Curling’s Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) starts in Kelowna, Canada on December 6 and represents the final opportunity for NOCs (National Organizing Committees) to qualify for the 2026 Winter Games.
Eight men’s teams, eight women’s teams and eight mixed doubles teams are set to compete for two remaining spots in each of the three Olympic disciplines.
Team Casper and Team Peterson emerged victorious at the U.S. Team Trials held in November, earning them the right to participate in the OQE.
The United States has been a fixture at the Winter Olympics, having participated in the men’s and women’s curling events at every Games since it became a medal sport in 1998. Failing to qualify would snap the consecutive Games streaks at six apiece.
Americans Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin already clinched their Milan Cortina 2026 berths as a mixed doubles rink thanks to a fifth-place finish at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in May.
Opening round-robin action streams live on the Olympic Channel via Olympics.com.
The Rinks
NOCs |
|
| Men's field | Women's field |
| United States | United States |
| China | Norway |
| Japan | Japan |
| South Korea | Turkiye |
| Netherlands | Estonia |
| Philippines | Czechia |
| Poland | Germany |
| New Zealand | Australia |
Team Casper and Team Peterson both are favorites heading into the OQE, with the former ranking higher than any other men’s team competing and the latter ranking second best among the women’s squads.
Format
The OQE for the men’s and women’s events begin Friday, December 5 and continue through Thursday, December 11.
Most of the bonspiel constitutes round-robin play where each rink plays the other once. Teams that finish with the four best records move onto the qualification games, which take place next December 10th and 11th.
Similar in structure to the NBA play-in tournament, the 1-seed squares off against the 2-seed and the 3-seed matches up with the 4-seed. The winner of 1 vs. 2 secures the first quota spot in Milan Cortina. The winner of the 3 vs. 4 goes on to play the loser of the 1 vs. 2 with that victor securing the second Olympic spot.
Team Casper’s journey to the OQE
At the U.S. Team Trials, Team Casper did something no American rink ever had done: deny John Shuster a trip to the Winter Games. The man was Thanos, he was inevitable. Until he wasn’t.
Skipped by Danny Casper, the Casper squad formed in 2023 and steadily climbed the world ranks. They were poised for a breakout 2024-25 season until Danny was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. Their captain was forced to miss 75% of the games that year, forcing the rink to constantly find new players on short notice, and thus leaving them at a disadvantage.
The offseason proved to be a rejuvenating one for Danny whose health improved significantly. The adversity paid its dividends as the rink slid out to an impeccable start to the 2025-26 campaign, reaching their highest ranking ever heading into the Team Trials. Awaiting them was American curling’s boogeymen, Team Shuster.
Casper and Shuster proceeded to engage in an outstanding best-of-three series, going shot for shot and never once cowering to the moment. 2010 Olympic gold medalist and Team Trial commentator, Kevin Martin, called them “some of the best games he’s ever watched” and “definitely the best games two American teams have ever played against each other.”
It was a remarkable achievement for Team Casper, but the job far from is finished.
“I think this will actually be a tougher test for us mentally than the Trials,” skip Danny Casper stated. “At the qualifier, there's going to be a lot of new: new place, new teams that we don't really play a ton, new conditions. So I want to make sure our team is focused on that and also understanding that we’re nowhere yet. It's great that we won the Trials, and it's important to enjoy big wins, but we're not in the Olympics yet.”
“There’s a lot of work to be done, but I think we feel pretty good about our chances against all the qualifier teams,” Aidan Oldenburg added. “We've had a really great season so far, too, and it feels like we're still on the rise. We’re just really excited and raring to go.”
Team Peterson’s journey to the OQE
Team Peterson dominated the women’s pool in November’s Team Trials. Out of eight total games they played, they emerged victorious in seven of them, with the one loss not really mattering since they already had clinched a finals berth.
Speaking of berth, the road to the OQE for the rink included a different kind of birth. Sweeper Tara Peterson and her sister/skip Tabitha Peterson each had a baby in the span of three months during the 2024-25 season. They both went on leaves of absence to be with their newborns.
When they returned, it took the rink time to recover its form, struggling mightily in the 2025 Women’s World Curling Championships. They posted a 3-9 record in round-robin play, landing them a 12th place finish and denying them an early bid to the 2026 Olympic Games.
A productive offseason that included detailed attention to improving communication and delivery mechanics ultimately led to a masterful performance at the Trials.
“I think having that high level of pressure moments is beneficial,” she remarked before the spiel began. “As a team, and me personally, we've been in a lot of these situations, and so we've had a lot of practice.”
Peterson likely was referring to the number of Olympic Games, World and National championships and Team Trials that she and her squad have competed in. For that reason, they uniquely are suited to succeed at the OQE.