Switzerland Defeats United States in Women’s Curling Semifinal at Milan Cortina 2026

Switzerland Beats United States 7-4 in Semifinal on February 20, 2026

Switzerland defeated the United States 7-4 in the women’s curling semifinal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 20, 2026. The match took place at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

With this result, Switzerland secured a place in the gold-medal game on Saturday and is guaranteed an Olympic medal. The United States, following the loss, will play for the bronze medal on Saturday. The American team in the semifinal consisted of skip Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, and Taylor Anderson-Heide. For Switzerland, Alina Paetz and Carole Howald were among those competing.

Key Moments and Scoring Progression

Team USA and Switzerland were tied 2-2 after three ends. Early in the match, holding the hammer, Tabitha Peterson delivered a shot for one point to give the United States an initial lead. Switzerland then responded when Alina Paetz delivered a two-point end, putting Switzerland ahead as they moved to the third end.

Through four ends, Paetz again delivered two points after the United States’ last stone knocked out a Swiss stone but rolled out of the house, giving Switzerland a 4-2 lead. After five ends, Switzerland held a 4-3 advantage. In the sixth and seventh ends, Paetz cleared the lone U.S. rock from the house, leading to consecutive scoreless ends for the Americans and maintaining Switzerland’s 4-3 lead with three ends remaining.

Later in the match, Switzerland added another point in the eighth end, and the United States trailed 5-3 in the ninth. Team USA then gained a point to make it 5-4 going into the final end, but Switzerland retained the hammer. In the 10th end, Switzerland executed its final shot, knocking the U.S. stone out of the house and scoring two points. That final play produced the 7-4 score and secured Switzerland’s victory in the semifinal.

Path to the Semifinal and Upcoming Matches

The United States reached the semifinal after a 7-6 win over Switzerland in a round-robin game on Thursday. That earlier match also took place at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium and required an extra end. In that game, Team USA needed a win to guarantee a place in the playoffs. Tabitha Peterson delivered the decisive hammer shot in the extra end to clinch the victory and send the United States into the semifinals.

In the other women’s curling semifinal, Canada and Sweden met to determine the second finalist. The winners of the two semifinals will contest the gold-medal game on Sunday, while the losing teams will compete for the bronze medal on Saturday. Following Friday’s result in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Switzerland advances to the gold-medal game, and the United States moves to the bronze-medal match.