By Yuta Matsumura and Daia Koyano
September may still feel like the very beginning of the season for most winter sports, but Japan’s curling community will be gripped by peak-level tension during this period.
From Wednesday to Sunday, Wakkanai, the northernmost city in Japan, will host the final stage of selection for the teams that will represent Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. For five days, every stone thrown will count.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The field was decided by a clear set of criteria:
1. Winners of the 2024 Japan Curling Championships.
2. Winners of the 2025 Japan Curling Championships.
3. As of Feb. 5, 2025, the top-ranked Japanese team in the World Curling Team Rankings, provided they finished in the top three at either the 2024 or 2025 nationals.
That leaves two men’s teams and three women’s teams in the hunt for an Olympic berth:
Men:
・Team Abe
・Team Yamaguchi
Women:
・Team Ueno
・Team Yoshimura
・Team Fujisawa
The men will play a best-of-five series. The women’s side will feature a double round-robin, with the top two advancing to a best-of-five final (round-robin results carry over). If second and third place are tied after round-robin play, a tiebreaker will decide who moves on.
MEN’S BATTLE: A CLASH OF TWO POWERHOUSES
Team Abe, winner of the 2024 national championship, ended last season as Japan’s top-ranked team. After adding B.C.–born Hayato Sato to the lineup, Abe earned a silver medal at the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships, notably defeating Canada’s Team Gushue along the way. Though they failed to defend their national title, their expanded international experience makes them an even more complete team heading into these trials.
Team Yamaguchi — formerly skipped by Riku Yanagisawa (still playing fourth) — underwent a mid-season leadership shift and restructured its roster. The gamble paid off with a 2025 national championship and demonstrated both their adaptability and team strength. In recent seasons, no men’s team in Japan has won more titles.
In three Hokkaido tour events held since August, the two teams have clashed multiple times, with Team Yamaguchi holding a 2–1 edge. In each match, the team that managed to generate a big end early went on to win. Securing that early momentum through big ends could once again be the deciding factor in the trials.
A THREE-WAY BATTLE OF STYLES IN THE WOMEN’S FIELD
Leading the women’s field is Team Fujisawa, the only team in the field with back-to-back Olympic medals, the highest WCTR ranking in Japan, and extensive Grand Slam of Curling experience. While they are unquestionably world-class, their domestic results in 2024 and 2025 were below expectations. Still, their resilience and consistency make them a serious threat in the trials.
Team Yoshimura, the 2025 national champion and current national team, is also peaking at the right time. Skip Sayaka Yoshimura made a triumphant return after maternity leave. The squad is now in its second season under seven-time world men’s champion Niklas Edin as coach and is showing greater maturity and cohesion. Edin will be in Japan for the trials, coaching the team directly.
Then there’s Team Ueno, the 2024 national champion led by 24-year-old skip Miyu Ueno, with her sister Yui also in the lineup. The duo famously captured gold at the 2022 World Junior Curling Championships, signaling their immense potential early on. Although the team failed to advance past the preliminary round at the 2025 Japan National Championship, their raw talent alone makes them a threat, and they’ll be looking to bounce back.
There were concerns over the summer, as Team Ueno competed in two domestic tour events with just three players, excluding Junko Nishimuro. However, they’re expected to return to full strength in Wakkanai with the addition of Yuina Miura, a former junior teammate, as the alternate.
All three women’s teams showed strong form during the summer, competing in Hokkaido-based tour events. Team Fujisawa played in all three and delivered impressive results, winning two titles and finishing third in the other. Team Yoshimura competed in two events and claimed one title, while Team Ueno reached the final in one of their two appearances.
Among them, Team Fujisawa stood out for its remarkable consistency across 17 games in the three events, sustaining just a single loss.
RECENT HEAD-TO-HEAD RESULTS BETWEEN THE THREE TEAMS
• Ueno vs. Fujisawa: Fujisawa holds a 2-0 advantage.
• Ueno vs. Yoshimura: Ueno holds a 1-0 advantage.
• Fujisawa vs. Yoshimura: No matches played.
Even in these tune-up events ahead of the trials, Team Fujisawa has clearly set itself apart. The spotlight now turns to whether Ueno and Yoshimura can close that gap when it matters most.
THE TRIALS ARE ONLY THE BEGINNING
History has shown how unpredictable these trials can be. Back in 2022, a team came back from two losses to win three straight and book its ticket to the Winter Olympics. Expect similar drama this time around.
Even for the winners, this is just the start: Japan must still qualify for Milan-Cortina through the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) in all three disciplines: men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles.
Wakkanai will set the stage; Cortina is the dream. Five days. One shot.
Which teams will keep their Olympic hopes alive?
AloJapan.com