Overview
- Loco Solare split the opening phase at 2–2 after dropping both September 12 games by a single point to SC Karuizawa Club and Fortius.
- The women’s event features Fortius, SC Karuizawa Club, and Loco Solare in a double round-robin, with the top two moving on and the representative decided by the first to three head-to-head wins.
- The men’s berth is a best-of series between Consadole and SC Karuizawa Club, with the first team to three victories advancing.
- Japan missed Olympic quota spots at the world championships and must now qualify through the December final qualifier in Canada, where eight teams will compete for two Milan–Cortina 2026 berths.
- Team leaders highlighted the stakes, with Loco Solare’s Satsuki Fujisawa stressing resolve and Consadole skip Shinya Abe citing motivation from the Beijing qualifier disappointment.