division, to be replaced by the promotion of this season’s B-Division winners.
The women’s teams are:
A-Division: Canada (skipped by Rachel Homan); China; Japan; Korea; Mexico; New Zealand; Chinese Taipei; and United States
B-Division: Australia; Brazil; Hong Kong, China; Jamaica; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Nigeria; and Philippines.
The men’s teams are:
A-Division: Australia; Canada (skipped by Brad Gushue); China; Japan; Korea; New Zealand; Chinese Taipei; and United States
B-Division: Brazil; Hong Kong, China; India; Jamaica; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Saudi Arabia; Nigeria; Philippines; Puerto Rico; and Qatar.*
*Mongolia as previously listed are no longer competing.*
(Gushue skipped Canada to gold in both the 2023 and 2022 championships. On the women’s side, Japan won the 2022 event while South Korea won gold in 2023.)
Round-robin play starts on October 27 and continues until October 31.
The men’s semi-finals will take place on the evening of October 31. The bronze medal game then takes place on November 1 and the gold medal final on the morning of November 2.
The women’s semi-final and bronze medals games will take place during November 1, with the gold medal final taking place on the afternoon of November 2.
The men’s B-Division round-robin starts on October 26, while the women get underway on October 27. B-Division play-offs and medal games will take place on November 1 and November 2.
All games will be broadcast on the Curling Channel, however, there may be restrictions due to broadcast partner agreements.
