Following a sensational World Championship in Ottawa earlier this year, the curling world is getting revved up for the 2024 Men’s World Curling Championships. At the 2023 games, the Scottish men’s team took home the country’s sixth world championship with a standout win over second-place Canada. In that competition, Scotland won the gold medal while Canada took second place, followed by Switzerland and Italy in fourth place. Oddly enough, Sweden, which had won the prior four world championships in the men’s division, did not even make the top four at the tournament. Indeed, this goes to show that perhaps there is a new changing of the guard at the top of the curling standings.
For this report, SBS will be going over what to look for from each squad along with a predicted winner at the 2024 World Championship and more notes about curling wagering.
| Favorites to Win The 2024 World Men's Curling Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Sweden | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Canada | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Italy | +420 | +420 | +420 |
As noted above, Scotland won the 2023 World Championship and now finds themselves the favorites to repeat in Switzerland. In the gold medal contest against Canada earlier this year, lead Hammy McMillan Jr. was sensational with a 97% player percentage rate. However, he was outpaced by third Grant Hardie at 98% for skip Bruce Mouat. In fact, Mouat is the reigning Scottish, European, and World men’s champion skip. The Scottish squad was nearly perfect in the title game with a total team percentage of 96% to Canada’s 87%.
While Sweden fell short this past year in team competition, they still feature some of the best curling athletes in the world. Lead Christoffer Sundgren returns for the squad and he had a sensational 98% outing in the Swedes’ last game of the 203 championships. Skip Niklas Edin is also aiming for a return to prominence after a disappointing showing in this past year’s games. Regardless, this is a squad that features a solid amount of championship pedigree so there is some hope that they can return to glory if they can put it all together and improve on their fifth-place showing in 2023.
The runner-ups from the 2023 World Championships, Team Canada features some sensational stars that took home some great honors at the previous championship. This includes skip Brad Gushue and lead Geoff Walker being named to the tournament All-Star team. Moreover, Walker led all leads with a 92.0% player percentage, while Gushue was in first place for skips with a mark of 87.6%. Though they fell to the Scottish squad for first place, there is still an outside chance of the team returning to glory and notching another Canadian curling world title.
Our last team spotlight, Italy finished in fourth place at the 2023 championship but could be in line for more in 2024. In the bronze medal game against Switzerland, the Italians were led by lead Mattia Giovanella who finished that game with a 92% player percentage. After that though, the squad fell apart and finished the match with a mark of 75%. They will look to rebound this next year and bounce back from this disappointing final finish after a spectacular tournament.
Prediction: A wide-open competition between the top four to five squads, take Scotland to win here given their dominating recent outings.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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