By Adam Laskaris
After a hectic round robin filled with tension, we finally have our four women's curling semifinalists at Milano Cortina 2026: Sweden, USA, Canada, and Switzerland.
USA (6-3) vs Switzerland (6-3)
What a few weeks for Cory Thiesse!
The mixed doubles silver medallist along with Korey Dropkin is now in another Olympic playoff, surely vaulting her up the popularity rankings all-time among American curlers. It took an extra-end victory over the Swiss in their final game to clinch a playoff spot, with Tabitha Peterson hitting a clutch draw to set up the rubber match.
Making the trip to Italy the long way via the Olympic Qualifcation Event in Kelowna last December, the American rink has already punched ahead many pre-tournament projections, but will be looking for two more results to really etch their name in history.
The four-time world champions were the second team to clinch a playoff spot after Sweden.
Until their final round robin game against a desperate American team, they took care of most of the teams in the pool that they should’ve, outside of a close battle with Sweden and an uncharasteric defeat to Japan.
A rematch likely favours the Swiss due to their experience and pedigree, but anything can happen in a one-game showdown at the Olympics, particularly with the United States having hammer.
Sweden (7-2) vs Canada (6-3)
Rachel Homan didn’t hear no bell.
After starting 1-3 and looking like she might be headed for a third straight Olympic appearance (one in mixed doubles) without sniffing the playoffs, the Canadian skip started to play like herself once again. Five straight wins clinched a semifinal spot for the two-time defending world champions, who are two more wins away from completing a narrative arc.
A win-and-you’re-in game against South Korea saw Homan at her best, hitting multiple highlight shots to secure the victory.
They’ll face Sweden, who played beautifully to start the week before a slight dip at the end, putting up six straight games averaging above 80% as a team before dipping to 77% or below for their final three.
The Swedish rink overcame a disappointing year on tour to be the class of the field in Cortina. Their only losses came to Canada and Korea in their seventh and eighth games of the week, but they handled their challenges well to start things off to avoid too much of a high-stress situation coming down to the wire. The 2018 gold and 2022 bronze medallists will be looking to add another medal to their collection.
Sweden will have the hammer in a matchup between two juggernaut rinks.
Both semifinals go Friday morning at 8 a.m. ET. Check your local listings for TV broadcast info, with both games streaming for free in Canada on CBC Gem.
