World Lacrosse


World Lacrosse, formerly the Federation of International Lacrosse, is the international governing body of lacrosse, responsible for the men's, women's, and indoor versions of the sport. It was established on 30 September 2008 by the merger of the previously separate men's and women's international lacrosse associations. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
World Lacrosse has 92 members. It is the only international sport organization to recognize First Nations bands and Native American tribes as sovereign nations. The Haudenosaunee Nationals of the First Nations Lacrosse Association represent the Haudenosaunee people of New York and Ontario.
World Lacrosse was given provisional recognition status by the International Olympic Committee in November 2018. In May 2019, the Federation of International Lacrosse launched a rebrand and changed its name to World Lacrosse.
In March 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian teams, athletes, and officials were suspended from participation in World Lacrosse events and qualifiers, and it was decided that no World Lacrosse or European Lacrosse Federation events would be held in Russia.

Tournaments

World Lacrosse

World Lacrosse organizes the following tournaments:

Events

  1. World Lacrosse Men's Championship - 14 Editions
  2. World Lacrosse Women's Championship - 11 Editions
  3. World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship - 9 Editions
  4. World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship - 8 Editions
  5. World Lacrosse Box Men's Championships - 6 Editions
  6. World Lacrosse Box Women's Championships - 1 Editions

    Ranking

World Ranking

Source:
Rankings are based on results from the most recent world championships :
Men’s Field - 30 Nations
Women’s Field - 30 Nations
U20 Men’s Field - 23 Nations
U20 Women’s Field - 20 Nations
Men’s Box - 28 Nations
Women’s Box - 10 Nations
Men’s Sixes - 8 Nations
Women’s Sixes - 8 Nations

Members

As of March 2024, there are 92 member countries in World Lacrosse, 48 full members and 44 associate members. Membership is split between four continental federations who are affiliated with World Lacrosse and help to develop lacrosse across the world. Associate members are in italics.
  1. African Association of Lacrosse - 2022
  2. Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union - 2004
  3. European Lacrosse Federation - 1995
  4. Pan-American Lacrosse Association - 2018

    African Association of Lacrosse (15)

The African Association of Lacrosse has 2 full members and 13 associate members.

Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (22)

The Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union has 9 full members and 13 associate members.

European Lacrosse Federation (34)

The European Lacrosse Federation has 26 full members and 8 associate members.

Pan-American Lacrosse Association (22)

The Pan-American Lacrosse Association has 11 full members and 11 associate members.

Awards

Predecessor organizations

International Lacrosse Federation

The International Lacrosse Federation was founded in 1974 to promote and develop men's lacrosse throughout the world. Before 2008, the international governing bodies for men's and women's lacrosse were separate, which was one of the obstacles of lacrosse one day becoming an Olympic sport. In August 2008 in Lahti, Finland, the ILF and the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations merged to become the Federation of International Lacrosse, that was formally established on 30 September 2008.
ILF Founders:
Thomas Hayes
Don Hobbs
Laurie Turnbull
Nigel Wade
The ILF conducted the World Lacrosse Championship, World Indoor Lacrosse Championship and the men's Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships, all of which were taken over by the FIL.

IFWLA

The International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations was formed in 1972 to promote and develop women's lacrosse throughout the world. It wound up its affairs in 2008 when it agreed to merge with the ILF to form the Federation of International Lacrosse.
Promoting all levels of lacrosse included IFWLA sponsorship of the Women's Lacrosse World Cup and the Women's Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships, tournaments taken over by the FIL.