VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTÓNIO, Portugal – The EuroLax Sixes Cup is set to begin in Portugal tomorrow with 20 teams competing in 52 games across men’s and women’s tournaments through Sunday (February 26). The tournament is being contested for the second time after a successful debut in 2022, and is hosted by Portugal Lacrosse and the European Lacrosse Federation.
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The men’s competition will feature eight teams split into two groups, with the top four teams advancing to the knockout stage. The eight teams competing are Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.
The women’s competition will include 12 teams split into four groups; all 12 will advance to the knockout stage with the four group winners receiving a bye to the quarterfinals. England and Germany will field two squads each and will be joined by Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland and Wales.
Portugal Lacrosse GM Pedro Machado said: “We are excited to bring more quality, diversity and balance to the EuroLax Sixes Cup. There are strong squads and opportunities to show good standards for our developing teams. We cannot wait for another incredible weekend of competition.”
The full schedule can be found below.
All matches on Field 1 throughout the tournament will be streamed on the EuroLax Sixes YouTube channel here.
In the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022, Great Britain was champion in the men’s and women’s competitions. Great Britain will compete under one flag in the men’s event, while the women’s contingent will be split among two England squads, Wales and Scotland.
Turkey, Ireland and Spain will be making their debut in the men’s event, while Italy and Switzerland will make their first appearances in the women’s competition.
EuroLax Sixes is the first international sixes event on the calendar in 2023, ahead of a growing slate that now features The Fly in the United Kingdom in May and June, Super Sixes in Canada in October, the PALA Sixes Cup in Jamaica in November and the 2023 ASPAC Lacrosse Sixes Tournament in Australia in November.