World Lacrosse (WL), 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:
World Lacrosse Men's Championship (Founded in 1967) World Lacrosse Women's Championship (Founded in 1982) World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship (Founded in 1988) World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship (Founded in 1995) World Lacrosse Box Men's Championships (Founded in 2003) World Lacrosse Box Women's Championships (Founded in 2024) World Lacrosse Men's Sixes Championship (Starting in 2026) World Lacrosse Women's Sixes Championship (Starting in 2026)
Games Lacrosse at the Summer Olympics Lacrosse at the World Games Regional European Lacrosse Championships Asia Pacific Lacrosse Championship European Box Lacrosse Championships
Medals (After 49 Events) Events World Lacrosse Men's Championship (1967–2023) - 14 Editions World Lacrosse Women's Championship (1982–2022) - 11 Editions World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship (1988–2022) - 9 Editions World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship (1995–2024) - 8 Editions World Lacrosse Box Men's Championships (2003–2024) - 6 Editions World Lacrosse Box Women's Championships (2024–2024) - 1 Editions
Ranking
World Ranking Source:
Rankings are based on results from the most recent world championships (1 August 2025):
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.
African Association of Lacrosse (AAL) - 2022 Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (APLU) - 2004 European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) - 1995 Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) - 2018
African Association of Lacrosse (15) The African Association of Lacrosse (AAL) has 2 full members and 13 associate members.
Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (22) The Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (APLU) has 9 full members and 13 associate members.
European Lacrosse Federation (34) The European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) has 26 full members and 8 associate members.
Pan-American Lacrosse Association (22) The Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) has 11 full members and 11 associate members.
Awards + Lifetime Achievement AwardName Country YearLaurie Turnbull Australia 1974Jack Wilkinson England 1978Buzzy Budnitz USA 1982Marshall Spence Canada 1986 Margaret Boyd England 1989 Jane Vache USA 1989 Clive Carr Australia 1990Elizabeth Blaydes England 1993 Jackie Pitts USA 1993 Stan Smith England 1994Lanetta Ware USA 2001 Tom Hayes USA 2002 Peter Hobbs Australia 2008 Feffie Barnhill USA 2009Fiona Clark Australia 2009Susie Ganzenmuller USA 2009Marge Garinger USA 2009Sue Redfern England 2009Stan Cockerton Canada 2017Shelley Maher Australia 2017Ron Balls England 2020Steve Stenersen USA 2023Lorna Powell Scotland 2024Sources:
Predecessor organizations
International Lacrosse Federation The International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) 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 (FIL), that was formally established on 30 September 2008.
ILF Founders: Thomas Hayes (USA) Don Hobbs (Australia) Laurie Turnbull (Australia) Nigel Wade (England)
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 (IFWLA) 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.
See also List of national lacrosse governing bodies Lacrosse at the Summer Olympics
References
External links
2018-19 Annual Report