The 2023
World Lacrosse Championship
The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the international men's field lacrosse championship organized by World Lacrosse that occurs every four years.
The WLC began before any international lacrosse organization had been formed. It started as ...
will be the 14th edition of the international men's
field lacrosse
Field lacrosse is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867. ...
tournament for national teams organized by
World Lacrosse
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 in 2008 by the merger of the prev ...
. Initially scheduled for 2022, it was postponed to 2023 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The tournament will be held in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
The tournament will be limited to 30 teams for the first time through regional qualifying tournaments.
Hosting
The Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL), since renamed World Lacrosse, gave its member associations until the end of September 2016 to formally make its intent to bid known to the international sports body and March 2017 to submit their bid. The winning bid was announced in June 2018.
On June 25, 2018, FIL President Sue Redfern announced that
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
will host the 2022 World Lacrosse Championship in
Coquitlam
Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. According to the bidding team of the
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Lacrosse Canada (french: Crosse Canada), formerly the Canadian Lacrosse Association, founded in 1867, is the governing body of lacrosse in Canada. It conducts national junior and senior championship tournaments for men and women in both field and ...
, it chose Coquitlam as the proposed host city for its bid citing the locality's previous hosting experience of the 2008 and 2016 men's U-19 world championships.
On 18 October 2019, the organizing committee withdrew its bid to host the event in Coquitlam. Matches were to be held at the
Percy Perry Stadium
Percy Perry Stadium is a multi-purpose, fully lit stadium in Coquitlam, British Columbia. It was built for the 1991 B.C. Summer Games, as part of the district's 100th anniversary, and has featured events with crowds of over 4,000 spectators. Pri ...
from July 14–23, 2022.
[
In October 2019, after the withdrawal of the organization, the championship was moved to ]California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
with the aim for better promoting lacrosse for a return to the Summer Olympics. In June 2020, the championship was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
with Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
named as host city.
In January 2022, the championship was relocated another time, as San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
was announced as the new host city for 2023. The main venue will be Snapdragon Stadium
Snapdragon Stadium, known during its planning and early construction phases as Aztec Stadium, is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. It is located on the campus of San Diego ...
at San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
, with matches also taking place at Torero Stadium
Torero Stadium is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of the University of San Diego in San Diego, California. Opened in 1961, it serves as the home of the school's football and so ...
at the University of San Diego and three other fields at San Diego State.
Participating nations
The 2023 World Lacrosse Championship is the first World Lacrosse Championship to set a maximum number of competing teams, capping invitations at 30 national teams. Previous world championship rankings determined automatic qualifiers for 2023 and the number of remaining spots allocated to each Continental Federation. The top 10 full member nations at the conclusion of the 2018 world championship automatically qualified for 2023 with regional qualifiers necessary for remaining teams in the European Lacrosse Federation
European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) is the sport governing body of men and women's lacrosse in Europe. It was founded in 1995 by the Czech Republic, Scotland, England, Sweden, Germany, and Wales. There are currently 34 member nations.
Overview
The ...
(11 spots), Pan-American Lacrosse Association (4 spots), Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union
The Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (APLU) is the governing body for the sport of lacrosse in Asia and Oceania.
It was founded in 2004, with four national lacrosse associations of Australia, Hong Kong , South Korea, and Japan as its founding members. ...
(4 spots), and the African Association of Lacrosse (1 spot).
Finland initially qualified through the European qualifiers, however they withdrew due to funding challenges and were replaced by France, who was the next highest ranked European team.
Qualifying National Teams
Participated in 2018 but not in 2023
'* Finland replaced by France after an announcement that they will be unable to travel to the 2023 tournament
References
External links
World Lacrosse
{{Authority control
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
World Lacrosse Championship
The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the international men's field lacrosse championship organized by World Lacrosse that occurs every four years.
The WLC began before any international lacrosse organization had been formed. It started as ...
Lacrosse World Championship 2023
Sports competitions in San Diego
World Lacrosse
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 in 2008 by the merger of the prev ...
World Lacrosse
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 in 2008 by the merger of the prev ...