Canada Opens Women’s World Curling Championship With Win Over Sweden

Canada Opens Women’s World Curling Championship With Win Over Sweden

Canada opened the 2026 BKT World Women’s Curling Championship with a strong 7-5 win over Sweden, giving home fans in Calgary an encouraging start to the tournament. Team Kerri Einarson, representing Gimli, Manitoba, looked composed despite a long competitive break and came through in the key moments against Team Isabella Wranaa at WinSport Events Centre. Canada’s lineup of Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard and Karlee Burgess found its rhythm late and used back-to-back steals to take control of the game.

The turning point came when Canada applied pressure with smart stone placement and steady weight control, forcing Sweden into difficult shots. In the later ends, Team Einarson capitalized on misses and protected its narrow lead, then sealed the result when Sweden’s final draw in the 10th end came up light. Einarson said Canada’s rock placement and weight were especially strong, while Burgess pointed to the team’s patience and better execution in the second half.

For Canadian fans, the result was an important sign that Team Einarson is ready to compete at a high level again after its six-week break following the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, in the same way Brazilian supporters are already looking ahead to major 2026 events such as Brazil’s FIFA World Cup run and the return of MotoGP to the country. By the way, Megapari offered good odds on these events last year. The victory was Einarson’s 28th career win at the world championship and the first women’s worlds win for Burgess, adding another memorable moment for the host nation on opening weekend. Canada returned to the ice later that day to face the United States as it looked to build early momentum in Calgary.