TCG to release Rock League, curling’s first professional league, in April 2026

The roaring sport will really feel a seismic shift of granite subsequent 12 months following the release of the sector’s first skilled curling league.

The Curling Group introduced Thursday the advent of Rock League, a multi-format festival that includes six mixed-gendered international franchises set to debut in April 2026.

The inaugural season is anticipated to run six weeks. Each week of motion will happen in a special location, with plans for occasions in Canada, the United States and Europe.

“Rock League is a mirrored image of The Curling Group’s imaginative and prescient to professionalize and evolve the game of curling, uniting enthusiasts and athletes from all over the world,” TCG co-founder and chief executive officer Nic Sulsky said in a release. “We’re development a world level the place elite play and fervour for the game collide.

“Today’s announcement is only the start, with many extra main points to return, as we paintings to construct a top rate enjoy that can lift the sport for all.”

The first six franchises, to begin with owned through TCG, will probably be arranged through area: two from Canada, two from Europe, one from Asia-Pacific and one from the United States. Each workforce will come with 5 males’s curlers and 5 girls’s curlers. 

Rachel Homan (Team Canada 1), Brad Jacobs (Team Canada 2), Bruce Mouat (Team Europe 1), Alina Paetz (Team Europe 2), Korey Dropkin (Team United States) and Chinami Yoshida (Team Asia-Pacific) have signed on as workforce captains for the six franchises with complete rosters to be made up our minds within the fall. 

“I never really thought of what’s the potential of being a full-time curler, like what’s that actually look like? And is there ways that the sport can grow into being something bigger,” Mouat mentioned. “As quickly as we discovered about this professional league, I used to be like, smartly, that is it. This is the article this is going to make our recreation blossom and extra thrilling for spectators, having folks play in combination that aren’t essentially intended to play in combination.

“I think the whole idea of it is something that’s very spectacular, and I’m so excited to be able to captain the team.”

Women’s skilled sports activities usually are on the upward thrust in Canada, as noticed through the good fortune of the PWHL, the formation of football’s Northern Super League and the WNBA’s plan to increase north of the border with the Toronto Tempo subsequent 12 months. Curling will now sign up for the ranks. 

“There’s much more opportunity for women in sport, and I feel like little girls’ dreams can be realized now,” Homan mentioned. “Pick your favourite sport and you can be the best there is and be able to showcase that in front of a live audience and feel the rush and energy of a crowd, playing your favourite sport that you have the most passion for. It’s exciting to see so much opportunity for the young girls that have big dreams.” 

For Paetz, the advent of a pro curling league can even lend a hand trade the belief of the game. 

“I’ve played curling for so long, curling is my life, and I think we never got enough attention as curlers,” Paetz mentioned. “I feel curling is a smart recreation, I feel we now have such a lot of nice athletes, however in the event you communicate to the folks out of doors, they only assume curling is more or less a bit of little bit of an uneventful recreation and prefer best previous folks play it, and that’s simply now not what it’s. 

“I think it’s just such a great chance to show what curling actually is and to have something like a pro league will just take it to the next step.” 

Olympic gold medallists John Morris and Jennifer Jones will function strategic advisors for Rock League, overseeing the formation of rosters and the structure of play.

Official workforce names, tournament codecs, dates, places and broadcast knowledge will probably be introduced over the approaching months. 

TCG additionally owns and operates the Grand Slam of Curling, which can run 5 occasions all the way through the 2025-26 season from September to January. The sports activities industry undertaking held two new occasions previous this month: the Rio Mare Battle of the Sexes, that includes Team Homan as opposed to Team Mouat in a charity skins fit, and the TCG All-Star Game, which marked their first world tournament at Tee Line Nashville in Tennessee.