A milestone 25th season for the Grand Slam of Curling calls for milestone events.
The series unveiled its 2025-26 schedule Thursday, featuring expanded tournaments and a historic first international event.
Along with the HearingLife Tour Challenge, the WFG Masters and Co-op Canadian Open will also include Tier 2 divisions, doubling in size to provide 32 additional teams the opportunity to compete for points and fast-track up the rankings for a promotion into the top flight. Lake Tahoe will host the first Grand Slam of Curling event staged in the United States.
“Next season is all about growing the game. The Grand Slam of Curling has always been rooted in showcasing the best international competition, with the goal of bringing events to our fans outside of Canada,” The Curling Group CEO and co-founder Nic Sulsky said in a release. “At the same time, we are building up the next generation of curling rockstars, giving more teams more opportunities than ever before to compete at GSOC events.”
The season of firsts will begin with a first-time host community as London, Ont., kicks things off with the WFG Masters, Sept. 23-28, at the Western Fair Sports Centre.
The GSOC returns to Nisku, Alta., for the HearingLife Tour Challenge, Oct. 14-19. Nisku's Silent Ice Center held the Co-op Canadian Open this season, becoming the first major broadcasted event at the venue. The HearingLife Tour Challenge has included a Tier 2 division since its inception in 2015 with the winners receiving direct entry into a future Grand Slam major tournament.
The KIOTI GSOC Tahoe event is set for Nov. 4-9 in scenic Lake Tahoe at the Tahoe Blue Event Center.
The series runs back to Saskatoon for the Co-op Canadian Open, Dec. 16-21. It’ll be the third GSOC event held at Merlis Belsher Place since 2019.
Steinbach, Man., will conclude the GSOC schedule with the AMJ Players’ Championship, Jan. 6-11, at the Southeast Event Centre. The all-new venue will host the province’s first GSOC event since 2018 and the wait will be worth it as the prestigious event will serve as the final major test for teams before the Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina.
The Grand Slam of Curling, which was created in 2001 and acquired by The Curling Group last April, features the top-ranked men’s and women’s teams from around the world with equal prize money awarded in both divisions.
The Curling Group is ending this season with a bang. A Battle of the Sexes matchup between world women's No. 1 Team Homan and world men's No. 1 Team Mouat will take place April 7 at Toronto's Mattamy Athletic Centre, leading into the AMJ Players' Championship (April 8-13).
The first TCG All-Star event wraps up the season April 15-16 in Nashville.
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