The 2024 EuroLax Sixes Cup – Portugal is set to begin tomorrow in Vila Real de Santo António with 24 teams competing across men’s and women’s tournaments through Sunday, February 25.
The tournament is being contested for the third consecutive year and is hosted by Portugal Lacrosse and the European Lacrosse Federation.
The men’s competition will feature 12 teams split into four groups, including Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands (two teams), Portugal, Turkey and Switzerland, as well as German club team Hamburg Warriors.
The women’s competition also features 12 teams in four groups, including Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as a global team and two club teams – the Copenhagen Foxes from Denmark and the Ghent Gazelles from Belgium.
In both competitions, teams will open group play on Friday with two games each before advancing into knockout rounds on Saturday and the medal round on Sunday.
In the men’s competition, Great Britain will look to defend its gold medal from last year, while the women’s Great Britain team will look to accomplish a similar feat with many players from the England team that won gold in the event last year. Both Great Britain teams are coming off gold medals in their most recent competitions at the Super Sixes competition in Hong Kong, China, at the close of 2023.
Switzerland and Turkey will look to follow up on their strong showings from the last edition when they finished with medals in the men’s competition, as will Germany and Scotland in the women’s competition after making runs to the semifinals.
The Brazil men’s team is competing in its second international sixes event after making its debut at the Pan-American Lacrosse Association Sixes Cup in November 2023.
The Luxembourg men’s team is also making its debut in the event and participating in its first international sixes competition.
The Copenhagen Foxes women’s team is also the first Denmark-based team to compete in an international sixes event.
Results from the weekend will be available via @eurolax_sixes_cup on Instagram.