OGDEN, Utah – Niklas Edin’s Swedish team began their campaign at the 2026 LGT World Men’s Curling Championship with a 6-5 victory over Scotland on Friday, marking a strong start after a challenging Olympic Winter Games. The match, played at the Weber County Ice Sheet – the same venue that hosted the curling events at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics – concluded with a controversial finish involving a technicality and a missed opportunity for the Scottish skip.
The victory is particularly significant for Edin and his team, who are aiming to rebound from a disappointing ninth-place finish at the recent Olympic Games. That result was their worst-ever performance in a major championship, and the team has been analyzing their performance in the lead-up to this event. The team made a minor tactical adjustment for the opening match, with vice-skip Oskar Eriksson delegating some tactical responsibilities to second Christoffer Sundgren.
The match was closely contested throughout. Sweden, with the hammer (last stone advantage) in the first finish, opened with a two-point score. Scotland quickly responded, taking a three-point lead in the second. Sweden managed to steal a point in the fourth end, leveling the score at 4-4 heading into the break. The teams continued to trade points, with Scotland managing to tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth end.
A pivotal moment came in the ninth end when Edin executed a double takeout, clearing the house and preventing Scotland from scoring. This gave Sweden a significant advantage, holding the hammer going into the tenth and final end. However, the match concluded in unusual circumstances. With the score tied, Scotland’s skip, Ross Whyte, appeared to touch the stone with his broom during his final delivery, activating the sensor and lighting up the stone red, indicating a violation.
The Scottish team initially questioned whether there was a technical issue with the stone-sensing technology. However, after a review by a tournament official, the stone was deemed illegally touched, and Whyte’s shot was invalidated. This meant Edin didn’t even need to throw his final stone, securing the win for Sweden.
“It was a good first match and super important to get the win after what happened at the Olympics,” Edin said, according to Swedish broadcaster SVT. The sentiment underscores the team’s desire to position their Olympic disappointment behind them and commence the World Championship on a positive note.
This year’s World Men’s Curling Championship features 13 teams competing for the title. The field includes teams that qualified through the host nation status (United States), the U.S. Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships 2025 (Canada, Japan, China, and Korea), and the Le Gruyere AOP European Curling Championships 2025 (Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Czechia, Poland, and Norway). Notably, Scotland is represented by Team Whyte, rather than the dominant Bruce Mouat team that secured a silver medal at the Olympics. Several nations opted to send teams other than their most decorated squads to this tournament.
Team Whyte, despite not being the top Scottish team, has proven its capabilities with a recent Grand Slam victory. The decision by Scotland and other nations to send different teams to the championship adds an element of intrigue to the competition.
The tournament format consists of a thirteen-team round robin, with the top six teams advancing to the playoff round. The top two teams will receive a bye directly to the semifinals, even as the remaining four will compete in a qualification round to determine the other two semifinalists. This structure ensures a competitive path to the championship game.
What we have is also the first World Men’s Championship appearance for Poland, who qualified after finishing seventh at the European Championship. [2]
For Sweden, the win represents a crucial first step in their quest for the championship title. Edin, a seven-time world champion, is making his 15th appearance at this level, and his experience will be vital as the tournament progresses. [1] The team will appear to build on this momentum as they face Italy in their next match on Saturday.
The 2026 World Men’s Curling Championship runs from March 27 to April 4 at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden, Utah. [2]
Next up for Team Edin is a match against Italy on Saturday. Confirmed start times were not immediately available, but updates will be posted on the World Curling Federation website.
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