Curaçao beats Japan 4-0 to reach 2026 LLWS championship game
Curaçao defeated Japan 4-0 on Saturday, Aug. 29, to win the 2026 LLWS international championship and advance to Sunday's Little League World Series title game in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Pitcher Jaymiëll Martina struck out 12 batters in 5⅔ scoreless innings. Later Saturday, Mountain (Henderson, Nevada) and Great Lakes (Hamilton, Ohio) compete for the U.S. championship berth.
The 2026 Little League World Series entered its championship rounds after 10 days of double-elimination play featuring 10 U.S. teams and 10 international squads at Howard J. Lamade and Volunteer Stadium. Willemstad's Pariba LL has been the tournament's most dominant international side, and Saturday's result set up a potential rematch with a U.S. champion on Sunday.
Key Takeaways
- Curaçao beat Japan 4-0 in the international championship on Aug. 29, with Jaymiëll Martina fanning 12 batters.
- Mountain (Nevada) and Great Lakes (Ohio) play at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday for the U.S. title.
- Sunday's LLWS championship is at 3 p.m. ET on ABC; the consolation game is at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN.
- Curaçao is 4-0 in the tournament with a 23-3 run differential and will play for its nation's sixth LLWS final.
- Japan reached the international final after five straight wins following a 6-0 opening loss to Curaçao.
How did Curaçao beat Japan in the international final?
Japan loaded the bases in the first inning after two singles and a walk, but Martina struck out the next two batters to escape the jam. Japan never threatened again.
The Curaçao offense broke through in the bottom of the third. A series of bunts and four Japanese errors produced three runs. Martina added an RBI double in the fourth to make it 4-0.
Martina allowed just two hits and two walks over 5⅔ innings before leaving to a standing ovation, including applause from Japanese fans along the third-base line. Giendry Ryan, who combined with Martina to no-hit Japan earlier in the tournament, recorded the final out. Japan finished with two hits and three errors in the box score.
It was Curaçao's second win over Japan in the 2026 LLWS—the teams also met on Aug. 21, when Curaçao won 6-0.
Who will Curaçao face in the LLWS championship game?
Curaçao awaits the winner of Saturday's U.S. championship between Paseo Verde LL from Henderson, Nevada (Mountain region) and West Side LL from Hamilton, Ohio (Great Lakes). That game was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Both U.S. finalists reached the bracket final by beating Davenport Northwest LL from Davenport, Iowa (Midwest). Mountain is 3-0 in the tournament; Great Lakes is 4-1 after a narrow loss to Mountain early in the event.
It will be the third time in five years that a Willemstad team plays a U.S. champion for Little League supremacy at Lamade Stadium. For broader coverage of trending moments in sports and beyond, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
What is left on the 2026 Little League World Series schedule?
All remaining games air on ESPN networks from Williamsport. The U.S. championship concludes Saturday's slate, and Sunday brings the third-place consolation game and the global title bout.
Sunday, Aug. 30: Consolation game—Japan vs. the U.S. championship loser, 10 a.m. ET (ESPN). Championship game—Curaçao vs. the U.S. champion, 3 p.m. ET (ABC).
Japan and Curaçao both advanced through the international bracket by eliminating León, Nicaragua (Latin America). Japan rebounded from its opening loss with five consecutive wins before Saturday's rematch, including Shinnosuke Ijima's complete-game gem against Nicaragua in the semifinal.
Full schedules and results are available from Yahoo Sports.