Einarson, Dunstone among teams to pre-qualify for Canadian Curling Championships

Reigning champions Kerri Einarson and Matt Dunstone are among the six teams to pre-qualify for next season’s national curling championships, Curling Canada announced Wednesday.

Olympic bronze medallist Rachel Homan of Ottawa and Taylor Reese-Hansen of Victoria will join Einarson’s Gimli, Man., rink at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Feb. 12-21 in Charlottetown based on the 2025-26 Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS).

On the men’s side, Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs of Calgary and Tyler Tardi of Saskatoon earned berths in the Feb. 26-March 7 Montana’s Brier in Saskatoon alongside Dunstone’s Winnipeg team.

Tardi took over as skip after Mike McEwen’s rink finished in the top four of last season’s rankings. Because three of the four players remained together, the team retained its automatic berth.

Curling Canada also announced that the PointsBet Invitational, held annually in the fall, will no longer be part of its schedule.

The Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship will take its place beginning in the 2027-28 season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2026.

The Canadian Press