LIMERICK, Ireland – World Lacrosse has partnered with ESPN and Lax Sports Network to broadcast all 86 games of its upcoming Men’s U21 World Championship, set for August 10 to 20 in Limerick, Ireland.
Twenty-two games will be distributed on ESPN+ and via select ESPN international platforms, with two games – a semifinal and the gold medal match – also televised in the United States on ESPNU. The men’s U21 championship is the second event in a historic multi-year partnership between World Lacrosse and ESPN that was announced in May.
The remaining 64 games will be offered globally by Lax Sports Network. LSN streams for free in over 40 countries worldwide across several platforms, including Local Now, Sports Tribal, Select TV, Sports.TV, Distro and Stremium.
World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said: “I am thrilled that every game in Limerick will have global broadcast distribution. Our strong partnerships with ESPN and LSN are part of an enormous period of growth for lacrosse; the ability for our fans to see every second of action from a U21 championship is another fantastic benchmark for our sport.”
Nine of the 10 preliminary round matches in Pool A – which includes the top five ranked teams (Australia, Canada, England, the Haudenosaunee and the United States) – will feature on ESPN+.
Following the preliminary round, the top 12 teams will advance to a championship bracket, with all games carried on ESPN networks, including four contests in the round of 12, four quarterfinals, two semifinals and the medal games.
The tournament begins on August 10 with a trio of matches. Featuring on ESPN+, the United States will take on Canada at 12 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) in a rematch of the 2016 championship – a thrilling 13-12 win for the USA on Canadian soil – before Ireland faces Germany at 7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) in front of a home crowd. In addition, the opening day will feature another marquee match-up – Haudenosaunee vs. England – at 1 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) to kick off LSN’s coverage.
The commentary team for ESPN’s linear coverage of the championship will include Drew Carter (play-by-play) and Quint Kessenich (analyst). Carter is currently part of the commentary team for the Premier Lacrosse League and recently called lacrosse matches at The World Games in July. Kessenich is one of the leading voices in lacrosse and has covered the sport for ESPN since 1993. As a player, Kessenich was a two-time NCAA goalkeeper of the year.
Ralph Bednarczyk will handle commentary duties for the remaining ESPN games, having been a central part of the broadcast team for the 2022 Women’s Championship and 2018 Men’s Championship. LSN will provide additional talent, including Tom Eschen and Bailey Kennedy.
The full schedule for the event with television information can be found here. Additionally, global broadcast information for ESPN networks can be found below.
Pool Schedule
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Bracket Schedule
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United States
ESPN+ – 20 games
ESPNU – 2 games (semifinal 2 and gold medal game)
Canada
TSN
Europe
ESPN Player
Latin America (Central/South America, Dominican Republic)
Star+
Caribbean (minus Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands)
ESPN Caribbean – select games
ESPN Play
Middle East
ESPN Player
Africa
ESPN Africa – select games
ESPN Player
Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands)
ESPN Australia – Australia games and select playoff games
Watch ESPN
