WORLD MIXED DOUBLES QUALIFIER GETS UNDERWAY IN TOMORROW IN COLORADO
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, October 1, 2026] — Teams from across the globe have traveled to Rock Creek Curling in Lafayette, CO, to compete in the first event of the 2026–2027 World Curling season—the World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event.
The United States, based on results at the 2026 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, will compete to earn a berth in the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2027. The American team at this event will be Olympic Silver Medalists Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin.
Games get underway at 9 AM on Friday , October 2nd, and play concludes on October 8th. From the field of 26 teams, three countries will qualify for the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2027, slated for Lohja, Finland, in January.
Teams have been divided into three pools. The top two teams in each group, along with the two third-place teams that have the best Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) scores, will advance to the quarter- finals.
Semi-final winners will compete for gold and qualify their Member Associations for the next World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship (WMDCC). The teams that lose in the semi-final round will compete for bronze—the winner of bronze will also qualify for the World Championship.
Games on Sheets C and D will be streamed on the Rock Creek Curling YouTube channel.
Group A
Austria – Hannah Augustin and Martin Reichel
Hong Kong China – Ling-Yue Hung and Jason Chang
India – Richa Patel and Sudheer Reddy
Nigeria – Jasmin Hashi and Harold Woods
Pakistan – Sabena Islam and Kaamraan Islam
Philippines – Kyra Manayan and Alexei Dela Pena
Poland – Klaudia Wajda and Konrad Stych
Slovakia – Paulina Hajduk and Jan Horacek
United States – Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin
Group B
Belgium – Annemiek Huiskamp and Pim Van Vlaenderen
France – Stephanie Barbarin and Wilfrid Coulot
Ireland – Emily Whelan and Kyle Paradis
Mexico – Danielle Serra and Diego Tompkins
Portugal – Arlete Rodrigues and Benjamin Silva
Puerto Rico – Linda Crank and Robert Fisher
Chinese Taipei – Amanda Chou and Brendon Liu
Türkiye – Melisa Comert and Selahattin Eser
Kazakhstan was a late withdrawal from the competition and will not be replaced with another team in Group B.
Group C
Brazil – Elen Naomi Sumi and Sergio Mitsuo Vilela
England – Marianna Ward and Matthew Waring
Spain – Paula Olivan Salvador and Mikel Unanue
Guyana – Farzana Hussain and Rayad Husain
Kenya – Mary Kinyua and Walter Wanjala
Latvia – Katrina Gaidule and Roberts Reinis Buncis
Romania – Crina Banghi and Allen Coliban
Slovenia – Ema Kavcic and Stefan Sever
Ukraine – Oleksandra Kononenko and Yaroslav Shchur
USA Curling is also holding its Members’ Assembly and Members’ Meeting at Rock Creek Curling during this event. A Member Social is scheduled for Friday evening from 6-9 PM MT and the Members’ Meeting will take place on Saturday at 11 AM MT. More details about the Members’ Assembly and Members’ Meeting is available here.
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
