A look at the 13 teams competing in the LGT Men’s World Curling Championship from March 27 to April 4 in Ogden, Utah:
Canada (Matt Dunstone)
First world championship for Dunstone and third Colton Lott. Second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden won silver with Brad Jacobs in 2013. World ranking: 4.
China (Xu Xiaoming)
Lost to Canada’s Brad Jacobs in the bronze-medal game in 2025 in Moose Jaw, Sask. Won the Pan Continental Championship in Lacombe, Alta., in 2024. World ranking: 12.
Czechia (Lukas Klima)
Klima’s sixth world championship appearance. Went 3-6 in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games in February. Coached by Canada’s Craig Savill. World ranking: 28.
Germany (Marc Muskatewitz)
European champion in 2024. Went 4-5 to place seventh in Olympic Games. Coached by Canadian Ryan Sherrard. World ranking: 20.
Italy (Stefano Spiller)
Veteran skip Joel Retornaz is taking a break. Spiller, a world junior champion in 2025, takes over a veteran lineup that went 4-5 in Olympic Games. Coached by Canada’s Ryan Fry. World Ranking: 7.
Japan (Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi)
Ninth world championship appearance for the skip Yamaguchi, but first time as a skip. He skipped Japan to bronze in the 2025 Pan Continental Championship. World ranking: 16.
South Korea (Soo-Hyuk Kim)
Co-coached by Canada’s Peter Gallant, Kim makes his sixth world championship appearance and fourth as skip. First opponent is Canada’s Dunstone. World ranking: 40.
Norway (Andreas Haarstad)
Haarstad makes his debut as skip after playing lead in 2019. Has Magnus Ramsfjell, who skipped Norway to fourth in the Olympic Games, as alternate. World ranking: 48.
Poland (Konrad Stych)
World Curling suspended Poland from 2020 to 2022 “for bringing the sport into disrepute” so curling’s been rebuilding there. Stych was seventh in last year’s European championship to qualify for worlds. World ranking: 90.
Scotland (Ross Whyte)
One of the best teams in the world, but passed over for Bruce Mouat to represent Scotland in the last two world championships despite Whyte winning nationals. Beat Canada’s Brad Jacobs in the 2025 Masters final. World ranking: 5.
Sweden (Niklas Edin)
Edin has skipped teams to a record seven world championship gold and an Olympic medal of every colour. Team is coming off a 2-7 Olympic Games, however, and a spat with Olympic champion Brad Jacobs in Cortina over “double-touching” a rock. World ranking: 13.
Switzerland (Marco Hoesli)
Marco Hoesli throws third stones and brother Philipp fourth. Won Swiss nationals for the first time for world championship debut. World ranking: 18.
United States (John Shuster)
Olympic gold medallist in 2018, Shuster will skip the U.S. a ninth time in a world championship. Chris Plys has played third for eight years and lead Matt Hamilton has been Shuster’s teammate for a dozen. World ranking: 8.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
