Stirling-born Bruce Mouat said it was a dream come true to skipper Scotland side to victory at the World Curling Championships in Canada.
It is Scotland’s second world title this decade, having won the 2023 World Championships.
Scotland qualified for the playoffs by finishing in the top six of the round-robin stage. They narrowly beat Sweden 8–7 in their playoff match, securing a place in the semi-final against hosts Canada, who had received a bye after finishing in the top two of the round-robin standings.
In doing so, Scotland became the first country to win the World Championships after progressing through the quarter-final, previous winners have advanced directly to the semi-final stage.
Scotland eliminated the Canadians with a 7–4 victory in a performance that made Mouat feel “very proud.” The final saw the Scots face off against Switzerland—a team that had defeated them 11–7 earlier in the round-robin stage and that Mouat claimed to “know very well” before the match.
Scotland avenged that earlier loss and secured the championship with a tense 5–4 victory in the final. Mouat said: “I’m so proud of how we did over the last two days.”
He added: “It’s been an interesting season, with some highs and some lows, but this is definitely the highest of the highs.
“It was a bit of a ‘pinch-me’ moment to get to draw the four-foot to win a World Championship. That’s something I’ve dreamt of for a long time.
“Our first World Championship win two years ago was amazing because it was the first time we had won the Worlds.
“But this time we actually had to really battle for that win, and drawing the four-foot is like a skip’s dream, so I’m over the moon to have had that team shot to win a championship.”
Coached by Michael Goodfellow, Skip Mouat teams with Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, Hammy McMillan Jr, and alternate Kyle Waddell from the Curl Edinburgh Curling Club. He was quick to praise his teammates post-victory.
He said: “Grant played some amazing shots in the games yesterday, and Hammy and Bobby just make me look so good because they work so hard and sweep everything perfectly. I love those guys to bits, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Scotland will have the opportunity to defend their title next year at the 2026 World Championships, which will be held in Ogden, Utah, in the United States.
