Pan Continental Curling Championships ready to go in Lacombe, Canada (2024)

21 October 2024

World Curling’s international competition action moves on to Canada for the first of four events hosted in the country this season. The third Pan Continental Championships gets underway in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada from 27 October – 2 November 2024.

As well as being stand-alone women’s and men’s championships, this competition serves as the qualification route to the world championships for all World Curling Member Associations from the Americas and Pacific-Asia zones. Now on its third edition, the Pan Continental Championships has replaced the former world championship qualification routes of the Pacific Asia Curling Championships and the Americas Challenge.

Teams

This year’s Pan Continental Championships will feature 16 women’s teams, divided into an A-Division and a B-Division, both of eight teams. In men’s play, 20 teams will take part, divided into an A-Division of eight teams and a B-Division of 12 teams.

In the women’s event, Korea, as world championship hosts, will qualify for the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2025. Additionally, the top four teams will qualify their Member Association for the world championship.

In the men’s event, Canada, as world championship hosts, will qualify for the BKT Tires World Men’s Curling Championship 2025. The top four teams qualify their Member Association.

If a world championship host finishes in the top four places, the fifth-place team will secure the qualification place.

In addition, the bottom A-Division teams in both the women’s and men’s events will be demoted to next season’s B-Division, to be replaced by the promotion of this season’s B-Division winners.
 
The women’s teams are: 

• A-Division: Canada; China; Japan; Korea; Mexico; New Zealand; Chinese Taipei; and United States

• B-Division:  Australia; Brazil; Hong Kong, China; Jamaica; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Nigeria; and Philippines.

Among these: 

• Canada is represented by the current world champions, skipped by Rachel Homan

• China makes a first appearance in the A-Division, having gained promotion through winning the B-Division last season

• Japan took silver at this event last season

• Korea, skipped by Gim Eunji, return as defending champions

• Mexico, skipped again by Adriana Camarena, will hope to improve on last year’s seventh place

• New Zealand brings a new line-up, skipped by Chelsea Suddens

• Chinese Taipei brings a team of newcomers at this level

• United States took bronze last year and bring a changed team this time round, skipped by former world mixed doubles champion Cory Thiesse

• After travel difficulties forced their withdrawal last year, Kazakhstan returns to B-Division action

• Jamaica just missed out on A-Division promotion last season, finishing second in the B-Division.

The men’s teams are: 

• A-Division: Australia; Canada; China; Japan; Korea; New Zealand; Chinese Taipei; and United States
• B-Division: Brazil; Hong Kong, China; India; Jamaica; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Saudi Arabia; Nigeria; Philippines; Puerto Rico; and Qatar.*
  *Mongolia as previously listed are no longer competing.*

Among these:

• Australia finished sixth last year, just missing out on world championship qualification

• Canada, under returning skip Brad Gushue, won this event last season, before going on to take silver at the world championship

• Like their women’s team, China men make a first appearance in the A-Division, having gained promotion through winning the B-Division last season

• Japan took bronze last season and is represented by a new team this time round

• Korea, who took silver last year, is represented by a new young team, skipped by Lee Jaebeom

• New Zealand, who finished fifth last season to qualify for the world championship, will be hoping to at least repeat that feat

• Chinese Taipei finished seventh last season, and have a new skip — Eric Stevens — for this event

• For United States, former Olympic champion John Shuster and his highly experienced team make their debut at this event

• Philippines will hope to improve on their performance last year, when they lost the B-Division final, just losing out on promotion

• Puerto Rico are also newcomers at this level.

Format and Schedule

Round-robin play starts on Sunday 27 October, and continues until Thursday 31 October. 

After this, the men’s semi-finals will take place on the evening of Thursday 31 October. The bronze medal game then takes place on Friday 1 November and the gold medal final on the morning of Saturday 2 November. 

The women’s semi-final and bronze medals games will take place during Friday 1 November, with the gold medal final taking place on the afternoon of Saturday 2 November.

The men’s B-Division round-robin starts on Saturday 26 October, while the women get underway on Sunday 27 October. B-Division play-offs and medal games will take place on Friday 1 November and Saturday 2 November.

How to watch

All games will be broadcast on the Curling Channel, however, there may be restrictions due to broadcast partner agreements.

Follow the live scores and results here.

Join the World Curling community! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn and Weibo and by searching the hashtag #curling

Sign up for theWorld Curling Newsletterand receive monthly updates directly to your inbox.