World Event History & Results

Men’s World Championship

The initial World Championship was a four-team invitational tournament that coincided with Canada’s centennial lacrosse celebration in 1967. The Mt. Washington (Md.) Lacrosse Club represented the United States and won the tournament. Seven years later, Australia celebrated its lacrosse centennial, and the U.S. fielded an all-star team to compete in a similar international invitational tournament with Canada and England again. It was here that the concept of holding a world championship tournament every four years was born and the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) formed.

In 2008 the ILF merged with the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) to form the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL)—the present governing body for both men’s and women’s world championship lacrosse.

The U.S. has captured nine World Lacrosse Championships, including the most recent event in 2010 hosted in Manchester, England. Canada has captured two championships throughout the history of the event with it’s most recent championship in 2006 in London, Ontario, Canada.

The U.S. will defend it’s champion title at home in Denver, Colorado, where US Lacrosse will host the Men’s World Lacrosse Championships at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Complex, 10th – 19th July 2014.

* The 1967 team was the Mt. Washington Lacrosse Club from Baltimore, Md.

Men’s U19 World Championship

The International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) sanctioned the first ever Under-19 World Championship in Adelaide, Australia back in 1988. Canada finished second to the United States in that first ILF U-19 World Championship.

Since then the United States has gone on to win six more world championships, seven in all. Going in to the 2012 event, the US had a perfect 36-0 record in World Championship play.

The 2012 U19 World Championship, however, proved to be the toughest challenge yet for any US team. The US extended their unbeaten record to 37-0 with a win over Australia before losing for the first time ever in round robin action to Canada 11-9 in overtime. After a win over England, the US lost again in the round robins to the Iroquois Nationals 15-13. The US entered medal play with two losses and were playing as an underdog for the first time in the history of the event. The US showed its mettle in the medals by avenging its loss to the Iroquois in the semi finals with a 12-7 win, then by defeating Canada for the gold 10-8. The Iroquois took the bronze medal with a dominant win over England.

Canada has been runner-up five times, starting in 1988 and then in each of the last four tournaments. Australia has placed second twice in the seven tournaments held.

The next U19 World Championship will take place 7th – 16th July 2016 in Coquitlam, BC, Canada.

World Indoor Lacrosse Championship

The World Indoor Lacrosse Championship (WILC) was sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation through 2007 and and is now sponsored by the sport’s unified governing body, the Federation of International Lacrosse.

The inaugural event was held in Hamilton, Kitchener, Mississauga, and Oshawa, Ontario, Canada in May 2003. National teams from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Iroquois Nation, Scotland and the United States participated. Canada won gold defeating the Iroquois Nation in the final by a score of 21-4. The United States took the bronze.

The latest championship event was held in Prague, Czech Republic, in May 2011. Canada improved to 17-0 in world championship indoor play beating the Iroquois Nationals for the third straight time in a WILC final, this time by a score 13-6. Again, the United States finished with a bronze for their third straight third place finish.

Buffalo NY will be the site of the next WILC which will take place 18th – 26th September 2015.

* The inaugural WILC event was held in Hamilton, Kitchener, Mississauga and Oshawa, Ontario.

Women’s World Cup

The International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) was formed in 1972 to promote and develop the game of women’s lacrosse throughout the world. Inaugural members were Australia, England, Scotland, Wales and the United States. The number of member countries has grown rapidly as lacrosse popularity has spread.

The IFWLA World Cup started in 1982 as an international lacrosse tournament that is held every four years, except in 1989 when it had only been three years since the 1986 IFWLA World Championship. The first World Cup was hosted in Nottingham, England. The United States team has won every World Cup except 1986 and 2005 where it finished second behind Australia.

In 2007 the IFWLA merged with their men’s lacrosse counterpart, the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF), to form the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) – the current governing body of international lacrosse championships.

In the inaugural FIL Women’s World Cup in July of 2009, the United States reclaimed the gold by winning a tightly contested final match-up over rival Australia 8-7 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Upcoming World Cup events:
• 2013 Women’s Word Cup — 11th – 20th July 2013, Oshawa, Canada
• 2017 Women’s Word Cup — 13th – 22nd July 2017, Guildford, England

* Extra Time; Three additional minutes each way/straight change of ends. If after “extra time” the score is still tied, then three minute halves are played on Sudden Death basis (first goal wins).
** Sudden Death Overtime; first goal scored in overtime is the game winner.

Women’s U19 World Championship

The International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) held its first U-19 World Championship in 1995. Australia defeated the United States 5-4 in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

The US has beaten Australia in every final since then:

• In 1999, the US defeated the Aussies 15-8 on their home turf in Perth
• They doubled-up on Australia in 2003, this time winning the championship 21-8 in Baltimore, Maryland
• The US women made it three straight golds in 2007 by defeating Australia 18-3 in Peterborough, Canada
• Most recently, the US won it fourth gold in a row in 2011 in Hannover, Germany edging their Aussie rivals 14-12

The next Women’s U19 Championship event is slated for 23rd July – 1st August 2015 in Edinburgh, Scotland.