The first world championship was as a four-team invitational tournament in 1967, where Mt. Washington (Md.) Lacrosse Club represented the United States and won the title. Seven years later, the U.S. fielded an all-star team to compete in a similar international invitational tournament in Australia. It was here that the concept of holding a world championship tournament every four years was born. The International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) was formed to govern men’s lacrosse on the international level, and sanctioned World Championship events from 1974-2006 until merging with the IFWLA in 2008 to form the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). Following the 2018 championship, the FIL rebranded itself as World Lacrosse.
The U.S. has captured 11 world championships, including the most recent title in 2023 when Brennan O'Neill scored five goals to lead the U.S. to a 10-7 victory over Canada in San Diego.
The U.S. team holds a 73-4 all-time record in World Championship competition
USA Lacrosse coordinates all aspects of the U.S. Men’s National Team Program.
World Championship History
Year | Location | Champion | Runner-Up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
1967 | Toronto, Ontario | United States | Australia | |
1974 | Melbourne, Australia | United States | 3-way tie | |
1978 | Stockport, England | Canada | United States | 17-16 (OT) |
1982 | Baltimore, Md. | United States | Australia | 22-14 |
1986 | Toronto, Ontario | United States | Canada | 18-9 |
1990 | Perth, Australia | United States | Canada | 19-15 |
1994 | Manchester, England | United States | Australia | 21-7 |
1998 | Baltimore, Md. | United States | Canada | 15-14 (OT) |
2002 | Perth, Australia | United States | Canada | 18-15 |
2006 | London, Ontario | Canada | United States | 15-10 |
2010 | Manchester, England | United States | Canada | 12-10 |
2014 | Denver, Colo. | Canada | United States | 8-5 |
2018 | Netanya, Israel | United States | Canada | 9-8 |
2023 | San Diego, Calif. | United States | Canada | 10-7 |