The Iroquois Nationals, the U.S. national team’s first opponent in the FIL World Championship, attempted to fly to Israel for the tournament, but have been delayed in Canada due to issues with Haudenosaunee passports. The news was first reported by Inside Lacrosse and later confirmed by the FIL in a news release.

The Iroquois Nationals informed the FIL of the delay — something with which the team is all too familiar. The Nationals were denied the ability to travel to Manchester, England, for the 2010 FIL World Championship. The team was able to travel to Denver in 2014, where it won the bronze medal in that year’s FIL World Championship.

The Nationals, according to ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra, won’t be able to fly to Israel until at least Wednesday. If that is the case, the team will likely be arriving in Netanya the day of its Thursday matchup with the U.S. national team, currently scheduled for 8:30 p.m. local time and 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

My sources are telling me that the Iroquois Nationals are held up in Canada until Wednesday(no flights tomorrow). With the time change will land day of the game v @USLacrosse . https://t.co/cPFaXF9vB6

— Paul Carcaterra (@paulcarcaterra) July 10, 2018

“The Federation of International Lacrosse is working to assist the Iroquois Nationals and the Israel Organizing Committee to resolve this issue,” said FIL President Sue Redfern. “FIL would very much like to assure the presence of the Iroquois Nationals at the 2018 FIL Men’s World Championship.”

“The Organizing Committee is working diligently to assist the Iroquois Nationals to be able to board their flight to Israel for the Championship,” David Lasday, Chief Operating Officer of Israel Lacrosse, said. “Their participation is very important to the success of the event.”

The Iroquois Nationals use Haudenosaunee passports for international travel, as members of the team are a part of the federation of six indigenous nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora). 

Despite the procedural issues with the Haudenosaunee passports, the FIL is hopeful it can resolve the issue to allow the Iroquois Nationals to travel to Israel. 

“The Host Committee for the event and FIL are working together with the Iroquois Nationals to solve the current challenges and expect that these issues will be resolved in time to allow the team to be present for their opening game in Netanya Stadium against the USA on July 12,” read the statement.

US Lacrosse Magazine will provide any updates we receive on this ongoing situation.