Men’s Field History
The World Lacrosse Men’s Championship is a quadrennial event featuring the top men’s field lacrosse teams competing for a world championship title.
First conducted in 1967, the men’s championship has been held all over the world. The United States leads the world with 11 titles, and Canada follows with three.
The World Lacrosse Men’s Championship started as a four-team invitational tournament featuring Australia, Canada, England and the United States, coinciding with Canada’s centennial lacrosse celebration in 1967.
Australia’s lacrosse centennial celebration took place seven years later in 1974, with the same four nations invited to participate, marking the second championship. It was also the same year that the first international governing body for men’s lacrosse was formed – the International Lacrosse Federation.
Since 1974, the men’s championship has taken place every four years around the globe, with 2023 delayed one year.
The Haudenosaunee made their debut in 1990 and Japan made its debut in 1994, and then the field nearly doubled in size heading into 1998, as Germany, Scotland, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Wales comprised the field of 11.
The 1998 gold medal game is a seminal moment for the sport, as the U.S. beat Canada 15-14 in overtime, widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever played.
Another pivotal moment in the history of the championship occurred when 21 teams participated in the event in London, Canada, and the host nation claimed gold for the first time in 28 years, topping the Americans 15-10 in 2006.
When the world championship headed to Manchester, England, in 2010, nearly 30 teams participated, and the United States reclaimed gold.
The U.S. vs. Canada rivalry added another chapter in Denver, USA, in 2014 when goalie Dillon Ward earned MVP honors by holding the Americans to just five goals in the gold medal game.
That set the table for another epic event in Netanya, Israel, in 2018. A record 46 nations participated, and the gold medal once again came down to the U.S. vs. Canada, with United States midfielder Tom Schreiber scoring just before time expired to secure a 9-8 victory.
The United States claimed gold again on home soil in the 2023 edition of the event, contested with 30 teams in San Diego.
The 2027 men’s championship will take place in Japan.
2018 Men’s Championship: A Look Back
USA Scores with One Second Left to Claim 10th FIL Men’s World Championship Gold Medal
Tom Schreiber of the United States bookmarked the game with goals and is credited with the first and winning goals of the game over Canada, 9-8. The last goal left just one click on the clock, and the United States won its 10th FIL Men’s World Championship gold medal.
Past Results
| Member | 1967 | 1974 | 1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1990 | 1994 | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | 2023 |
| Argentina | 28 | 36 | 29 | |||||||||||
| Australia | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Austria | 21 | 28 | 24 | 27 | ||||||||||
| Belgium | 27 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Bermuda | 21 | 18 | 24 | 37 | ||||||||||
| Canada | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| China | 33 | 42 | ||||||||||||
| Colombia | 37 | 45 | ||||||||||||
| Costa Rica | 38 | |||||||||||||
| Croatia | 43 | |||||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 9 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 26 | 22 | |||||||
| Denmark | 16 | 26 | 34 | 28 | ||||||||||
| England | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Finland | 9 | 12 | 13 | 15 | ||||||||||
| France | 27 | 31 | 33 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Germany | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 11 | |||||||
| Greece | 19 | |||||||||||||
| Haudenosaunee | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Hong Kong, China | 15 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 27 | 13 | ||||||||
| Hungary | 28 | |||||||||||||
| Ireland | 13 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||
| Israel | 7 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Italy | 10 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 9 | |||||||||
| Jamaica | 13 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Japan | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 | ||||||
| Korea | 11 | 18 | 25 | 35 | 35 | 25 | ||||||||
| Latvia | 14 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 20 | |||||||||
| Luxembourg | 46 | |||||||||||||
| Mexico | 29 | 23 | 38 | 15 | ||||||||||
| Netherlands | 12 | 8 | 16 | 22 | 14 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 14 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 21 | 24 | ||||||||
| Norway | 24 | 25 | 17 | |||||||||||
| Peru | 39 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| Philippines | 10 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Poland | 14 | 20 | 32 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Puerto Rico | 8 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Russia | 32 | 36 | ||||||||||||
| Scotland | 7 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 18 | |||||||
| Slovakia | 17 | 26 | 23 | |||||||||||
| Spain | 17 | 16 | 30 | 31 | ||||||||||
| Sweden | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 23 | ||||||||
| Switzerland | 23 | 15 | 20 | 26 | ||||||||||
| Chinese Taipei | 41 | |||||||||||||
| Thailand | 29 | |||||||||||||
| Turkey | 22 | 44 | ||||||||||||
| Uganda | 34 | 40 | 29 | |||||||||||
| USA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Wales | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 18 | |||||||
| Total | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 21 | 29 | 38 | 46 | 30 |
*Philippines finished the 2023 men’s championship in 15th place, but due to failure to comply with eligibility requirements was shifted to 30th place.
Championship Summary
| Location | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Gold Medal Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Toronto, Canada | USA | Australia | Canada | Round Robin |
| 1974 | Melbourne, Australia | USA | Australia | Canada | Round Robin |
| 1978 | Stockport, England | Canada | USA | Australia | CAN 17, USA 16 (OT) |
| 1982 | Baltimore, USA | USA | Australia | Canada | USA 22, AUS 14 |
| 1986 | Toronto, Canada | USA | Canada | Australia | USA 18, CAN 9 |
| 1990 | Perth, Australia | USA | Canada | Australia | USA 19, CAN 15 |
| 1994 | Bury, England | USA | Australia | Canada | USA 21, AUS 7 |
| 1998 | Baltimore, USA | USA | Canada | Australia | USA 15, CAN 14 (OT) |
| 2002 | Perth, Australia | USA | Canada | Australia | USA 18, CAN 15 |
| 2006 | London, Canada | Canada | USA | Australia | CAN 15, USA 10 |
| 2010 | Manchester, England | USA | Canada | Australia | USA 12, CAN 10 |
| 2014 | Denver, USA | Canada | USA | Haudenosaunee | CAN 8, USA 5 |
| 2018 | Netanya, Israel | USA | Canada | Haudenosaunee | USA 9, CAN 8 |
| 2023 | San Diego, USA | USA | Canada | Haudenosaunee | USA 10, CAN 7 |