New Pro Curling League to Launch After Winter Olympics

The Rock League aims to capitalize on curling's Olympic popularity and professionalize the sport.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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Shortly after the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, a new professional curling league called the Rock League is set to launch. The league will feature 60 of the world's top curlers on six teams, with the goal of harnessing the momentum and attention curling receives during the Olympics and sustaining interest in the sport year-round. The Rock League plans to offer a more exciting and fan-friendly viewing experience compared to traditional curling events.

Why it matters

Curling often struggles to maintain mainstream popularity outside of the Olympics, so the Rock League aims to professionalize the sport and give fans more opportunities to engage with it throughout the year. The league's innovative format and focus on accessibility and entertainment could help grow curling's fanbase in the United States and beyond.

The details

The Rock League will feature six teams of 10 curlers each, with five men and five women per team. The teams will have their own logos and identities, and will include many familiar Olympians. The league plans to offer a more energetic and interactive viewing experience compared to traditional curling events, with the goal of attracting new fans. The inaugural "preview season" will take place in Toronto in April 2026, followed by a four-week touring season starting in January 2027 with stops in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New York, and Ontario. The league will initially be available to watch on the Rock Channel, a new free, ad-supported TV channel dedicated to curling.

  • The Rock League will launch its inaugural "preview season" in April 2026.
  • The league's first full touring season will begin in January 2027.

The players

John Shuster

The gold medal-winning skip of Team USA's landmark 2018 Olympic curling squad.

Nic Sulsky

The CEO of The Curling Group, which owns the Rock League. He came to curling from the gaming industry and is working to professionalize and grow the sport.

Chris Plys

A two-time Olympic curler who believes the Rock League will provide a pathway for young athletes to pursue curling as a viable professional sport.

Korey Dropkin

A member of the Frontier Curling Club roster, who won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Jared Allen

A former NFL Hall of Famer who is an advisor to The Curling Group and the Rock League.

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What they’re saying

“It's going to be a massive undertaking, but every single player I've talked to is really excited to see where this is going to go.”

— John Shuster, Gold medal-winning skip of Team USA's 2018 Olympic curling squad

“We need energy. When people are going to spend their hard-earned money, we can't have these events where people just sit in silence. We're not going to draw in new fans that way. We need to make it more exciting and have other things going on to bring people in the door.”

— Chris Plys, Two-time Olympic curler

“Visibility is what the sport needs to continue to grow. The reason that it grows so much during the Olympics is because people in every household finally have access to watching it.”

— Chris Plys, Two-time Olympic curler

What’s next

The Rock League's inaugural "preview season" will take place in Toronto in April 2026, followed by the first full touring season beginning in January 2027.

The takeaway

The Rock League's innovative approach to professionalize curling and provide a more engaging viewing experience could help grow the sport's fanbase in the United States and beyond, building on the renewed interest generated by each Olympic Games.