Australia Men and Japan Women Claim Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Titles

On October 10, the Australia men's national team and the Japan women's national team captured gold at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Championships on the Sunshine Coast. The dual one-goal thrillers concluded a six-day regional tournament that served as a critical qualifying pathway for the sport's Olympic debut.[1][2]

Both federations, alongside eight other regional programs, secured automatic qualification for the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in Colorado Springs. That global tournament will act as the direct gateway for teams to reach the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the condensed, fast-paced Sixes format will be contested.[1][4]

In the men's gold-medal match, the Australian hosts capitalized on home-field advantage to edge Japan 14-13. Marcus Wertheim anchored the Australian effort and earned tournament MVP honors, helping his squad hold off a late Japanese surge in the closing minutes.[1][2]

The Australian men had established their dominance earlier in the week, becoming the first Asia-Pacific team to qualify after a commanding 24-7 victory over Hong Kong. They followed that performance by routing China 22-4 in the semi-finals behind an 87 percent save rate from goalkeeper Sean Aaron.[3][4]

Japan's women reversed the outcome in their respective final, denying the hosts a gold-medal sweep with a 9-8 victory over Australia. Japanese goalkeeper Mao Kawamura anchored the defensive stand, recording nine crucial saves to secure the title and the MVP award.[1][2]

The Australian women entered the final undefeated, having completed a perfect 4-0 run through pool play that included a 26-1 demolition of China. Star attacker Georgia Latch commanded the offense throughout the week, drawing heavy defensive attention to create space for her teammates before Japan's defense ultimately stifled the hosts in the final.[3][4]

Beyond the finalists, the tournament finalized the remaining regional tickets to Colorado. The Korean women's team, guided by former England assistant coach Jane Lee-Whitehead, claimed bronze with a 16-11 victory over the Philippines, fueled by five goals from Claire Cho and four from Helen Bae.[1][5]

Lee-Whitehead, who took over the Korean program in June, orchestrated a remarkable turnaround to secure the Olympic qualifier spot. Her squad won four of their five matches leading into the medal rounds, scoring 81 goals and conceding just 51 to validate their aggressive tactical shift.[5]

In the men's bracket, the Philippines avenged an opening-day overtime loss to China by securing bronze with a decisive 17-9 win. Rylan Connors delivered a four-goal MVP performance to seal the podium finish for the Philippine squad.[1][2]

The battle for the fifth and final World Championship tickets produced the highest-scoring matches of the final day. Chinese Taipei's men edged Hong Kong 20-18 to claim the region's last men's berth, while New Zealand outlasted Chinese Taipei 13-11 to take the final women's spot behind a three-goal effort from Alannah Mouat.[1][2]

With the Pan-American and Asia-Pacific qualifiers now complete, 10 of the 16 global spots in each field are locked in. The remaining six berths will be decided at the upcoming European and African Sixes Lacrosse Championships as the global sprint toward LA28 intensifies. The cited sources did not provide direct quotations from players or coaches following the medal matches.[1]