World Lacrosse today welcomed the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania as its 96th and 97th members, its first new National Governing Bodies of 2026.
UAE joins the Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Union, which now holds 23 members, while Tanzania joins the Africa Association of Lacrosse, which stands at 16 members.
World Lacrosse Director of Sport TJ Buchanan said: “We are delighted to welcome UAE and Tanzania to our global lacrosse family in two exciting and rapidly growing areas of lacrosse in the Middle East and East Africa. I want to thank both the APLU and the AAL, as well as the governing bodies, for their work in fostering the sport in new communities, and I hope these additions will open opportunities for international competition in these regions.”
The APLU continues its growth in the Middle East with UAE joining governing bodies in Iran, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, having most recently welcomed Iraq in September 2025. Iraq and Saudi Arabia fielded national teams at the second edition of the Asian Lacrosse Games in 2026. The APLU will stage another edition of the Asian Lacrosse Games in Chengdu, China later in April.
Tanzania is the first new member to join the AAL since October 2023 and joins the contingent of East African members including Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, as well as neighbors to the south in Mozambique and Zambia.
The AAL is slated to host its first continental championship in late 2026 as part of the Olympic qualification pathway.
