Get ready for a thrilling Friday at the 2026 Crown Royal Players' Championship, where the stakes are sky-high and every stone could change the game! With only six teams per division advancing to the playoffs, today is all about survival in this prestigious Grand Slam of Curling event. But here's where it gets intense: the playoff picture is still a blur, especially on the women's side, where no team has secured a spot yet. And this is the part most people miss—the intricate strategies and high-pressure matchups that could make or break a team's season.
Streaming live on watch.rockchannel.com, the action kicks off with Draw 9 at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+. Stick around all day for real-time updates and results as the drama unfolds.
QUICK LINKS:
- DRAW SCHEDULE & RESULTS
- STANDINGS
- BROADCAST INFO
MUST-SEE MATCHUPS:
The clash between Canada's Team Rachel Homan and Sweden's Team Anna Hasselborg in Draw 13 (1 p.m. ET / Noon CT) is more than just a game—it's a battle for survival. Homan, with a 1-0-0-2 record (three points), faces a make-or-break day, including a showdown with Team Tabitha Peterson of the U.S. in Draw 15 (9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT). Hasselborg, sitting at 1-1-1-1 (six points), needs a regulation win to stay in the hunt, especially as she trails Team Isabella Wranå in the race to represent Sweden at the World Women's Curling Championship. Controversially, some argue that Hasselborg's inconsistent performance this week might cost her the chance—what do you think?
Winnipeg's Team Matt Dunstone (0-2-0-1, four points) faces a grueling day, battling Italy's Team Joël Retornaz in the afternoon and Scotland's Team Ross Whyte in the evening. And here’s a fun fact: Draw 15 is already sold out, so if you don’t have a ticket, you’ll be streaming it like the rest of us!
WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT:
The men's division has three teams locked in: Team Kyle Waddell (3-2-0-0, 13 points), Team Xu Xiaoming (3-1-0-1, 11 points), and Team Yannick Schwaller (3-0-1-0, 10 points). But the real question is: Can Team Matt Dunstone or Team John Shuster claw their way into the top six? On the women's side, it's anyone's game, with almost every team still in contention. Bold prediction: Team Eun-ji Gim (3-0-0-1, nine points) could be the dark horse to watch, but don’t count out Team Silvana Tirinzoni (2-1-0-0, eight points) just yet.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE/RESULTS:
- Draw 12 (9:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. CT): Xu 8, Edin 7; Waddell 7, Whyte 6 (shootout); Einarson 6, Kitazawa 3; Fujisawa 5, Peterson 4 (shootout).
- Draw 13 (1 p.m. ET / Noon CT): Tirinzoni vs. Yoshimura; Homan vs. Hasselborg; Casper vs. Shuster; Dunstone vs. Retornaz.
- Draw 14 (5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT): Gim vs. Tabata; X. Schwaller vs. Wranå; Mouat vs. Y. Schwaller; Jacobs vs. McEwen.
- Draw 15 (9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT): Dunstone vs. Whyte; Shuster vs. Edin; Homan vs. Peterson; Tirinzoni vs. Einarson.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The Crown Royal Players' Championship is the grand finale of the curling season, featuring 12 top men's and women's teams from around the globe. Here’s the twist: If a game is tied after eight ends, a draw-to-the-button shootout decides the winner—talk about pressure! Teams earn three points for a regulation win, two for a shootout win, and one for a shootout loss. The quarterfinals and semifinals are set for Saturday, with both finals on Sunday. Will your favorite team make it to the end? Let us know in the comments—who are you rooting for, and why?
