What you need to know about 'Rock League', a pro curling venture in the hack for 2026

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Rock League is ready to roll. Yes, curling is going pro.

It’s curling on a professional scale — a league to help grow the game worldwide, built by The Curling Group on a concept that has been the works for nearly a year and in line to be rolled out to the world next spring.

“Rock League is a reflection of The Curling Group’s vision to professionalize and evolve the sport of curling, uniting fans and athletes from around the world,” said TCG co-founder/CEO Nic Sulsky. “We’re building a global stage where élite play and passion for the sport collide. The announcement is just the beginning, with many more details to come, as we work to build a premium experience that will elevate the game for all.”

Those details are still evolving, although The Curling Group promises quite the adventure for a venture long believed to be missing from the sport.

“With curling, there’s no professional league yet, so it’s the first of its kind there,” said curling legend Brent Laing, a Grand Slam of Curling commentator and competition committee member for The Curling Group. “There’s all sorts of ideas being thrown around all sorts of different formats and stuff. The idea is that you’re not going to tune in and watch Team Homan and play Team Paetz the way the teams are right now.

“But at the end of the day, it’s going to be mostly traditional curling, and curlers are going to be able to be professionals and get paid not just prize money but a salary, which is pretty awesome.”

Finally there’s real cash in hand for the curlers, says curling legend John Morris, who is a strategic advisor for The Curling Group.

“Back when they made the grand slams initially — I think in the early 2000s — there was probably from the the elite curlers at the time, I’m pretty sure they had a league in the back of their mind,” Morris said. “With The Curling Group, this is our best opportunity to ever have this happen for curlers.”

There’s more for the fans, as well. It won’t just be curling in the spotlight of Rock League. Entertainment, including live music in the house, will be a part of the package.

And Morris promises events filled with twists to further attract people to the sport.

“The formats are going to be awesome,” Morris said. “They’re going to be a little bit different than what you’re used to with traditional curling. OK, we’re still keeping the great, roaring game and traditional curling in tact, but there’s going to be some really cool parts of the format that I think will really captivate the audience and the fans.”

Here’s a rundown of what you need to know about Rock League, courtesy of the Grand Slam of Curling and its owner, The Curling Group …

What is Rock League?

Rock League is the world’s first professional curling league. The inaugural season will feature six mixed-gendered global franchises, each consisting of five men’s curlers and five women’s curlers.

At launch, the teams will be organized by region, consisting of two from Canada, two from Europe, one from Asia-Pacific and one from the United States.

“Part of it is they want to grow curling around the world, and that’s why with the regional teams, they want to make superstars all around the world,” Laing said. “What it’s really about is promoting the players, making some superstars and building kind of leagues and value and excitement around that. And I think it’s the natural progression.

“This is just my opinion, but it’s about the grand slams becoming a feeder for the pro leagues. And then all the new tier twos at the grand slams and the junior tier twos at the grand slams, they’re creating a feeder League for the slams. And you know, university curling is going to tie into that potentially. We’re finally going to have a more defined answer to ‘Hey, I want to be a curler. How do I do it?'”

All franchises will be initially owned by The Curling Group.

“There is a real hunger for curling around the world,” Morris said. “In the past, it’s always been coming from Canada and parts of Europe, and now they want more curling in Asia and Europe and in parts of America. And there’s just not events.

“So we’ve been meeting with people from Korea, Japan and in Europe, where they’re building new facilities. We want to spread the love to the rest of the world.”

How long is the season?

The season will run for six weeks beginning in April 2026.

Where will the games be played?

Each week of competition will take place in a different location with plans to hold events during the inaugural season in Canada, the United States and Europe.

What are the rules of play?

Event formats for Rock League will be unveiled in the coming months.

Who is playing in Rock League?

Six captains have signed on for the first season:

• Rachel Homan (Team Canada 1)
• Brad Jacobs (Team Canada 2)
• Bruce Mouat (Team Europe 1)
• Alina Paetz (Team Europe 2)
• Chinami Yoshida (Team Asia-Pacific)
• Korey Dropkin (Team USA)

“I’ve always believed curling could go pro — and now it is,” wrote 2025 Brier winner Brad Jacobs via social media. “Pumped to be named a captain in Rock League, curling’s first-ever professional league. Canada, let’s make history.”

“Proud to rep Canada as a captain in Rock League, the world’s first professional curling league,”  wrote 2025 world and Scotties queen Rachel Homan. “Mixed teams. Global rivalries. One epic season, coming April 2026. Let’s go.”

Additional participating curlers and official team names will be announced in the fall.

“When picking our first-ever Rock League captains, we looked at a few key things — including leadership, how they work with teammates and, of course, their skills on the ice,” Morris said. “As we continue building out the teams in the months ahead, our goal is to create a one-of-a-kind experience that brings out the very best of curling — where longtime rivals might end up as teammates and rising stars have the chance to cement their legacy as professional athletes.”

Who’s involved?

Great minds, says Morris

“Rock League’s created quite a buzz,” lauded Morris. “It’s exciting because curling is one of the few major sports out there that does not have any professional athletes.

“And I’m really excited about it, because in this group, there’s some different sports backgrounds and they’ve had a lot of great experience and they’ve been very successful at what they’ve done in those sports. So when he brought this team together and I got to meet this team and they were all excited about this concept and we’re sharing some of their ideas, that’s when I really felt this is going to happen and it’s going to be successful.”

Morris and fellow Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones will serve as strategic advisors, overseeing the creation and selection of teams and formats.

“As an athlete, I could have only dreamed about being able to participate in a professional curling league,” said Jones, who also doubles as a strategic advisor for The Curling Group . “Now having the opportunity to help make that dream a reality for the next generation of curlers is a true honour — and it’s what inspires us every day as we work to build this league.”

Where can fans watch?

Broadcast details will be announced in the coming months.

“It’s a pretty awesome, pretty exciting day for the sport,” added Laing. “This is the most exciting announcement in curling, I would say, since the grand slams. And I think this is bigger news.”

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

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