Guelph will play host to some of the top curlers in the world this January, as the Grand Slam of Curling's WFG Masters tournament comes to town.
The event will feature the 16 highest-ranked curling quartets for both the men's and women's tournaments. An exact line-up will be confirmed close to the tournament start, but the Grand Slam tour typically features the top curlers from around the world, with the Masters' defending champions including Italy's Joel Retornaz and Canadian stalwart Rachel Homan.
The teams will compete for a $400,000 prize pot. Past tournaments have featured a pool format with each team playing several games before the best advance to the knockouts.
The Masters is typically considered one of the four "major" events on the Grand Slam tour, which leads up to provincial and national competitions, whereas tour events allow the top pros to compete with each other regardless of geographic affiliation. This will be the first tour event held in Guelph since 2010, when the national men's tournament took place. Since then, the tournament has grown to include a women's event with an equal prize pot. Major curling events such as this often use methods such as poster printing and tie-ins with local clubs to help better connect with local fans.
The 2025 WFG Masters tournament will take place at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph from January 14 to 19.
