The first stop on the official road to the LA28 Olympics begins Tuesday with the start of the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships in Oshawa, Ontario.
This event serves as the continental qualifier for next year’s World Lacrosse Sixes Championships.
Who: Eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams. The men’s teams will be divided into two pools of four teams. Chile, Jamaica, Puerto Rico join the United States in Pool A. Brazil, Canada, the Haudenosaunee Nationals and Mexico comprise Pool B. The women’s teams are also divided into two pools of four teams with Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the United States in Pool A and Canada, the Haudenosaunee Nationals, Jamaica and Mexico in Pool B.
What: Pan American Sixes Lacrosse Championships
When: Sept. 29 – Oct. 4, 2026
Where: Oshawa Civic Fields – Oshawa, Ontario
Tickets: Single day, weeklong and weekend tickets are available, starting at $20 daily with free admission for those under 18 if accompanied by a paid adult:
Streaming: Available on World Lacrosse TV. Full event passes are $30.
Schedules/Rosters/Stats: Men | Women
Format
Each team will play three round-robin games from Tuesday through Saturday, advancing directly to the placement day on Sunday with no playoff rounds.
What’s at Stake
The top five men’s teams and top five women’s teams will qualify for next year’s 16-team World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. That event is set for Oct. 4-10, 2027 at Weidner Field.
This is the first of four continental qualifiers for the world championship and will be followed by the Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Championships (Oct. 5-10 in Sunshine Coast, Australia), the European Sixes Lacrosse Championships (Nov. 2-18 in Salou, Spain) and the Africa Sixes Lacrosse Championships (Dec. 3-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa).
Men’s Players to Watch
Titus Chapman, Brazil: The former Limestone player had 18 points to lead Brazil at the 2025 PALA Sixes Cup. Last December he became the first Brazil lacrosse player to receive a Prêmio Brasil Olímpico by the Brazilian Olympic Committee.
Finn Thomson, Canada: The No. 1 overall pick in the recent National Lacrosse League Draft, Thomson, a Syracuse grad who was teammates with the USA's Joey Spallina, had a team-high 26 points at the PALA championship in field lacrosse in Jamaica this summer.
Cristian Reyes, Chile: Reyes scored 58 points as a senior at Division II St. Michael’s in 2025.
Brendan Bomberry, Haudenosaunee Nationals: Bomberry starred at Denver and Syracuse and has played in the National Lacrosse League since 2019.
Hayden Hiltz, Jamaica: The junior at Marquette had a team-high 11 goals for Jamaica at the Pan-American field championship in Jamaica earlier this year, helping the host team to a fourth-place finish.
Baron Mazariegos, Mexico: Mazariegos is still in high school at the Kent School in Connecticut, but he’s shown early promise. He had seven goals and a team-high four assists as Mexico’s field team finished sixth at the PALA field championship in Jamaica, just missing out on a bid to the next summer’s world championship in Japan.
Josh Barcarcel, Puerto Rico: The All-MAAC player from Marist has found a home in the PLL, scoring 25 goals over the last two seasons with the Redwoods. He’s got sixes experience through the Atlas Cup, PALA Sixes Cup and the PLL Championship Series.
Michael Sowers, United States: Just over a week after helping the Waterdogs win the PLL championship, Sowers shifts gears to sixes. Sowers has already helped the U.S. win gold medals in field lacrosse at the U19 level in 2016 and the senior field level in 2023, and plays for the U.S. sixes team in a competition for the first time since the USA Lacrosse Experience in Indianapolis in 2024.
Women’s Players to Watch
Sam Geiersbach, Argentina: The 2022 NCAA championship MVP led North Carolina to an epic comeback over Northwestern in the semifinals on the way to the title. Geiersbach led Argentina in scoring during the 2025 PALA field championship and had nine goals at the world championship this summer.
Berghan Balparda, Brazil: A junior captain at Barton College, Balparda has scored 56 goals over her first two collegiate seasons.
Erica Evans, Canada: Evans has been a part of both of Canada’s gold medals in international women’s lacrosse – a stunning upset at the 2015 U19 world championship in Scotland and a win at The World Games in 2022 in the sixes format. A star college player at Canisius, she finished her career at Maryland, helping the Terps to the 2019 national championship. A pro player, Evans was named All-World this summer at the field world championship in Japan.
Avery Doran, Haudenosaunee Nationals: Doran is one of the rising stars in the sport. After scoring 23 goals as a freshman at Brown, she transferred to Duke and had 61 points on 41 goals and 20 assists for the Blue Devils last season. She led the Haudenosaunee with 15 goals at the field world championship in Japan.
Angie Benson, Jamaica: Benson began her college career at Towson and finished up at Virginia Tech, making 402 saves in her career. In 2020, she allowed just 7.38 goals per game for the Hokies, finishing No. 2 in the nation in the COVID-shortened season. She played at the professional level with Athletes Unlimited.
Sophia Lima, Mexico: Lima helped Mexico’s field team to a runner-up finish at the World Lacrosse Division II Championship this year in Poland. She led Mexico with 16 goals and five assists to earn All-World honors. A sophomore at Howard, Lima had 24 goals and 10 assists in her rookie campaign with the Bison.
Hannah Lewis, Puerto Rico: Lewis was Puerto Rico’s leading scorer at the world championship in Japan this summer, netting 14 goals on just 21 shots. Lewis was a first team All-CAA player at Towson last year after transferring from James Madison, leading the Tigers in goals (46) and points (56).
Marie McCool, United States: McCool was the MVP of The World Games in 2025, leading the tournament with 32 points on 20 goals and 12 assists. She’s won five world championships – three World Lacrosse and two World Games – the most of any USA Lacrosse player in history. A staple of the national teams program for more than a decade, McCool is an assistant coach at her alma mater, North Carolina.
