FAQ: Pan Continental Curling Championships

The second Pan Continental Curling Championships is now underway in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Here is everything you need to know about the event.

What is the Pan Continental Curling Championships?

The Pan Continental Curling Championships is an annual competition for women’s and men’s teams from two of the World Curling Federation’s zones—the Americas and Pacific-Asia.

The first event was staged in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

It features both A- and B-Divisions and provides a direct qualification route for the world championships—similar to the European championships’ format.

How can I watch the event?

The broadcast schedule and streaming information for the 2023 championships is available here.

Why does this event exist?

The Pan Continental Championships was introduced in 2022, following a vote by our Member Associations during the 2021 Annual General Assembly.

The World Curling Federation initiated the event to offer developing Member Associations from the Americas and Pacific-Asia zones an opportunity to compete on an equal playing field, giving them a chance to improve their world rankings and provide a consistent platform for improvement.

This event replaces the previous qualifiers, the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, and the Americas Challenge.

What is the format?

The Pan Continental Curling Championships features 15 women’s teams, divided into an A-Division of eight teams and a B-Division of six teams; and 17 men’s teams, divided into an A-Division of eight teams and a B-Division of eight teams.

All teams play in round-robin format. In the A-Divisions, the top four teams advance to the semi-finals, followed by the championship final for the semi-final winners and bronze game for the losers.

In the B-Divisions, the top-ranked teams are promoted to next season’s A-Divisions, while this season’s bottom-placed A-Division teams are relegated to next season’s B-Division.

How many teams qualify for world championships from this event?

The top five men’s teams will qualify for the LGT World Men’s Curling Championship 2024, which will take place in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in the spring.

As hosts, Canada women will qualify automatically for the BKT Tires World Women’s Curling Championship 2024—being held in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada in March—taking one of the five available world championship slots. The other seven A-Division women’s teams will battle it out for the four vacant world championship places available from the Pan Continental Championships.

Why are there no European teams?

The European nations have their own championships—the Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships 2023—staged in Aberdeen, Scotland in late November. It is the qualification event for European teams.

Following the European’s, one additional team will qualify for the world championships based the aggregate performance of the top five teams from the two zones (Europe and Pan Continental). The better performing zone wins the 13th spot at the following year’s world championship

Why does Canada play if they already have a spot as hosts of the BKT Tires World Women’s Curling Championship 2024?

Although the host country is guaranteed a world championship slot, if they were not to play in the Pan Continental Championships, they would be relegated to next season’s B-Division event. It would also mean that they are not able to qualify for the season’s world championship as they must compete to qualify.

Likewise, if the Canadian men finish eighth at this event, they would be relegated and would not be able to qualify for the LGT World Men’s Curling Championship 2024.

Who can compete in the B-Division?

Any World Curling Federation Member Association from the Americas or Pacific-Asia zones is entitled to enter the Pan Continental Championships. Without a top-seven ranking, they would have to go into the B-Division. This year, teams from Jamaica and the Philippines are making their debuts on the World Curling stage.

Engage with the World Curling Federation on in the lead up to the Pan Continental Curling Championships 2023 on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Weibo and by searching the hashtags #curling and #PCCC