“Curlers are going to have salaries”
The Curling Group, owners of the Grand Slam of Curling series, have announced Rock League, billed as the world’s first professional curling league.
The league will initially feature six elite mixed-gendered global franchises, with competition beginning in April of 2026, less than two months after the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Italy.
“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. We’re building a global stage where elite play and passion for the sport collide,” said Nic Sulsky, co-founder and CEO of The Curling Group.
“Today’s 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.”
The six teams will compete in a multiformat six-week season where each week of competition will unfold in a different location. Plans call for events in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Each of the six global franchise teams will be made up of five men and five women. The teams are organized by region, including two from Canada, two from Europe, one from the Asia-Pacific region and one from the United States.
The confirmed league captains are: Rachel Homan and Brad Jacobs (Canada), Bruce Mouat (Scotland), Korey Dropkin (USA), Alina Pätz (Switzerland) and Chinami Yoshida (Japan).
The first four are all skips; Pätz is the fourth thrower for Silvana Tirinzoni, while Yoshida plays third for Satsuki Fujisawa.
Additional participating athletes and team names will be announced in the fall 2025.
“We’ve had quite a few women’s pro leagues come into play in Canada, which is so exciting,” said Homan. “There’s much more opportunity for women in sport, and I feel like little girls’ dreams can be realized now.”
“Curlers are going to have salaries,” said Sulsky in a promotional video. “They’re not gonna have to worry about paying for their travel. They’re not gonna have to worry about who plays on what team—they are athletes. We will take care of everything else, you focus on playing.”
Olympic champions John Morris and Jennifer Jones are both involved in The Curling Group venture and will serve as strategic advisors to Rock League, particularly as it relates to the creation and selection of the inaugural teams and formats.
In the coming months, Further details regarding Rock League’s inaugural locations, dates, formats, team names and broadcast details will be shared.
The league announcement clarifies the reason for the January 2026 wrap-up of the next season’s five-event Grand Slam series, which usually concludes in April.
The year-out announcement also gives organizers time to navigate the the maze of annual curling championships that crowd the schedule. Some are operated by major organizing bodies—such as World Curling and Curling Canada—while others are independent elements of the “wild west” aka the World Curling Tour, which has no known ownership or governance structure.