Excitement sweeps local curlers as Scotties Tournament of Hearts makes GTA debut in 2026

For the very first time, curlers from across the country will be hurrying hard to Mississauga with the city set to host the national women's curling championship next year. 

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts will begin Jan. 23 at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre Sportsplex.

With no bonspiel held in the Greater Toronto Area in all of the tournament's decades-long history, local curlers say they're thrilled to watch Canada's top curlers in their own city. 

It was hard holding in the excitement ahead of the official announcement, says Susan Baird, who coaches curling at Dixie Curling Club in Mississauga and helped place the bid to host the games. 

"My phone lit up, people saying, 'I can't believe it. I'm so excited,'" said Baird, who's been curling for 45 years.

"I've been to many Scotties as a fan and it is such an exciting opportunity to have it in our own backyard."

The winner of the 18-team competition will get to represent Canada at the world championship next year in Calgary. 

That's something eight-year-old Caitlyn Grdadolnik thinks of "one day, maybe" aiming for. But before that happens, having the Scotties in her own town will give her the chance to watch the competition in-person for the first time. 

"I was really excited because my mom said that we might get tickets to go see it," she said while watching her mother play at the local curling club. 

The bid to hold the bonspiel in Mississauga was placed nearly three years ago. With the goal of selling 50,000 tickets for the 10-day event, it could generate millions of dollars for the city, according to the CEO of Visit Mississauga, the city's destination marketing organization. 

"If you've got 50,000 bums in seats, that means 50,000 people that need to have lunch, 50,000 people that either need to stay the night or need to travel here," said Victoria Clarke. 

She adds the arena was also recently renovated with additional space, a new scoreboard and new hospitality suites.

"So it'll be really easy for spectators and athletes to have the time of their lives," she said. 

Host committee co-chair Sean Holman believes one of the reasons why the event was never held in the GTA is because of a perception that Toronto is only receptive to major professional sports, like the NBA or NHL. 

"That's a perception. It's not a reality," he said, adding the city wants to differentiate itself from Toronto and earn a reputation as a destination for sporting events.  

Holding the tournament in Mississauga will also unlock legacy funding for curling programs in the city, which Holman hopes will inspire more people in immigrant-rich communities to pick up a broom and take up the sport.

"A lot of the people that come into the GTA come from areas where they're curling isn't a big thing," he said. 

"We need to introduce them to curling. And I think having some champions within their communities makes a big difference."