Canada’s Kerri Einarson reaches world curling championship playoffs despite loss

CALGARY – Canada suffered a second extra-end loss in the world women’s curling championship, but nevertheless qualified for playoffs.

Kerri Einarson’s Manitoba foursome dropped a 10-6 decision in an extra end to Norway on Thursday evening.

A China or Turkey loss would still have catapulted the Canadians into playoffs and both scenarios occurred in the evening draw.

Switzerland at 9-1, Canada and Japan at 8-2 and Sweden at 8-3 were the first four teams in the playoff door with the remaining two berths still on the table Friday.

“That’s exciting,” Einarson said. “Still lots of work to do though.”

South Korea was 6-4 ahead of China, Turkey and Italy all 5-5.

The two teams with the best records earn direct entry into Saturday evening’s semifinals. The other four square off earlier that day to join them.

The medal games are Sunday.

Einarson caps pool play Friday against Australia (1-9) in the afternoon and Japan at night. The Canadians will chase the coveted semifinal bye Friday.

“It’s easier if you get into that semifinal, but we don’t want to look too far ahead and just don’t need to put any more added pressure on ourselves,” Einarson said after an 8-3 morning win over South Korea.

Playing their third straight “split” day of games in the morning and night draws, the Canadians ran up against a Norwegian side out of contention with seven wins and nothing to lose.

“We just tried to play as good as we can and have fun. Low shoulders. We were aware we were underdogs,” said skip Torild Bjoernstad, whose angle raise knocked Canada off the button for two points and a 3-1 lead after four ends.

Einarson attempted a tap through a tight port for a possible three in the fifth end, but gave up a steal of one to trail 4-1.

Canada countered with its first deuce of the game in the sixth. 

Bjoernstad threw her last rock of the seventh away. She didn’t see a shot for the deuce and settled for a single point.

Einarson was setting up a multi-point eighth end when lead Karlee Burgess burned a Val Sweeting throw. Her broom touched the rock and the stone was pulled. 

“I felt for Kar. You never want to do that. We were in control that end too, so to let them off the hook like that is unfortunate, but it happens,” the skip said.

Canada generated a deuce in the 10th to force an extra end when Norway couldn’t get their hits to roll behind cover. 

But the Gimli Curling Club team couldn’t pull off the steal and lost in an extra end a second time in the tournament after an earlier loss to the Swiss.

“It’s definitely been a long three days and the girls are sweeping their butts off all week,” Einarson said. 

“It is exhausting, but we’re grinding away and doing the best we can and looking forward to some rest.”

There are no tiebreaker games. Ties are resolved first by head-to-head results.

The ranking of teams’ average distances in pre-game draws to the button to determine who starts with hammer is the next tiebreaker.

Sweden, Japan, Switzerland and Canada ranked first to fourth respectively in that category heading into Friday.

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

Rachel Homan’s team claimed back-to-back crowns in 2024 and 2025.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.