Calgary to host 2026 women's world curling championship at WinSport

CALGARY - The women's world curling championship returns to familiar ice in 2026.

Calgary will host 13 countries March 14-22 at WinSport's Markin MacPhail Centre, which was the site of the 2021 event.

The 3,000-seat arena on the city's west side served as a curling bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when the national men's, women's and mixed doubles championship, women's and men's world championship and two Grand Slam events were held without spectators over a nine-week span from February to April.

"This all started in the fall of 2020 with a little Edmonton-Calgary rivalry, when Edmonton got the NHL bubble," Curling Canada's chief executive officer Nolan Thiessen said Wednesday in Calgary.

"From there it has led to, this will be our 12th championship that will be awarded here in Calgary, here at WinSport, since the start of the bubble."

The Markin MacPhail Centre also hosted the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which Rachel Homan won, as well as the PointsBet Invitational last September.

The 2025 BKT Tires Women's World Curling Championship is  March 10-16 in Uijeongbu, South Korea, followed by the men's championship March 29 to April 6 in Moose Jaw, Sask.

The winner of February's Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont., represents Canada in Uijeongbu.

Curling Canada announced earlier this week Mississauga, Ont., will host the 2026 Tournament of Hearts. The winner will wear the Maple Leaf in Calgary.

World Curling president Beau Welling pointed out in a recorded message the 2026 world championship in Calgary will be the first international event after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, in Milan-Cortina, Italy.

"Calgary holds a special place in my heart, in that the Winter Olympics in 1988 Calgary hosted the curling re-emergence back into the Games as a demonstration sport, and that's where I first got hooked on curling," Welling said.

Tourism Calgary senior vice-president of sales Carson Ackroyd said the 2026 world championship will produce $11.5 million in economic impact "coming in March at a slower visitation time for Calgary."

Calgary will also host the CFL's Grey Cup in 2026 on Nov. 15.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.