Brad Jacobs from Canada emerged victorious at the men’s Pan Continental Curling Championship after defeating John Schuster of the United States 7-3. This win secured Canada’s spot at the 2026 men’s and women’s world championships in Ogden City, Utah. Jacobs, along with his team, clinched the bronze medal at the 2025 world championship and needed to finish among the top four teams to secure Canada’s spot for the following year.
With a steal of two points in the 10th end, Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert sealed the win over Schuster, who led the U.S. to gold in the 2018 Olympic Games. The Canadian team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament in Virginia, Minn., earning their country’s third gold medal in four years following victories by Brad Gushue in 2022 and 2023.
Looking ahead, Jacobs and his team are set to participate in the Kioti Grand Slam of Curling Tahoe in California starting November 4. They will also compete at the Montana’s Canadian Trials in Halifax from November 22-30 to vie for the opportunity to represent Canada at the upcoming Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy in February.
Additionally, the team will defend their Canadian title at the Brier in St. John’s from February 27 to March 8, aiming for a return trip to the world championship. Their participation in the Pan Continental was viewed as a valuable test against international competition, with Gallant emphasizing the importance of capitalizing on such final opportunities to showcase their skills under pressure.
On the women’s side, Canada’s Rachel Homan faced a 7-6 loss to Rui Wang of China in the gold-medal game. Despite some impressive shots from the Canadian team, China’s strategic play, particularly in the seventh end, proved pivotal in their victory. Homan acknowledged the team’s fatigue following their recent Grand Slam win in Nisku, Alta., expressing pride in their performance and resilience throughout the tournament.
In the women’s bronze-medal match, South Korea’s Team Eunji Gim secured an 11-8 victory over Team Tabitha Peterson of the United States. As the host country, Canada already had a guaranteed berth at the 2026 women’s world championship in Calgary.
The Pan Continental, introduced four years ago by World Curling as a counterpart to the European championship, will come to an end as World Curling plans to expand championship fields and introduce a B championship for promotion and relegation, while the European championship will continue as a standalone event.
