The Grand Slam of Curling is OFFICIALLY back, and the GSOC Invitational is kicking off the season THIS WEEK in British Columbia! You know what that means: the world’s top men’s and women’s teams are going head-to-head in Victoria, and some serious talent is already on display. We’re talking about the 2026 Olympic gold medalists, Brad Jacobs from Canada and Anna Hasselborg from Sweden, both skipping their teams and looking to dominate from day one. This is how you open a season, folks!
Olympic Royalty and Global Stars Set the Stage
It’s not just the gold medalists either. The remaining medalists from Milano Cortina 2026 are all in the mix, making this Invitational a powerhouse event. Bruce Mouat representing Scotland, Yannick Schwaller from Switzerland, Alina Paetz also out of Switzerland, and Canada’s own Rachel Homan are all taking to the ice. When you have this many heavy hitters right at the start, every draw is going to be appointment viewing. It’s a real test of early-season form, and everyone is bringing their A-game. These teams are out to prove they are still the ones to beat, and the competition is absolutely electric from the jump.
Catch All the Action: How to Watch the Invitational
You don’t want to miss a single slide, so let’s get you hooked up. You can stream the Grand Slam of Curling Invitational via Rock Channel and the ESPN app. If you’ve got ESPN+, that’s available through the ESPN app too. Each afternoon and evening draw will feature a spotlighted game on the ESPN+ broadcast, with other games available on Rock Channel. Now, mark this down: Draw 10’s featured game on Thursday, between Team Casper and Team Dunstone, is also airing live on ESPNU. You know I’ll be glued to that one. You can get ESPN Unlimited starting at $29.99 per month for all your live sports needs.
Early Results and What’s Coming Up
The action has already started! On Tuesday, Oct. 13, we saw some big results in Draw 1, with Hasselborg taking down Zardini Lacedelli 7-3 and Fujisawa beating Dupont 8-5. Casper pulled off a 10-6 win against Yamaguchi, and Bottcher edged out Eriksson 6-4. Later draws on Tuesday included Reese-Hansen vs. Paetz (Reese-Hansen won 8-4), Einarson vs. Nihira (Einarson won 7-3), plus big matchups like Mouat vs. Hoesli and Y. Schwaller vs. Epping. Wednesday’s schedule is packed with Hardie vs. Epping, Casper vs. Maeda, and Jacobs vs. Bottcher in Draw 7. Looking ahead to Thursday, Draw 10 has that featured matchup with Dunstone vs. Casper on ESPNU, and Draw 11 sees Homan vs. Miura and Jacobs vs. Yamaguchi. It all leads into Friday, Oct. 16, with more matchups like Mouat vs. Waddell in Draw 13. Every single match matters for these teams building momentum at the start of the season. Don’t miss out on what’s sure to be some epic curling!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply