How to qualify in Curling
How teams qualify for the World Curling Championships
World curling works like a league with promotion and relegation, in three tiers:
- World Championships (men's and women's, 18 teams each): the top tier.
- World Championships Qualifier (16 teams): the next tier.
- Pre-Qualifiers, one for Europe and one Pan-Continental (everyone else): open to any member not already in a higher tier.
| Tier | Who plays | Who goes up | Who goes down |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships (18) | 14 best from last year's Worlds + 3 or 4 best from last year's Qualifier (+ a host place) | - | bottom two in each group (4) |
| Qualifier (16) | 4 relegated from the Worlds + 8 from last year's Qualifier + 4 from the Pre-Qualifiers (2 per region) | top 4 | bottom two in each group (4) |
| Pre-Qualifiers | open entry | 2 per region | - |
For India, a member of World Curling with no team in the higher tiers, the route starts at the Pan-Continental Pre-Qualifier.
The 2026-27 season is different
Because the system is being reset after the Olympic season:
- the 2027 Worlds have the 12 best from the 2026 Worlds and the 6 best from the Qualifier;
- the 2026-27 Qualifier is filled from the last-placed team at the 2026 Worlds, the European and Pan-Continental A-division teams that missed the 2026 Worlds (5), the top two of each B division (4), the two best-ranked others on the World Association Ranking, and four from the Pre-Qualifiers; six of its teams go up, decided by a special play-off;
- three (not two) from each Pre-Qualifier region go up to the next Qualifier.
For 2027-28, the Qualifier has the 4 relegated teams, 6 from the previous Qualifier and 6 from the Pre-Qualifiers (3 per region).
The host place
A host country not already qualified may get a place at the Worlds if it is in the top 24 of the World Association Ranking for that gender.
Format at the Worlds and the Qualifier
Two groups, round robin. Group winners go straight to the semi-finals; 2nd and 3rd play off (A2 v B3, A3 v B2) for the other semi-final places. Semi-final winners play for gold.
Mixed doubles
The World Mixed Doubles Championship has 20 teams: the 16 best from the previous championship and 3 or 4 from the Mixed Doubles Qualification Event (open to anyone not already in). A host in the top 26 may get a place. The bottom team in each group, and the losers of two relegation games, drop to the Qualification Event.
Seeding
Groups are seeded by the World Association Ranking; members with no results in that discipline in the last four years are placed at random.