Brad Jacobs and his team from Alberta will be representing Canada at the upcoming BKT Tires World Men’s Curling Championship, which is set to kick off this Saturday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Let’s take a brief look at the 13 teams participating in the tournament, listed in alphabetical order by country, with players ranging from skip to lead:
Austria is returning to the world championship stage for the first time since 2002, with Mathias Genner leading the team. Genner previously competed at the Youth Olympic Games in 2012.
Canada, led by Brad Jacobs, secured their spot in the championship by emerging victorious at the recent Montana’s Brier in Kelowna, B.C. The last time Canada claimed gold at this event was in 2017 when Brad Gushue led the team to victory in Edmonton.
China, led by Xiaoming Xu, caused an upset by winning the Pan Continental playdowns last fall in Lacombe, Alta., where Gushue represented Canada but finished in fourth place.
Czechia will be represented by Lukas Klima at the championship, marking his fifth appearance at the men’s worlds. His best performance to date was a 5-7 record in 2022 in Las Vegas.
Germany’s team, led by Marc Muskatewitz, has had a standout season as reigning European champions, establishing themselves as regular contenders on the top-tier Grand Slam of Curling circuit.
Italy, with Joel Retornaz at the helm, will be aiming for a strong showing as they prepare for the Winter Games in Milan/Cortina, where they will serve as the host team. Retornaz guided the squad to a bronze medal last year in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
Japan, led by Riku Yanagisawa, is making their second appearance at the world championship after finishing seventh at the 2023 playdowns in Ottawa.
South Korea’s team, featuring Hyojun Kim as skip, consists of players in their early 20s, just two years after their world junior championship participation.
Norway, led by Magnus Ramsfjell, currently holds the 14th spot in the world rankings and secured a bronze at the European playdowns last year.
Scotland, with Bruce Mouat as skip, are the reigning world champions and hold a substantial lead over Matt Dunstone of Manitoba in the world rankings. They claimed silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Sweden, led by Niklas Edin, the reigning Olympic and world champions, are seasoned in big-game scenarios, with Edin making his 14th appearance at the competition.
Switzerland’s team, led by Yannick Schwaller, is ranked fourth globally, with Benoit Schwarz-Van Berkel as the last rock thrower. The Swiss side secured a bronze medal two years ago.
The United States will be represented by Korey Dropkin, making his third appearance at the world championship after finishing fourth in 2022.
