By John Hodge
The round robin for the men’s curling at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games is almost over, which means it’s time to break down which countries still have a shot at the podium.
The top four teams will advance to the playoffs where the first and fourth-place teams will meet in one semifinal and the second and third-place teams will meet in the other. A few teams have already clinched one of these coveted spots, while a handful of others remain in the hunt for the others.
With this in mind, let’s take stock of how the men stack up heading into the last two days of round robin play. The field has been broken into four different tiers.
Ticket punched
Switzerland (7-0)
Yannick Schwaller’s rink from the Curling Club Trois-Chêne in Geneva has been dominant since the action got underway at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
Only two of the team’s seven wins have occurred by fewer than four-point margins and they’ve already knocked off Great Britain, Canada, and Sweden, who were the other consensus favourites to win gold.
Switzerland leads the field in team shooting percentage at 89.6, while Schwaller, fourth-thrower Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel, and lead Pablo Lachat-Couchepin all rank first at their respective positions.
The No. 2-ranked team in the world has been at their best this week, which bodes well for their hopes of earning a medal. The Swiss haven’t won gold in men’s curling since the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
Remaining opponents: Norway and Italy
Canada (6-1)
The team out of the Glencoe Club in Calgary, Alta. punched its ticket to the playoffs with a 9-5 win over Great Britain on Tuesday night.
Brad Jacobs and his rink broke the game open by scoring three in the seventh end when Bruce Mouat’s double-takeout attempt jammed, leaving Jacobs with a routine draw. Canada stole in the eighth and ninth ends as Mouat struggled with his hits, leading Great Britain to concede early.
The only blemish on the Canadian’s schedule thus far is a 9-5 loss to Switzerland on Saturday afternoon. The Swiss notched four deuces in the game and shot 92 percent compared to 85 percent for Canada.
The Canadians are throwing 87.5 percent as a team through seven games to rank second in the field. All four players are top-four at their respective positions with Jacobs sitting second among skips at 87.3 percent.
Remaining opponents: Italy and Norway
In the hunt
Italy (4-3)
The hometown heroes got an 8-5 win over the United States on Tuesday night that significantly boosted their chances of making the playoffs.
The Italians scored three in the sixth end, generating a deafening roar from the crowd. Joël Retornaz made a nose hit through a relatively narrow port, then found the 12-foot on his last stone of the eighth end to score two. The veteran skip was left with a nose hit in the tenth end to secure the win and made no mistake.
The squad from the Trentino Curling Cembra has received overwhelming support all week from their hometown fans. With their last two games scheduled against the top teams in the field, Italy will need all the support they can get in pursuit of their first-ever Olympic medal in men’s curling.
Remaining opponents: Canada and Switzerland
Norway (4-3)
Magnus Ramsfjell’s squad got a huge boost on Monday afternoon when they upset Great Britain by a score of 7-6. The Norwegians stole two in the eighth end after Bruce Mouat missed a tap for one, then cemented the game with a double-takeout on Ramsfjell’s last rock in the tenth end.
Based out of the Trondheim Curlingklubb, located 500 kilometres north of Oslo, the Norwegians fell 7-4 to Sweden on Tuesday night. The team allowed a steal of two in the fourth end when Ramsfjell came light on a draw, then gave up a steal in the sixth end when Ramsfjell was light on a tap against one.
The biggest challenge for Norway is the same one facing Italy: they’ve yet to play the top two teams in the field. Sweeping these two matchups would guarantee the Norwegians a spot in the playoffs, while one or more losses could put that in doubt.
Remaining opponents: Switzerland and Canada
United States (4-4)
Based out of the Chaska Curling Centre in Minnesota, Casper and his rink appeared primed to clinch a playoff berth before suffering two losses on Tuesday.
The first defeat came at the hands of China when Casper was heavy on a draw to close the eighth end, giving the opposition a steal of three. After scoring three in the ninth end, the American allowed another three-spot in the tenth end when Xiaoming Xu made a double-takeout to secure an 8-5 win.
The U.S. curled only 78 percent in their Tuesday night loss to Italy and now rank tied for seventh alongside Norway in shooting percentage at 82.4. Casper’s rink can still qualify for the playoffs, though they’ll need Italy and Norway to hit the skids over their last two games.
Remaining opponent: Great Britain
Great Britain (4-4)
The No. 1-ranked team in the world has officially fallen apart in Milano Cortina, suffering three-straight losses to Switzerland, Norway, and Canada. Bobby Lammie, the team’s second, shot 65 percent in the loss to Canada, while skip Bruce Mouat wasn’t much better at 69 percent.
Based out of the Gogar Park Curling Club in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mouat’s rink was expected to win gold in Italy. Though the team can still make the playoffs depending on how Norway and Italy fare over their last two games, there’s no denying this team has disappointed this week.
Despite their recent struggles, Great Britain is ranked third in team shooting percentage at 86.4, while Grant Hardie is ranked second among thirds at 89.0 percent.
Remaining opponent: USA
Hanging by a thread
Germany (3-5)
Marc Muskatewitz’s rink took a key step to a playoff berth with a 7-3 win over Sweden on Monday, stealing three times over the game’s final five ends. Since then, the Germans have stumbled.
The team from Curling Club Füssen, which is located near the Austrian border, lost 9-7 to previously winless Czechia on Tuesday morning. The squad failed to bounce back on Tuesday evening, losing 8-4 to Switzerland in a game that was never particularly close.
After leading all thirds in shooting percentage through the first third of the round robin, Benjamin Kapp has had three sub-80 percent performances in his last four games. Felix Messenzehl, the German second, ranks second at his position, throwing 87.0 percent.
Remaining opponent: China
China (2-5)
The Chinese had a front-loaded schedule to start the Olympics and were unable to handle it, suffering five consecutive losses to Great Britain, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, and Canada.
The team’s shot-making has been somewhat backloaded with front-enders Jingtao Xu and Zhichao Li both ranking ninth at their respective positions, while third Xueqing Fei and skip Xiaoming Xu rank fifth and sixth, respectively.
Despite the poor start and a guarantee of finishing the round robin with a losing record, back-to-back wins over Italy and the United States have kept China’s faint playoff hopes alive. They’ll need a lot of help to get there, but Xu’s rink can still reach the semifinals.
Remaining opponents: Czechia and Germany
Playing for pride
Sweden (2-6)
This wasn’t a strong event for the defending gold medallists, whose week will be best remembered for their on-ice verbal altercation with Canada on Friday.
Niklas Edin has let his team down in Milano Cortina, throwing 75.7 percent to rank eighth among skips. He threw sub-70 percent in losses to Italy, Great Britain, and the United States.
The Swedes gave their fans something to cheer about with a 7-4 win over Norway on Tuesday but they have no chance of making the playoffs. Despite their disappointment in men’s competition, second Rasmus Wranå will leave Italy with a gold medal he won in the mixed doubles alongside sister Isabella.
Remaining opponent: Czechia
Czechia (1-6)
Lukáš Klíma’s rink entered Milano Cortina as the lowest-ranked team in the field and that’s been evident for most of the event. After a narrow loss to the United States in session one, the team suffered five-straight losses by three points or more before finally getting a win.
The victory came on Tuesday morning when Czechia completed a comeback to beat Germany. Klíma’s rink scored three in the seventh end, then stole one in the eighth end to take their first lead of the game. The Czechs eventually won 8-5 when Klíma punched a German stone through a hole with his last shot of the game to score three.
This was the first men’s or women’s curling team ever to represent Czechia at the Olympics. Hailing from Curling Club Zbraslav in Prague, this unit remains relatively young and finished one spot shy of a playoff berth at the World Championships in 2025, so they appear to be trending in the right direction.
Remaining opponents: China and Sweden
