Team Canada skip Kerri Einarson watches her shot against Japan in the semifinal at the World Women's Curling Championship in Calgary, Saturday, March 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

By The Canadian Press

Canada’s Einarson a step closer to women’s world curling championship gold

Mar 21, 2026 | 1:06 PM

CALGARY — Canada’s Kerri Einarson will play for gold at the women’s world curling championship.

Einarson’s team out of Manitoba’s Gimli Curling Club defeated Japan 11-3 in Saturday’s semifinal. Japan conceded after eight ends.

Canada faces Switzerland’s Xenia Schwaller for gold Sunday.

After losing semifinals in two previous appearances and taking the bronze medal, Einarson and company took a step closer to the coveted gold.

“It’s a dream come true,” the skip said. “It’s something that we’ve worked extremely hard for over the years.

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“We’ve had some disappointing games previous years, and now to finally get ourselves into that gold-medal game is a pretty special feeling.”

Einarson, vice Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and Karlee Burgess seek their first world title.

“It’s just phenomenal for this team,” Birchard said. “We’ve had so many cracks at the world championship and just haven’t been able to get past the semifinal.

“I hope we can just put it all out there tomorrow and bring home a gold for Canada.”

Einarson, Sweeting, Birchard and lead Briane Harris were bronze medallists in 2023 and 2022.

Burgess, who posted 100 per cent shooting accuracy in the semifinal, joined the team just over a year ago.

Birchard was an alternate on the Jennifer Jones team that won the world championship in 2018 in North Bay, Ont.

Canada and Switzerland clash for gold a third straight year after Canada’s Rachel Homan defeated Silvana Tirinzoni in the 2025 and 2024 finals.

Einarson faces a young Schwaller side, with an average age of 22.5, that played fearless in an extra end win over the Canadians in pool play.

Schwaller defeated Tirinzoni in the Swiss women’s final less than a week after Tirinzoni claimed Olympic silver in the Milan Cortina Games.

“They’re a great young team,” Einarson said. “They have to be fearless and they are because they have Tirinzoni in their country. If they want to get out of the country, they have to play really well and they have been playing well this week.”

Schwaller’s team dispatched Sweden’s Isabelle Wraana 8-5 in the other semifinal to get to within a win of gold in the team’s first world championship.

“I’m speechless,” said Schwaller. “Especially after our whole performance the whole week, a loss would have been very tough in that game. We deserve to be in the final.”

The Swiss dropped their first game in Calgary to Japan before rattling off 11 straight wins to top the 13-country standings ahead of Canada at 10-2.

“Back home, they didn’t really think we would have a chance here, and I’m really happy to prove them wrong,” Schwaller stated.

“We got a lot of comments. I had to mute my Instagram at the beginning of the week. It was kind of crazy after our first loss.”

Calgary’s 3,000-seat WinSport Event Centre was full for the semifinals. Canada played on an end sheet a couple metres from fans seated in the first row.

The hosts won the pre-game draw to the button to start the semifinal with hammer. Canada made the most of it by scoring three in the first end.

Japan had rotated Chinami Yoshida and Tori Koana at third in Calgary. Koana shot 75 per cent in Japan’s 6-5 loss to Canada to cap pool play Friday night.

Chinami was back in Saturday for a 7-5 playoff win over Turkey and for the rematch with Canada.

But the Canadians dictated the semifinal early with superior draw weight, which forced the Japanese into runback attempts to clear Canadian stones from the rings.

Canada led 7-2 after five ends with 85 per cent shot accuracy to Japan’s 60.

“In our pre-practice, the ice was very fast,” said skip Satsuki Fujisawa. “Before the game, we had a little time, so then the ice changed and we didn’t, I didn’t, realize that the first end.”

Japan flubbed draws and runbacks in the fourth end, which left Fujisawa attempting a low percentage angle raise to score. Japan gave up a steal of two to trail 7-1.

The only end Japan had Canada on the run was in the sixth when Fujisawa stole a point. But the hosts slammed the door on a comeback with another three points in the seventh.

Japan tried to shake hands after the seventh, but were ordered back onto the ice by the umpire to play another end.

World Curling requires teams to play a minimum of eight ends in playoffs, but six in pool play.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press