Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships 2026

• October 27, 2026
  Event date:
• November 1, 2026
  Event end:

A new era for the Europeans

The Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships 2026 are the first edition played under World Curling’s new competition structure for the 2026–2030 Olympic cycle, staged as a standalone championship for men’s and women’s teams. The event runs from October 27 to November 1, 2026, in Ostrava, Czechia. The women open proceedings with one round of games on the evening of October 27, and the playoffs follow on October 31 and November 1.

It is also a landmark for the host city: this is the first World Curling championship ever held in Ostrava.

Format and field

Entry is based on results at the previous World Championships, with the leading European member associations qualifying in each discipline. Czechia receives an extra host place in the women’s competition. Teams are divided into two groups for round-robin play before the playoff weekend decides the European titles.

Home fans will have both Czech national teams to follow: Team Klíma in the men’s event and Team Kubešková in the women’s.

RT Torax Arena

The championships are played at RT Torax Arena in Ostrava-Poruba, the home rink of ice hockey club HC RT Torax Poruba. Opened in 1977, the multipurpose venue has two ice surfaces and room for roughly 3,000 spectators. The Czech association sees the event as a key step in establishing Ostrava as a new curling city, and the project has the support of the City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region. Czech curling also has momentum off the ice, with a brand-new dedicated curling arena opening in the country the year before.

Tickets

Tickets are sold online through the Enigoo platform and at the arena during the championships, with single-match tickets released about two months before the start. A range of passes is available: an opening-day pass costs 50 CZK, a one-day pass 200 CZK and a full-event pass 500 CZK, while round-robin and playoff tickets are 300 CZK. For hospitality, a VIP one-day pass is 5,000 CZK and a VIP full-event pass 15,000 CZK.

Regions

• Europe & Rest of World

Location