The journey to secure a place in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 begins this week at Oshawa’s Civic Fields, as the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships kick off on Tuesday.
Sixteen teams – eight competing in men’s and eight in women’s divisions – will battle it out over six days, with the top five teams from each gender moving on to the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in Colorado Springs. From there, they can qualify directly for the LA28 Games.
Canada’s men started strong with a decisive 29-10 victory against newcomer Brazil, while the women dominated Mexico with a score of 32-2.
Next up for Canada is action on Friday with matches against Mexico (M) and Jamaica (W).
The gold medal games are set for Sunday.
Civic Fields has been home to the World Lacrosse Super Sixes tournament for four straight years from 2022 to 2025.
This event features six teams that took part in the last men’s championships, including all three medal winners: the United States, Canada, and Haudenosaunee.
Five teams from July’s 2026 WL Women’s Championship are also competing here, led by the top two ranked teams in Super Sixes: the United States and Canada.
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The long-held vision by World Lacrosse to bring lacrosse back to the Olympic stage became reality in 2023 when it was announced that lacrosse would be included in the Los Angeles Games alongside cricket, baseball, softball, squash, and flag football.
The LA28 Olympics will mark lacrosse’s third appearance after its inclusion at St. Louis (1904) and London (1908). It also served as a demonstration sport during three Olympic events: Amsterdam (1928), Los Angeles (1932), and London (1948).
In 2028, both men’s and women’s lacrosse will feature a fast-paced version known as Sixes. This format merges elements of field and box lacrosse and aims to be more inclusive for all players while providing an easier entry point for newcomers. It’s characterized by quick transitions and non-stop scoring action.
Introduced in 2018, Sixes has fostered global growth by enhancing accessibility and competitiveness while simplifying participation costs. It’s often referred to as ‘the next generation’ of lacrosse.
In traditional field play last month, Canada triumphed over the United States with a remarkable four-goal comeback in the fourth quarter to win gold at the 2026 Pan-American Men’s Field Lacrosse Championship held in Kingston, Jamaica on August 24.
Tailing at 8-5 entering that final quarter, Canada managed to tie it up within one minute left before Alex Simmons – an outstanding forward with Oshawa Fire Wolves of NLL – clinched victory with just seconds remaining through an impressive shot-fake dive. Simmons netted both tying and winning goals marking his fourth and fifth points during what analysts are dubbing one of this year’s best performances internationally for lacrosse.
“A little bit of luck,” Simmons said of his game-winner. “Jake (Stevens) tried to make that pass there on the inside and it just happened to be at my feet. Sometimes luck; sometimes effort; it worked out for us in the end.”
This victory marks Canada’s second consecutive win over Team USA going back to October of last year which sets up yet another thrilling chapter between these top rivals leading into next year’s WL Men’s Championship where America aims for their title defense.
The Haudenosaunee secured bronze defeating host nation Jamaica with a scoreline of 16-9.
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