The weather is cooling off, but the curling rinks are just heating up.
Curling is finally back, as the 2023 PointsBet Invitational kicks off the 2023-24 season in Canada. The competition, which made its debut last year, features 16 of the best men's teams and 16 of the best women's rinks from the country.
The format of the tournament differs from a majority of the others. Instead of playing in a round-robin format with a knockout stage, the PointsBet Invitational is single elimination, as the field will be cut down from 16 to eight to four to two and then finally, a champion will be crowned.
The defending champions from the 2022 event are both Manitoba rinks, as Reid Carruthers won on the men's side, and Jennifer Jones was crowned the champion for the women.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2023 PointsBet Invitational.
2023 PointsBet Invitational bracket
Both the men's and women's competitions involve 16 of the top-ranked teams in the country.
The tournament is played in a single-elimination style. It starts with 16 teams playing in the Sweep 16 before the winners advance to the Elite 8, then the Final 4 and lastly, the final.
Men's bracket
Sweep 16
No. 1 Gushue vs. No. 16 Balsdon
No. 8 Epping vs. No. 9 Wiebe
No. 5 Carruthers vs. No. 12 Tao
No. 4 Koe vs. No. 13 Kleiter
No. 6 Sturmay vs. No. 11 Howard
No. 3 Dunstone vs. No. 14 Mooibroek
No. 7 Sluchinski vs. No. 10 McEwen
No. 2 Bottcher vs. No. 15 Dobson
Elite 8
No. 1 Gushue vs. No. 9 Wiebe
No. 5 Carruthers vs. No. 13 Kleiter
No. 2 Bottcher vs. No. 10 McEwen
No. 3 Dunstone vs. No. 6 Sturmay
Final 4
No. 1 Gushue vs. No. 5 Carruthers
No. 3 Dunstone vs. No. 10 McEwen
Final
No. 3 Dunstone vs. No. 5 Carruthers
Women's bracket
Sweep 16
No. 1 Einarson vs. No. 16 Zimmerman
No. 8 Skrlik vs. No. 9 Inglis
No. 5 Grandy vs. No. 12 Duncan
No. 4 Lawes vs. No. 13 Marks
No. 6 Black vs. No. 11 Martin
No. 3 Jones vs. No. 14 Plett
No. 7 Ladouceur vs. No. 10 Gray-Withers
No. 2 Homan vs. No. 15 Park
Elite 8
No. 1 Einarson vs. No. 8 Skrlik
No. 4 Lawes vs. No. 5 Grandy
No. 2 Homan vs. No. 7 Ladouceur
No. 3 Jones vs. No. 6 Black
Final 4
No. 2 Homan vs. No. 6 Black
No. 1 Einarson vs. No. 4 Lawes
Final
No. 1 Einarson vs. No. 2 Homan
2023 PointsBet Invitational schedule, results
Wednesday, Sept. 27
Women's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 4 Lawes 11, No. 13 Marks 5 | FINAL |
| No. 5 Grandy 6, No. 12 Duncan 5 | FINAL |
| No. 1 Einarson 15, No. 16 Zimmerman 3 | FINAL |
| No. 8 Skrlik 7, No. 9 Inglis 6 | FINAL |
Men's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 13 Kleiter 10, No. 4 Koe 6 | FINAL |
| No. 5 Carruthers 10, No. 12 Tao 3 | FINAL |
| No. 1 Gushue 9 No. 16 Balsdon 4 | FINAL |
| No. 9 Wiebe 8, No. 8 Epping 5 | FINAL |
Thursday, Sept. 28
Women's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 6 Black 8, No. 11 Martin 7 | FINAL |
| No. 3 Jones 10, No. 14 Plett 6 | FINAL |
| No. 2 Homan 11, No. 15 Park 1 | FINAL |
| No. 7 Ladouceur 8, No. 10 Gray-Withers 6 | FINAL |
Men's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 6 Sturmay 8 No. 11 Howard, 4 | FINAL |
| No. 3 Dunstone 10, No. 14 Mooibroek 5 | FINAL |
| No. 2 Bottcher 7, No. 15 Dobson 1 | FINAL |
| No. 10 McEwen 11, No. 7 Sluchinski 5 | FINAL |
Friday, Sept. 29
Women's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 2 Homan 10, No. 7 Ladouceur 6 | FINAL |
| No. 1 Einarson 10, No. 8 Skrlik 6 | FINAL |
| No. 6 Black 9, No. 3 Jones 6 | FINAL |
| No. 4 Lawes 8, No. 5 Grandy 3 | FINAL |
Men's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 10 McEwen 9, No. 2 Bottcher 5 | FINAL |
| No. 1 Gushue 8, No. 9 Wiebe 4 | FINAL |
| No. 3 Dunstone 8, No. 6 Sturmay 5 | FINAL |
| No. 5 Carruthers 9, No. 13 Kleiter 8 | FINAL |
Saturday, Sept. 30
Women's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 2 Homan 10, No. 6 Black 5 | FINAL |
| No. 1 Einarson 8 No. 4 Lawes, 3 | FINAL |
Men's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 3 Dunstone 6, No. 10 McEwen 5 | FINAL |
| No. 5 Carruthers 6, No. 1 Gushue 5 | FINAL |
Sunday, Oct. 1
Women's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 2 Homan 9, No. 1 Einarson 7 | FINAL |
Men's
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| No. 5 Carruthers 9, No. 3 Dunstone 8 | FINAL |
When is the 2023 PointsBet Invitational?
- Dates: Sept. 27 - Oct. 1
This tournament begins on Wednesday, Sept. 27, with the finals set to take place on Sunday, Oct. 1.
The Sweep 16 will run for the first two days, followed by the Elite 8 on Friday, Sept. 28, the Final 4 on Saturday, Sept. 29 and the finals on Sunday, Sept. 30.
What channel is the 2023 PointsBet Invitational?
- TV Channel: TSN
- Live stream: TSN.ca, TSN app
The 2023 PointsBet Invitational will be on TSN for the entire tournament.
Fans can either watch live on TSN, or stream the competition on TSN.ca or on the TSN app.
| Date | Time (ET) | Round | TV Channel |
| Wednesday, Sept. 27 | 2 p.m. | Sweep 16 | TSN 1/4 |
| Wednesday, Sept. 27 | 7 p.m. | Sweep 16 | TSN 4 |
| Thursday, Sept. 28 | 2 p.m. | Sweep 16 | TSN 1/4 |
| Thursday, Sept. 28 | 7 p.m. | Sweep 16 | TSN 1/4 |
| Friday, Sept. 29 | 11:30 a.m. | Elite 8 | TSN 1/4 |
| Friday, Sept. 29 | 4:30 p.m. | Elite 8 | TSN 1 |
| Saturday, Sept. 30 | Noon | Final 4 | TSN 3/5 |
| Saturday, Sept. 30 | 5 p.m. | Final 4 | TSN 3 |
| Sunday, Oct. 1 | Noon | Women's Final | TSN 4 |
| Sunday, Oct. 1 | 5 p.m. | Men's Final | TSN 4 |
Where is the 2023 PointsBet Invitational taking place?
- City: Oakville, Ont.
- Venue: Sixteen Mile Sports Complex
This year's tournament is hosted at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario.
Last year, the inaugural PointsBet Invitational was held in Fredericton, N.B., so the event will change location each year.
2023 PointsBet Invitational prize money
In total there is a $350,000 purse up for grabs at the PointsBet Invitational.
Teams will earn more money for each win, eventually resulting in the champions on both the men's and women's sides receiving $50,000 each, in addition to the previous money earned in the earlier rounds.
Here is how the prize money breaks down for this tournament:
- First Round win: $3,000
- Quarterfinal win: $6,000
- Semifinal win: $12,000
- Champion: $50,000
