Eight Days in Salou: How the 2026 Women’s European Sixes Championship Unfolded

Day 1 — Monday, 2 November: Sweden wins twice as Israel and Czechia make emphatic starts

Sweden opened the championship with a 19–4 win over Finland, then beat Switzerland 13–7. The Swiss trailed by only one at halftime, but Sweden pulled away with a 5–1 third quarter. Ireland also started with a win over Finland, 19–2.

Israel scored 42 goals in a 42–3 win over Portugal, while Czechia conceded once in a 26–1 victory over hosts Spain. Poland beat France 20–9 before the French side bounced back against Portugal, 15–7. Norway opened its campaign with a 10–2 win over Austria.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Zoe Martin — Israel. Ten goals and two assists against Portugal.
• Michaela Jeřichová — Czechia. Ten of Czechia’s 26 goals against Spain.
• Ina Jouppila — Finland. Twenty saves across two games: nine against Sweden and 11 against Ireland, despite two losses.

Day 1 results

Source: World Lacrosse Day One report.

Day 2 — Tuesday, 3 November: Poland rallies past Latvia; Italy makes a strong debut

Already a winner against Portugal, Poland entered the final quarter against Latvia trailing 14–11. The Poles scored four unanswered goals to win 15–14 and move to 3–0. Latvia had earlier beaten France 14–6.

Italy opened with a 10–5 win over Ireland, who later handed Sweden its first loss, 13–7. Great Britain beat the Netherlands 22–5. In Pool C, Czechia defeated Croatia and Germany defeated Spain, setting up a meeting between the two winners on Wednesday.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Casey Rhine — Poland. Three goals in the final quarter against Latvia, including the tying and winning goals.
• Suzanna Penike — Latvia. Six goals and five assists across two games: four goals and two assists against France, then two goals and three assists against Poland.
• Lauren Perfetto — Italy. Four goals and two assists in the 10–5 win over Ireland.

Day 2 results

Source: World Lacrosse Day Two report.

Day 3 — Wednesday, 4 November: Czechia takes Pool C as Italy and Israel keep winning

Czechia trailed Germany 3–2 after one quarter, then won the next three to take the game 12–6. With three wins and only 11 goals conceded, Czechia finished first in Pool C. Croatia claimed its first win against Spain, 14–11, scoring four straight goals after the game was tied 10–10.

Italy beat Switzerland and then Sweden to secure first place in Pool B. Israel also won both of its games, 29–3 against Latvia and 32–6 against France, ahead of its meeting with Poland for the top spot in Pool A. Great Britain recorded the tournament’s first shutout, 26–0 against Austria. The Netherlands beat Norway 11–6 after the teams were tied 4–4, while Switzerland bounced back against Finland, 16–4.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Markéta Fišerová — Czechia. Four goals against Germany in the game that decided first place in Pool C.
• Mia Salar — Croatia. One goal and four assists in Croatia’s first win, against Spain.
• Eva Baumann — Switzerland. Five goals and one assist against Finland.

Day 3 results

Sources: World Lacrosse Day Three report · Israel–Latvia game sheet. The Pointbench sheet is used for the 29–3 score, which differs from the day report.

Day 4 — Thursday, 5 November: the quarterfinal bracket is complete

Israel and Poland entered their final pool game unbeaten. Israel took control before halftime, leading 14–2, and won 20–5. Great Britain also finished atop its pool with a 26–3 victory over Norway. Italy completed a 4–0 pool record by beating Finland. Latvia defeated Portugal 21–8 to finish third in Pool A, behind Israel and Poland.

Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany claimed the final three quarterfinal places with wins over Switzerland, Austria and Croatia. Friday’s matchups were Israel–Netherlands, Italy–Germany, Great Britain–Poland and Czechia–Ireland. The four winners would qualify for the World Sixes Championships; the other teams moved into placement play.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Gillian Smith — Ireland. Five goals and one assist against Switzerland in the game that sent Ireland to the quarterfinals.
• Friede Berendsen — Netherlands. Twelve saves and an 80% save rate against Austria, helping secure second place in Pool D.
• Gabrielle Schneider — Germany. Six goals and two assists against Croatia to confirm Germany’s quarterfinal place.

Day 4 results

Source: World Lacrosse Day Four report.

Day 5 — Friday, 6 November: Germany upsets Italy as four teams qualify

Italy had gone unbeaten in pool play but never led in its quarterfinal against Germany, who won 14–10. Laura Delker, Payton Cvetkovic and Larissa Roth scored three goals apiece. Israel beat the Netherlands 22–7, Great Britain defeated Poland 23–4, and Czechia held Ireland to three goals in an 11–3 win. The four quarterfinal winners qualified for Colorado Springs. The four losing teams moved into the fifth-place bracket, where only one berth remained.

In the 9–16 placement bracket, France pulled away from Norway after halftime to win 18–13 and set up a meeting with Sweden, who had beaten Spain. Latvia defeated Austria and would play Switzerland, who had pulled away after halftime against Croatia.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Kady Glynn — Germany. Thirteen saves against Italy to protect Germany’s lead and secure qualification.
• Minty Loxton — Great Britain. Six goals and three assists in the quarterfinal against Poland.
• Hannah Delahaye — France. Seven goals against Norway, including three in the third quarter as France opened the gap.

Day 5 results

Sources: World Lacrosse Day Five report · Israel–Netherlands game sheet. The Pointbench sheet is used for the 22–7 score, which differs from the day report.

Day 6 — Saturday, 7 November: Israel and Great Britain reach the final

Israel reached the final with a 15–14 win over Czechia, scoring the decisive goal with 40 seconds left. Czechia had led 11–10 in the third quarter, and Markéta Fišerová scored five goals. The other semifinal was less close: after Germany cut the deficit to 3–2, it did not score again. Great Britain won 15–2, with 14 saves from Britt Read.

In the race for the last World Sixes place, Ireland scored the final three goals to beat the Netherlands 11–8. Italy pulled away from Poland after a 7–7 tie to win 20–10. The two teams would meet on Monday, in a rematch of Italy’s pool-play win.

Sweden and Latvia would play for ninth place after beating France and Switzerland. Austria earned its first win, 12–10 against Croatia, and would play Norway for 13th after Norway’s large win over Spain.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Sam Fisher — Israel. Four goals in the semifinal, including the 15–14 winner with 40 seconds left against Czechia.
• Kiera Runske — Sweden. Nine goals and one assist against France after Sweden fell behind 3–0.
• Joelle Rothbard — Austria. Four goals and one assist in Austria’s first win, against Croatia.

Day 6 results

Source: World Lacrosse Day Six report.

Day 7 — Sunday, 8 November: the Netherlands rallies past Poland; Portugal wins in overtime

Twelve teams played their final game. Trailing Poland 10–7 in the fourth quarter, the Netherlands scored four straight goals to win 13–11 and take seventh place. Latvia beat Sweden 13–8 to finish ninth. Switzerland trailed France 4–3, then scored four in a row to take control and finish 11th with an 11–6 win.

Norway erased a two-goal deficit against Austria to take 13th place, 10–7. Hosts Spain ended the tournament with their first win, 15–6 over Croatia. Portugal trailed Finland 11–9, tied the game with 12 seconds left, then won in overtime to claim 17th place, 12–11.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Sage Da Silva — Portugal. Five goals against Finland, including the tying goal with 12 seconds left and the overtime winner.
• Natalia Ogando Ayluardo — Spain. Seventeen saves and a 74% save rate against Croatia in Spain’s first win.
• Karita Haugsbø — Norway. Thirteen saves against Austria, including five in a scoreless fourth quarter.

Day 7 results

Sources: World Lacrosse Day Seven report · Netherlands–Poland game sheet.

Day 8 — Monday, 9 November: Israel wins the title; Italy takes the final place

The final day opened with a qualification game. Italy led Ireland 11–5 at halftime and won 21–10. The fifth-place finish sent Italy to the 2027 World Sixes Championships alongside the four semifinalists. Czechia then took bronze with a 10–7 win over Germany: tied 4–4 at halftime, Czechia won the third quarter 3–0 and did not let Germany back into the game.

In the final, Israel and Great Britain were never separated by more than one goal. They were tied 10–10 after three quarters, and only one goal was scored in the final period. Orly Sedransk made 12 saves and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player by World Lacrosse, preserving Israel’s 11–10 win. Israel left Salou with gold and seven wins from seven games; Great Britain took silver.

Three players to watch Editorial picks, not official awards

• Racheli Levy-Smith — Israel. Two goals in the final, including the title winner with 2:08 left, plus one assist.
• Barbora Koděrová — Czechia. Four goals against Germany for bronze, including the tying goal at 4–4 before halftime and the 7–4 goal in the third quarter.
• Anna Rivetti — Italy. Five goals and one assist against Ireland in the game that decided the final World Sixes berth.

Day 8 results

Sources: World Lacrosse Day Eight report · Israel–Great Britain final game sheet · Italian Lacrosse Federation · Czech Lacrosse Federation · Israel Olympic Committee.

Official All-Tournament Team: Orly Sedransk (goalkeeper), Kendall Halpern, Hanna Hilcoff and Sam Fisher for Israel; Jordan Carr and Teagan Scott for Great Britain.

Final standings

The five European qualifiers will join the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in Colorado Springs, 4–10 October, a major stage in the qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.