Canada's mixed-doubles representatives to be determined 14 months ahead of 2026 Olympics

Curling Canada has announced changes to the Canadian Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

The governing body revealed on Thursday that the 16-team Trials event will begin in late December 2024 and end in early January 2025, a full 14 months ahead of the Olympics which are set to take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy from Feb. 6-22, 2026. 

Exact dates and location will be announced at a later date.

It addition, Curling Canada says winners of the Mixed Doubles Trials will now have the option of also competing with their four-person teams at the 2026 Winter Games, should they qualify. Previously, Canadian curlers could compete in either mixed doubles or four-person curling at the Olympics, but not both. 

The Canadian Olympic Trials for four-person curling will take place from Nov. 22-30, 2025 in a yet to be determined location. 

“These changes reflect the realities of mixed doubles curling today as well as what we all believe to be in the best interests of our athletes,” said David Murdoch, Curling Canada's new Director of High Performance. “For those athletes who choose, in consultation with their respective teams and coaches, to play in both disciplines, this schedule gives them better opportunities for success in both events. Making these changes creates a much better and more manageable schedule for athletes and coaches.”

Rachel Homan and John Morris were selected to represent Canada at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing after the Trials were cancelled due to COVID-19, but were unable to reach the podium after missing the playoffs. 

Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes wore the Maple Leaf and captured gold at the first Olympics mixed doubles event in 2018. The Trials took place just one month prior to the Olympics that year.

“Ultimately, we want to put Canadian curling athletes in the best possible position to win medals on the world stage,” said Curling Canada Athletes Council and National Mixed Doubles coach Scott Pfeifer. “The rest of the world is so competitive, as we’ve seen repeatedly, and we believe our updated process will keep us in contention for Olympic success.”

The winner of the Trials will also earn the right to compete against the world's best at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Championship. The winners of the 2025 and 2026 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championships will represent Team Canada at the 2026 and 2027 World Championships, respectively. 

Here's a closer look at how to qualify for the 2024-25 Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials, via Curling Canada. 

• Teams 1 through 3: 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship Gold, Silver and Bronze Medallists
• Teams 4 and 5: Next highest-ranked teams not already qualified on the 2023-2024 season-ending Canadian Mixed Doubles Rankings (CMDR)
• Teams 6 through 8: Fall 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Tour Event Winners (events to be named; if the winners of the Tour Events already have earned a berth in the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials, the next highest-ranked team from the event played will earn the berth)
• Teams 9 through 16: Next highest-ranked teams not already qualified on the CMDR as of Dec. 9, 2024.

Canada will still need to qualify for the 2026 Olympics in order to compete. Most of the fields for mixed doubles as well as men's and women's four-person curling will be determined at the 2024 and 2025 world championships while a last chance qualifier for all three disciplines will take place in December 2025.