The Winter Olympics curling tournament is reaching its business end as world champions Great Britain kept their hopes alive with a dominant victory over an under-par Team USA.
After a nervy clash with Canada on Tuesday evening saw Bruce Mouat’s rink continue to underperform, falling to a 9-5 loss, they hit back in style against the USA this afternoon, winning 9-2 after just six ends to remain in the hunt for a medal and play-off spot.
Now Team GB are just hoping for help from elsewhere to seal a top-four spot, needing either Norway or Italy to lose their final match on Thursday morning. Italy face unbeaten Switzerland, while Norway take on already-qualified Canada, so things are looking promising for Team Mouat.
Team GB’s women also face an uphill battle to finish inside the top four, but they snatched the most remarkable of 8-7 victories in their seventh round robin game against the USA this morning to keep their hopes alive.
Rebecca Morrison pulled off an incredible double takeout with her final stone to set GB up for a steal of two in the 10th and final end to grab an unlikely win.
Follow all the action with The Independent’s live blog below:
Men's Curling: Great Britain v USA
- Team GB hammer USA 9-2 in must-win men's curling match to remain alive in round robin stage
- Bruce Mouat’s rink must now hope for a favour from Switzerland and Canada on Thursday morning to reach the semi-finals
- Great Britain's women snatch incredible 8-7 victory over USA with steal of two in the final end
- WATCH: Rebecca Morrison produces stone of her life to snatch win for GB
- Mikaela Shiffrin breaks eight-year Olympic drought with brilliant slalom gold
The curling twist giving Great Britain hope of Winter Olympics great escape
17:24 , Luke BakerGreat Britain are on a knife edge between curling catastrophe and the great escape - and there is nothing more they can do about it.
Just as their Winter Olympics dreams were circling the drain after a shocking collapse in form, Bruce Mouat’s rink played like the world champions they are to keep their medal hopes alive for at least another day.
They finished their round-robin campaign with the kind of confident and dominant victory they were expected to produce consistently in Cortina, wiping the floor with the USA 9-2, to finish with a 5-4 record from nine games.
It was a timely reminder – both to themselves, their doubters and their rivals – that they are still a world-class team capable of blowing all the others out of the water.
The curling twist giving Great Britain hope of Winter Olympics great escape
Bruce Mouat: 'This is a horrible position to be in'
15:24 , Luke BakerThings couldn’t have gone much better for Team GB’s men’s curlers this afternoon and Bruce Mouat discussed the victory.
“It was a bit of a scary first end,” Mouat told the BBC. “But we just turned the momentum straight away and then we forced them into some tricky shots, and he [US skip Daniel Casper] was a bit heavy on a few draws, so we got a few breaks which we probably haven't seen all week. It was nice.
On needing other results to go your way: “This is a horrible position to be in, honestly! Just having to watch other games and hope that the results are going our way is not the ideal position to be in.
“But so far so good and we obviously need tomorrow probably to be the same. We're just gonna have to sit and keep our fingers and our toes crossed and see what happens.”
Men's curling: Italy and Norway lose
15:10 , Luke BakerEverything is coming up nicely for Team GB now. The next part of the equation is done. Italy LOSE 8-3 to Canada, and Norway also LOSE 10-4 to Switzerland!
That means that if either Norway lose to Canada or Italy lose to unbeaten Switzerland, then Bruce Mouat’s rink will be in the semi-finals! GB just need one of those two things to happen.
Men's curling: Norway and Italy updates
14:49 , Luke BakerAll Brits now become Swiss and Canadian! Team GB are looking for defeats for Norway and/or Italy to keep their qualification hopes alive.
It’s looking very good in both matches currently as Canada lead Italy 7-3 after six ends, having been 3-0 down early on, while Norway also trail Switzerland 6-3 after six.
Let’s hope both those results hold!
Men's curling: GB 9-2 USA - GB WIN IN STYLE!
14:39 , Luke BakerClass shot by Bruce Mouat with his penultimate stone to remove two US stones and leave the nest of three British stones in the centre of the house.
Decent response from Daniel Casper to draw his final stone into the centre but Mouat has a chance to hit it on the nose, remove it and score multiple for Team GB...
AND HE MAKES IT! Nicely done and it means GB score three. The lead is now 9-2.
Will Team USA shake hands? Yes they do! Team GB defeat the USA 9-2 and get the win the need. All eyes on Italy and Norway’s matches now...
Men's curling: Update on Norway and Italy
14:23 , Luke BakerGB need either Italy or Norway to lose both their remaining matches and they’re currently in games that are in the balance.
Italy drawing 3-3 with Canada after five ends, while Norway are losing 5-3 to Switzerland at the same point. GB still alive here!
Men's curling: GB 6-2 USA (5th end)
14:20 , Luke BakerLovely double takeout by Grant Hardie in the middle of the fifth end to clear the house. With such a big lead, GB just want to avoid lots of traffic to limit the potential for hefty US scores.
A bit of a mistake by Bruce Mouat with his penultimate stone allows US skip Daniel Casper to clear out all British stones in response but Mouat takes out a pair of American stones and spins his over behind the corner guard for good measure!
Nice shot by Casper with the hammer to remove the final British stone and hold his to score two but no great damage done for GB. They can afford to concede two and will have the hammer when the players return from the half-time break
Men's curling: GB 6-0 USA (4th end)
14:04 , Luke BakerUSA still have the hammer of course, given they keep failing to score but this is another good end for GB. They keep the house clean of stones and skip Bruce Mouat produces a nice hit and roll with his penultimate stone.
The struggling US skip Daniel Casper turns down the attempt to draw for one with his final stone, opting to clear out the British stone and his own, blanking the end and hoping to set up a bigger score in the next.
US retain the hammer but still trail by six - that’s absolutely fine from a GB perspective
Men's curling: Norway trail but Italy lead
13:57 , Luke BakerRemember, in addition to beating USA, GB need either Norway or Italy to lose both of their remaining two matches to sneak into the top four and a playoff spot.
Italy have started well against Canada and lead 3-0 but Norway are struggling a bit more. They trail Switzerland 3-1 in the early going.
Men's curling: GB 6-0 USA (3rd end) - GB steal four!
13:54 , Luke BakerWhat on earth has US skip Daniel Casper done here?! He’s been struggling early in this game but this latest shot is surely rock bottom...
Little mistakes throughout the end mean GB are sitting four in the house as Casper lines up with his final stone. There’s a nice path to the centre of the house available, where he’ll be able to take one and limit the damage.
But he says “it’s heavy” almost as soon as it leaves his hand. The sweepers lay off but there’s nothing they can do as the stone glides through the house, out of play and GB steal four! WOW!
Steals in each of the first three ends for Team Mouat and now GB lead 6-0! Incredible stuff considering they haven’t even had the hammer yet
Men's curling: GB 2-0 USA (2nd end)
13:39 , Luke BakerBritish skip Bruce Mouat looks in good form today already and his takeout with the final stone of the second end leaves the Brits lying three.
More pressure on US skip Daniel Casper with the hammer who can only try to draw into the house for one. The sweepers back off, this looks too heavy... Yep, drifts past the four-foot and for the second end in a row that’s a GB steal of one!
It was nearly two as Grant Hardie desperately swept at the end to try and send the US stone beyond the second British stone but not quite. A steal of one is stull good though. GB in control of this match early on
Mikaela Shiffrin breaks eight-year Olympic drought with brilliant slalom gold
13:34 , Luke BakerMikaela Shiffrin has ended her Olympic curse! Twelve years after winning his first Olympic slalom gold in Sochi as a teenager and eight years since her last Olympic gold in any event (the giant slalom at PyeongChang) she will stand atop the podium once more.
The American had a good lead after her first run on the slalom this morning and when her nearest competitor Lena Duerr straddled the first gate on her second run, it was there for Shiffrin.
She seizes the moment - holding her nerve brilliantly to put down a scintillating time of 1:39.10, around 1.5s faster than Switzerland's Camille Rast in second. Massive!
Mikaela Shiffrin breaks eight-year Olympic drought with brilliant slalom gold
Men's curling: GB 1-0 USA (1st end)
13:24 , Luke BakerGB on top in the opening end and give themselves a decent chance of a steal, leaving US skip Daniel Casper with a tricky shot to save the end.
If he nails a double takeout, he could score multiple though... It’s slightly off line, clips the British stone but the second one stays in the house and is just about lying shot. That’s an opening end steal of one for Bruce Mouat’s rink. Good start
GB vs USA men underway
13:08 , Luke BakerRight, here we go! GB’s final round robin match in the men’s curling. They have to beat USA and then hope for a Norway or Italy defeat to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
But job number one - win this match. US have the hammer in the first end.
Husky or wolf? Dog gatecrashes team cross country to steal show at Winter Olympics
13:00 , Luke BakerAthletes in the women's team sprint cross country skiing were joined by an enthusiastic but unaccredited companion in Tesero as a dog stole the show at the Winter Olympics.
The furry friend, speculated to be a husky but with the looks very much resembling a wolf, wandered onto the stadium course during the race to a howling reaction from the crowd.
At the final straight, the canine found his way onto the snow and was briefly distracted by the trackside camera before trying to catch up the two competitors striving for the line.
It then raced across the line behind members of Team Croatia and Team Australia to rapturous cheers, greeting the exhausted skiers by sniffing out his competition.
Husky or wolf? Dog gatecrashes team cross country to steal show at Winter Olympics
Olympic skiers Vonn and Shiffrin voice concerns over global warming amid glaciers crisis
12:54 , Luke BakerOlympic skiers competing in Cortina have voiced profound concern over the accelerating melt of the world’s glaciers, a stark reality made visible in the very region hosting the Games.
Glaciers once prominent from the Italian town have dramatically receded, many now reduced to mere ice patches high in the Dolomites, forcing anyone wishing to see a major glacier to travel extensively to the rapidly diminishing Marmolada.
The world’s elite skiers, who rely on glaciers for high-quality snow training, are witnessing first-hand the threat to their sport.
Lindsey Vonn, who began skiing on Austrian glaciers at age nine, highlighted the dramatic change.
Vonn and Shiffrin voice concerns over global warming amid glaciers crisis
Winter Olympics medal table: Current standings
12:42 , Luke BakerThat gold for Su Yiming slots China into 16th in the latest medal table at Milano-Cortina.
Norway still comfortably lead the way and don’t look like they can be caught at the top, with hosts Italy also having a nice cushion in second.
It’s a battle royale for third with USA, Netherlands and Sweden all on six golds, while Team GB are 13th with their three (and no other medals)
Check out the full table:
Winter Olympics medal table: Current standings as Team GB surge and USA trail Norway
Su Yiming wins men's snowboarding slopestyle final
12:30 , Luke BakerRedemption for Su Yiming! The Chinese superstar wins the men’s snowboarding slopestyle final.
Su claimed bronze in the big air last week, silver in this event in Beijing four years ago and has won gold, four years after becoming Olympic champion in the big air four.
It’s China’s first gold medal at Milano-Cortina and Su is in tears. Silver goes to Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa and an ecstatic Jake Canter of the US takes bronze.
What do Team GB's men's curlers need to qualify?
12:16 , Luke BakerJust under an hour until Team GB’s crunch clash in the men’s curling against Team USA (1.05pm GMT). So what do Bruce Mouat and co actually need in order to reach the semi-finals?
It’s actually more simple than it might first appear. Team GB must beat USA today to end with a 5-4 record and then hope that either Norway or Italy lose both their remaining matches.
If either of those two teams win one of their two matches to finish on 5-4, the same as GB, they will go through instead as they hold the head-to-head advantage.
For reference, Norway face Switzerland this afternoon and Canada tomorrow morning, while Italy face the same two teams in the reverse order. Helpfully for GB, Switzerland and Canada are currently the top two, so it’s not inconceivable that Norway or Italy lose both.
All clear? Good.
A new furry friend at Milano-Cortina
11:46 , Luke BakerIn the category of light-hearted news, a loose dog has been winning people over at the cross-country skiing
These Olympic skiers were joined by a furry friend in the women's team cross country qualification 🐕 pic.twitter.com/WyyJiPCGMU
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) February 18, 2026
Women's curling: How it stands and what GB need
11:29 , Luke BakerSo, what does that victory mean for Team GB? Essentially, it keeps their hopes alive but there is still plenty of work to do.
GB have three wins and four losses and are still seventh in the standings with two matches remaining.
Sophie Jackson’s rink need to win both games (against Japan this evening and Italy tomorrow afternoon) and get help from elsewhere to sneak into the top four with a 5-4 record.
The good news is that Japan and Italy are currently 10th and joint eighth in the standings respectively.
Round robin fixtures
All times GMT
18 February: Great Britain v Japan, 18:05
19 February: Great Britain v Italy, 13:05
WATCH: Rebecca Morrison's remarkable final stone to snatch victory
11:15 , Luke BakerHere’s that moment we’ve been talking about. An incredible double takeout by GB fourth Rebecca Morrison which piles the pressure on US skip Tabitha Peterson, who can’t deliver.
GB steal two and snatch an 8-7 triumph
Rebecca Morrison: 'We're here to fight'
11:03 , Luke BakerTeam GB’s hero Rebecca Morrison and skip Sophie Jackson have been speaking to the BBC after that incredible 8-7 curling win over the USA thanks to Morrison’s remarkable final stone.
Morrison said: “There was a lot at stake here but we had to keep believing. We were up against it towards the end but we’re here to fight and that’s what we did.
“When I’m delivering, I’m ok. It’s the line call that will make it or break it but between me and Soph [Jackson], we absolutely nailed it. I’m super proud of that.”
Meanwhile, Jackson added: “When it’s in the moment, it doesn’t feel too nerve-wrecking. Once it came out of Becca’s hand, I knew it was close, so just try to not mess up the line call. It feels absolutely amazing to make those shots at a team.
“You can see the thrill it gave us at the end, that’s what we’re here for. It’s the Olympics, we put her (US skip) under pressure and there we go - we came away with the win.”
Jackson on how they will prepare for this evening: “It was a game we’d have liked to be a bit better in. Our performance throughout the game was a bit up and down. We’ll go away and figure out how to place the draws a little bit better tonight.”
GB produce stunning steal of two to snatch victory
10:51 , Luke BakerWHAT A SHOT! THAT IS INCREDIBLE!
It’s backs to the wall for Team GB, they look dead and buried but Rebecca Morrison comes up with the shot of her life.
With her final stone, Morrison flicks off the US stone wide on the right and cannons into another US stone in the centre of the house, clearing it out. Huge roars from the crowd.
That leaves GB sitting two and US skip Tabitha Peterson now has a tricky run-through to try and remove them. She gets her line wrong, flicks the guard and can’t get it done, so GB steal two in the 10th end and nick a remarkable 8-7 win!
Where did that come from?! Rebecca Morrison, take a bow.
Women's curling: GB 6-7 USA
10:35 , Luke BakerTeam GB on the brink now. They take two in the ninth end but still trail 7-6 heading into the final end, where the US have the hammer.
They need to hope for a mistake from the Americans to steal at least one and keep their Olympic campaign alive
Women's curling: GB 4-7 USA
10:27 , Luke BakerUSA haven’t played particularly well today but GB simply haven’t been able to capitalise as they would have liked. And now it’s starting to look like game over.
USA steal one in the eighth end to lead 7-4 and Team GB have all but lost this one. They’ll be crashing out of the Olympics
Women's curling: GB 4-6 USA
10:05 , Luke BakerOoof, that is a blow for GB... USA take three in the seventh end to leap out into a 6-4 lead. The good news for the Brits is that they should have the hammer in the eighth and 10th ends (barring a blank end or steal) but they’ll need at least two in one of those.
This eighth end, where GB have the hammer, is now huge
Women's curling: GB 4-3 USA
09:51 , Luke BakerThat is a gutsy final stone by British fourth Rebecca Morrison in the sixth. A slight mistake from the US, leaves her a draw into the centre of the house for two.
The stone is slid down the ice and it looks a bit pacy but just holds up in time. A crucial two to give GB a 4-3 lead. The Americans will have the hammer in the seventh of course but this match is getting tight.
Shiffrin flying in slalom
09:36 , Luke BakerSkiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin is in action this morning, hunting a third Olympic gold medal, although a first since 2018.
She’s competing in the women’s slalom – an event in which she has won 71 World Cup races throughout her storied career and the American is flying this.
She lays down a brilliant first run, with a time of 47.13s, which is a mammoth 0.82s faster than Lena Duerr in second spot and more than a second quicker than Camille Rast in third.
Clenched fist from Shiffrin, she’s rightly delighted. Barring disaster in the second run later this morning, she’s surely a lock for gold...
GB women trailing USA
09:29 , Luke BakerTeam GB’s male curlers are in must-win mode for their final round robin match against USA this afternoon but things are arguably even bleaker for the women’s rink.
Sophie Jackson’s quartet have two wins and four losses from their six matches so far, to lie eighth in the table, and will need to win each of their final three games – plus get ample help from elsewhere.
It’s an unlikely scenario but all they can do is try and take care of their own business. They’re facing second-placed USA this morning and the Americans have just stolen one in the fifth end to lead 3-2. Can GB respond?
Women’s Winter Olympics curling schedule
09:15 , Jack RathbornRound robin fixtures
All times GMT
18 February: USA v Great Britain, 08:05
18 February: Great Britain v Japan, 18:05
19 February: Great Britain v Italy, 13:05
Round robin results
12 February: China 7-4 Great Britain
13 February: Great Britain 3-9 Republic of Korea
14 February: Great Britain 7-6 Canada
15 February: Great Britain 7-10 Sweden
16 February: Denmark 2-7 Great Britain
16 February: Switzerland 10-6 Great Britain
17 February: Switzerland 10-6 Great Britain
Team GB curling results and schedule for Winter Olympics 2026
09:14 , Jack RathbornMen’s Winter Olympics curling schedule
Round robin fixtures
All times GMT
18 February: USA V Great Britain, 13:05
Round robin results
11 February: China 4-9 Great Britain
12 February: Great Britain 6-3 Sweden
13 February: Great Britain 7-9 Italy
14 February: Czech Republic 4-7 Great Britain
15 February: Germany 4-9 Great Britain
15 February: Great Britain 5-6 Switzerland
16 February: Great Britain 6-7 Norway
17 February: Canada 9-5 Great Britain
Team GB curling results and schedule for Winter Olympics 2026
GB curlers slump to defeat against Canada to leave semi-final qualification on a knife edge
09:14 , Jack RathbornThe polite and chivalrous world of curling was dragged through the mud this week, rocked by a cheating scandal and cries of foul play. Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of cheating; the latter was so incensed by the accusation that he went on an expletive-laden rant in his opponent’s face, only for videos to emerge supporting the Swede entirely.
World Curling eventually stepped in, attempting to calm the controversy with additional umpiring measures, which caught out Canada’s women’s team and Britain’s men, before backing off again, returning to the status quo of players largely self-refereeing.
GB curlers slump to Canada defeat to leave semi-final qualification on a knife edge
