Winter Olympics 2026: Britain’s men advance to the semi-finals after Italy lose the final

The Team GB men’s soccer team are now just two wins away from claiming a stunning Winter Olympic gold medal after sneaking into the semi-finals on Thursday in Cortina.

Bruce Mowatt’s world champions were on the verge of a shock early exit from Italy after losing their penultimate game to Canada.

However, a comprehensive win over the USA on Wednesday – coupled with positive results elsewhere – has revived their hopes.

Italy’s defeat by Switzerland on Thursday morning ensured that the British circuit would advance to the quarter-final meeting with the unbeaten Swiss at 18:05 GMT.

If the Scottish quartet win a repeat of last April’s world final, they will play in the gold medal contest on Saturday (18:05) and will be guaranteed to at least match the silver they won in Beijing four years ago.

They lose, and they will take the bronze on Friday (18:05) against whoever loses the other semi-final between Canada and Norway, which has moved Britain to fourth place in the standings on the head-to-head record.

The women’s rink must win its third match in a row – against the Italians on Thursday (13:05) – and will hope Switzerland can beat the United States if it wants to reach the semifinals on Friday.