Photo by: Lainie Hiller Photography
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, October 22, 2026] — Eight teams have qualified for the World Mixed Doubles Playdown Event scheduled for October 28th through November 1st at the Eau Claire Curling Club in Eau Claire, WI. The winning team will represent the United States at the 2027 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, slated for January 4th through the 10th in Lohja, Finland.
The World Mixed Doubles Championship has moved from its traditional place on the calendar—late April—to new January dates. For World Curling, holding the event at a time of year when interest in curling is at its highest creates an opportunity for more broadcast and event revenue. Several other adjustments have been made to championship calendars this season, as World Curling and Member Associations around the world aim to avoid conflicts with other events, including the Grand Slam of Curling and the emerging Rock League.
“It is an unusually complex year for Mixed Doubles curling but things will reset after this season,” noted USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “The new January world championship dates meant we had to determine a qualification process that would allow us to hold an event very early in the year. In late April or early May, we will hold our 2027 Mixed Doubles Nationals, with the winners of that championship representing the United States at the 2028 World Mixed Doubles Championships. As long as the world championship continues to be held in early January going forward, we expect that to be our process in the future.”
Full details related to qualification processes for both the World Mixed Doubles Playdown Event and the 2027 Mixed Doubles Nationals are available in the 2026-27 Qualification Procedures document.
The field in Eau Claire will include the following teams:
Thiesse/Dropkin (Cory Thiesse, Korey Dropkin). Berth awarded based on the final published World Curling Mixed Doubles Ranking List for the 2025-26 Season.
Fenson/Stopera (Sarah Fenson, Andrew Stopera). Berth awarded based on the final published World Curling Mixed Doubles Ranking List for the 2025-26 Season.
Bear/Oldenburg (Madison Bear, Aidan Oldenburg). Berth awarded based on combined points of each player (one male, one female) on the World Curling Team Ranking Lists for Men’s and Women’s play from the final year-end standings in 2025-2026.
Hamilton/Hamilton (Becca Hamilton, Matt Hamilton). Berth awarded based on combined points of each player (one male, one female) on the World Curling Team Ranking Lists for Men’s and Women’s play from the final year-end standings in 2025-2026.
Johnson/Hebert (Allory Johnson, Caden Hebert). Berth awarded based on combined points of each player (one male, one female) on the World Curling Team Ranking Lists for Men’s and Women’s play from the final year-end standings in 2025-2026.
Podoll/Parry (Ann Podoll, Nathan Parry). Berth awarded based on ranking on the published Year-to Date World Curling Mixed Doubles Ranking List for events completed as of October 14th, 2026.
Bassiri/Kadlec (Sara Bassiri, Austin Kadlec). Berth awarded based on ranking on the published Year-to Date World Curling Mixed Doubles Ranking List for events completed as of October 14th, 2026.
Vaydich/Macomber (Bailey Vaydich, Ethan Macomber). Berth awarded based on ranking on the published Year-to Date World Curling Mixed Doubles Ranking List for events completed as of October 14th, 2026.
The United States earned a berth in the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2027 at the recent World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event in Lafayette, CO, at Rock Creek Curling. Olympic Silver Medalists Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin represented the United States, going through the event undefeated and capturing gold.
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.
