2023 World Lacrosse Championship

The 2023 World Lacrosse Championship was the 14th edition of the international men's field lacrosse tournament for national teams organized by World Lacrosse. Initially scheduled for 2022, it was postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was held in San Diego, California.

2023 World Lacrosse Championship

Tournament details
Host country	United States
Venue(s)	Snapdragon Stadium Torero Stadium SDSU Sports Deck
Dates	June 21 – July 1
Teams	30
Final positions
Champions	United States (11th title)
Runner-up	Canada
Third place	Haudenosaunee
Fourth place	Australia
Tournament statistics
Games played	107
Attendance	82,000 (766 per game)
Scoring leader(s)	Austin Staats
Awards
MVP	Brennan O'Neill
← 2018 2027 →

The tournament was limited to 30 teams for the first time through regional qualifying tournaments.^[1] The United States won the tournament on July 1, 2023, in front of a crowd of 15,112,^[2] the championship was its 11th in the history of the event.^[3]

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.^[1]

On June 25, 2018, FIL President Sue Redfern announced that Canada will host the 2022 World Lacrosse Championship in Coquitlam, British Columbia. According to the bidding team of the Canadian Lacrosse Association, 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.^[4] On 18 October 2019, the organizing committee withdrew its bid to host the event in Coquitlam.^[5] Matches were to be held at the Percy Perry Stadium from July 14–23, 2022.^[4]

In October 2019, after the withdrawal of the organization, the championship was moved to California with the aim for better promoting lacrosse for a return to the Summer Olympics.^[6][7] In June 2020, the championship was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2021 World Games to 2021 and 2022 respectively. Los Angeles was named as host city.^[8]

In January 2022, the championship was relocated another time, as San Diego was announced as the new host city for 2023. The main venue was Snapdragon Stadium at San Diego State University, with matches also taking place at Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego and three other fields at San Diego State.^[9]

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 (11 spots), Pan-American Lacrosse Association (4 spots), Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (4 spots), and the African Association of Lacrosse (1 spot).^{[10][11][12][13]}

In March 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian teams, athletes, and officials were suspended from participation in World Lacrosse events and qualifiers, and it was decided that no World Lacrosse or European Lacrosse Federation events would be held in Russia.^[14]

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.^[15]

Qualifying National Teams

Team	2018 Rank	Federation	Qualification	Appearances	Squad
United States	1	PALA	Automatic	13	Ref[16]
Canada	2	PALA	Automatic	13	Ref[17]
Haudenosaunee	3	PALA	Automatic	7	Ref[18]
Australia	4	APLU	Automatic	13	Ref[19]
England	5	ELF	Automatic	13	Ref[20]
Japan	6	APLU	Automatic	7
Israel	7	ELF	Automatic	2
Puerto Rico	8	PALA	Regional	1
Germany	9	ELF	Automatic	6	Ref[21]
Philippines	10	APLU	Regional	1
Scotland	11	ELF	Automatic	6
Ireland	12	ELF	Automatic	5	Ref[22]
Jamaica	13	PALA	Regional	1	Ref[23]
Wales	14	ELF	Regional	6	Ref[24]
Italy	16	ELF	Regional	4	Ref[25]
Latvia	18	ELF	Regional	4
Switzerland	20	ELF	Regional	3
New Zealand	21	APLU	Regional	5
Netherlands	22	ELF	Regional	4	Ref[26]
Austria	24	ELF	Regional	3
Sweden	25	ELF	Regional	5
Czech Republic	26	ELF	Regional	6
Hong Kong	27	APLU	Regional	5
Poland	32	ELF	Regional	3
France	33	ELF	Regional*	3
Denmark	34	ELF	Regional	3
South Korea	35	APLU	Regional	5	Ref[27]
Mexico	38	PALA	Regional	3
Peru	39	PALA	Regional	1
Uganda	40	AAL	Regional	2

National teams not competing in the tournament
2018 placement in parentheses

Lost Qualifying Matches	Withdrew	Participated in 2018 but not in 2023
Norway (17)  Greece (19)  Slovakia (23)  Hungary (28)  Belgium (30)  Spain (31)  France (33)*  Chinese Taipei (41)  China (42)  Croatia (43)  Turkey (44)  Colombia (45)  Kenya (–)  Portugal (–)  Slovenia (–)  U.S. Virgin Islands (–)	Finland (15)*	Argentina (29)  Russia (36)  Bermuda (37)  Luxembourg (46)

* Finland replaced by France after an announcement that they were unable to travel to the 2023 tournament^[28]

Schedule

• Wednesday, 21 June – Opening Game (United States vs Canada)
• Thursday, 22 June to Monday, 26 June – Pool Play
• Tuesday, 27 June - First Round Playoff Games & Placement Games
• Wednesday, 28 June - Quarterfinal Games & Placement Games
• Thursday, 29 June - Semifinal Games & Placement Games
• Friday, 30 June - Placement Games
• Saturday, 1 July - Bronze and Gold Medal Games

Pool play

Pool A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Qualification
1	United States (Q)	4	4	0	46	16	+30	Advance to quarterfinals		—	7–5	9–7	12–3	18–1
2	Canada (Q)	4	3	1	34	21	+13			5–7	—	8–7	10–3	11–4
3	Haudenosaunee (Q)	4	2	2	42	28	+14	Advance to playoff		7–9	7–8	—	10–6	18–5
4	Australia (Q)	4	1	3	20	36	−16			3–12	3–10	6–10	—	8–4
5	England (Q)	4	0	4	14	55	−41			1–18	4–11	5–18	4–8	—

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Pool B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Qualification
1	Japan (Q)	4	4	0	70	6	+64	Advance to playoff		—	14–1	15–2	23–3	18–0
2	Wales (Q)	4	3	1	32	30	+2	Qualify for 2nd Place table		1–14	—	7–6	7–6	17–4
3	France (Q)	4	2	2	34	31	+3	Qualify for 15th-30th Placement Games		2–15	6–7	—	13–4	13–5
4	Denmark (Q)	4	1	3	22	45	−23			3–23	6–7	4–13	—	9–2
5	Uganda (Q)	4	0	4	11	57	−46			0–18	4–17	5–13	2–9	—

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Pool C

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Qualification
1	Israel (Q)	4	4	0	44	17	+27	Advance to playoff		—	12–6	8–4	14–4	10–3
2	Puerto Rico (Q)	4	3	1	45	29	+16	Qualify for 2nd Place table		6–12	—	9–7	14–6	16–4
3	Philippines (Q)	4	2	2	31	24	+7	Qualify for 15th-30th Placement Games		4–8	7–9	—	11–4	9–3
4	Czech Republic (Q)	4	1	3	26	46	−20			4–14	6–14	4–11	—	12–7
5	Sweden (Q)	4	0	4	17	47	−30			3–10	4–16	3–9	7–12	—

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Pool D

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Qualification
1	Jamaica (Q)	4	4	0	31	18	+13	Advance to playoff		—	5–3	6–4	10–6	10–5
2	Germany (Q)	4	3	1	39	23	+16	Qualify for 2nd Place table		3–5	—	11–8	9–6	16–4
3	Poland (Q)	4	2	2	32	28	+4	Qualify for 15th-30th Placement Games		4–6	8–11	—	11–7	9–4
4	New Zealand (Q)	4	1	3	31	36	−5			6–10	6–9	7–11	—	12–6
5	Switzerland (Q)	4	0	4	19	47	−28			5–10	4–16	4–9	6–12	—

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Pool E

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Qualification
1	Italy (Q)	4	4	0	60	23	+37	Advance to playoff		—	13–5	15–5	13–9	19–4
2	Hong Kong (Q)	4	3	1	37	33	+4	Qualify for 2nd Place table		5–13	—	9–7	14–7	9–6
3	Scotland (Q)	4	2	2	33	36	−3	Qualify for 15th-30th Placement Games		5–15	7–9	—	9–8	12–4
4	Mexico (Q)	4	1	3	39	41	−2			9–13	7–14	8–9	—	15–5
5	Austria (Q)	4	0	4	19	55	−36			4–19	6–9	4–12	5–15	—

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Pool F

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Qualification
1	Ireland (Q)	4	4	0	48	24	+24	Advance to playoff		—	12–6	8–7	14–9	14–2
2	Netherlands (Q)	4	3	1	30	23	+7	Qualify for 2nd Place table		6–12	—	4–1	8–7	12–3
3	Latvia (Q)	4	2	2	22	22	0	Qualify for 15th-30th Placement Games		7–8	1–4	—	7–6	7–4
4	Peru (Q)	4	1	3	39	34	+5			9–14	7–8	6–7	—	17–5
5	South Korea (Q)	4	0	4	14	50	−36			2–14	3–12	4–7	5–17	—

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Playoff Stage

All participating teams in Pool A are awarded the 1-5 Seeds based on the Pool A Standings. The remaining 5 Pool winners are awarded the 6-10 Seeds based on their records and Goal Differential. The 4 best Pool Runner-Ups from all pools besides Pool A are awarded the 11-14 Seeds.

2nd Place Table

The top 4 teams in the 2nd Place Table make the Championship Playoff Bracket as seeds 11-14. The last place team in this table becomes the 15th seed in the Placement Games

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Promotion or relegation
1	Germany (Q)	4	3[a]	1	39	23	+16	Advance to Playoffs
2	Puerto Rico (Q)	4	3[a]	1	45	29	+16
3	Netherlands (Q)	4	3	1	30	23	+7
4	Hong Kong (Q)	4	3	1	37	33	+4
5	Wales (Q)	4	3	1	32	30	+2	Qualify for Placement Games

Source: 2023 World Lacrosse Championship
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:

1. Germany 23 Goals Against vs Puerto Rico 29 Goals Against

Championship Playoff Bracket

	First round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Gold Medal Game
						1	United States	19
						8	Israel	3
	8	Israel	6
	9	Ireland	5
											1	United States	11
											4	Australia	2
	4	Australia	18
	13	Netherlands	7
						4	Australia	10
						5	England	5
	5	England	7 (OT)
	12	Puerto Rico	6
																1	United States	10
																2	Canada	7
						2	Canada	20
						10	Jamaica	1
	7	Italy	6
	10	Jamaica	7
											2	Canada	12
											3	Haudenosaunee	7
	3	Haudenosaunee	13													Bronze Medal Game
	14	Hong Kong	3
						3	Haudenosaunee	10								4	Australia	6
						6	Japan	5								3	Haudenosaunee	11
	6	Japan	9
	11	Germany	4

5th to 8th Place Bracket

Teams who lose in the Quarterfinals will play for 5th through 8th Place. Matches based on seedings entering playoffs, with highest 2 seeds playing for 5th place and lowest 2 seeds playing in 7th place.

	5th Place Game
	5	England	4
	6	Japan	8
	7th Place Game
	8	Israel	8 (OT)
	10	Jamaica	7

9th to 14th Place Bracket

Teams who lose in the First Round playoff will play for 9th through 14th place. The losers of the 8 vs 9 and the 7 vs 10 First Round playoff games receive a "bye" into the second round of this bracket for winning their respective pools.

	Round 1					Round 2					9th Place Game
						9	Ireland	6
						12	Puerto Rico	7
	12	Puerto Rico	12
	13	Netherlands	2
											12	Puerto Rico	9
											7	Italy	10
	11	Germany	10
	14	Hong Kong	6
						7	Italy	14			11th Place Game
						11	Germany	5
											9	Ireland	7
											11	Germany	8 (OT)

	13th Place Game
	13	Netherlands	7
	14	Hong Kong	10

15th to 18th Placement Games

	Round 1					Round 2					15th Place Game
	15	Wales	6
	22	Mexico	7 (OT)
						22	Mexico	10
						18	France	8
	18	France	8
	19	Latvia	5
											22	Mexico	6
											16	Philippines	8
	17	Poland	8
	20	Scotland	9 (2OT)
						20	Scotland	4			17th Place Game
						16	Philippines	11
	16	Philippines	13								18	France	5
	21	Peru	4								20	Scotland	6

19th to 22nd Place Bracket

Teams who lose their first round game in the above bracket play in the below bracket for 19th through 22nd place.

	Round 1					19th Place Game
	15	Wales	8
	19	Latvia	5
						15	Wales	7
						17	Poland	5
	17	Poland	10
	21	Peru	8			21st Place Game
						19	Latvia	13
						21	Peru	7

23rd to 26th Placement Games

	Round 1					Round 2					23rd Place Game
	23	New Zealand	15
	30	Uganda	2
						23	New Zealand	11
						27	Sweden	12
	26	Switzerland	6
	27	Sweden	11
											27	Sweden	7
											25	Czech Republic	8 (OT)
	25	Czech Republic	9
	28	Austria	8
						25	Czech Republic	10			25th Place Game
						29	South Korea	4
	24	Denmark	6								23	New Zealand	10
	29	South Korea	7								29	South Korea	8

27th to 30th Place Bracket

Teams who lose their first round game in the above bracket play in the below bracket for 27th through 30th place.

	Round 1					27th Place Game
	30	Uganda	1
	26	Switzerland	13
						26	Switzerland	7
						28	Austria	4
	28	Austria	11
	24	Denmark	5			29th Place Game
						30	Uganda	5
						24	Denmark	7

Final standings

The top five teams in the final standings will be in Pool A in the 2027 World Lacrosse Championship. Due to its violation of eligibility requirements, the Philippines, which finished 15th in the standings, was shifted to 30th.^[29]

Rank	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD
	United States	7	7	0	86	28	+58
	Canada	7	5	2	73	39	+34
	Haudenosaunee	8	5	3	83	52	+31
4	Australia	8	3	5	56	70	-14
5	Japan	7	6	1	92	24	+68
6	England	7	1	6	30	79	-49
7	Israel	7	6	1	61	48	+13
8	Jamaica	7	5	2	46	52	-6
9	Italy	7	6	1	90	39	+51
10	Puerto Rico	8	5	3	79	54	+25
11	Germany	8	5	3	66	59	+7
12	Ireland	7	4	3	66	45	+21
13	Hong Kong	7	4	3	56	63	-7
14	Netherlands	7	3	4	46	60	-14
15	Mexico	7	3	4	62	63	-1
16	Scotland	7	4	3	52	60	-8
17	France	7	3	4	55	52	+3
18	Wales	7	5	2	52	57	+6
19	Poland	7	3	4	55	52	+3
20	Latvia	7	3	4	45	45	0
21	Peru	7	1	6	58	70	-12
22	Czech Republic	7	4	3	53	65	-12
23	Sweden	7	2	5	47	72	-25
24	New Zealand	7	3	4	67	58	+9
25	South Korea	7	1	6	33	76	-43
26	Switzerland	7	2	5	45	63	-18
27	Austria	7	1	6	42	76	-34
28	Denmark	7	2	5	40	68	-28
29	Uganda	7	0	7	19	92	-73
30	Philippines	7	5	2	63	38	+25

Awards

The following awards were given out at the end of the tournament.^[30]

MVP: Brennan O'Neill

Best Attacker: Austin Staats (revoked)^[31]

Best Midfielder: Brennan O'Neill

Best Defenseman: Jacob Piseno

All-World Team

Attack	Midfield	Defense	Goalkeeper
Austin Staats Jeff Teat Shinya Tateishi	Brennan O'Neill Michael Sowers Josh Byrne	Jacob Piseno Graeme Hossack JT Giles-Harris	Blaze Riorden

Statistical Leaders

^[32]

Rank	Points	Goals	Assists	Faceoffs Won	Save Percentage*
1	Austin Staats (38)	Austin Staats (30)	Randy Staats (17)	John Dugenio (89)	Ryan Richters (65.0)
2	Christian Cuccinello (35)	Hiroki Kanaya Pers-Anders Olters Shinya Tateishi (21)	Christian Cuccinello Christopher Willox (15)	Will Vitelli (74)	Shogo Oshima Blaze Riorden (59.5)
3	Shinya Tateishi (32)			Tomos Rosser (68)
4	Pers-Anders Olters (27)		Rob Pannell Robert Schain Josh Sanchez Jeff Teat Florian Werner (12)	Nicholas Vazquez (63)	Dan Morris (56.0)
5	Hiroki Kanaya John Piatelli (26)	Christian Cuccinello (20)		Keiji Victor Ishii (61)	Andrew Morris (55.6)
6		Will Cabrera (18)		Will Clarkson (60)	Joe Walsh (54.2)
7	Randy Staats (25)	Ethan Ashley Conor Foley John Piatelli Nathaniel Solomon (16)		Trevor Baptiste (59)	Joseph Varela (52.6)
8	Conor Foley (24)			TD Ierlan (53)	Andre Bremgartner Will Mark (51.9)
9	Logan Ip Andrew Ortega Josh Sanchez (23)		Shinya Tateishi (11)	Alex Mulholland (51)
10			Josh Byrne Andrew Ortega John Piatelli Lasse Volquardsen (10)	Luke McCallion (50)	Sean Aaron (51.5)

*Minimum of 200 minutes played