Editor’s Note: This article by Mark Donahue, originally entitled ‘Lacrosse is Played WHERE? A World Map of International Lacrosse,’ was published on October 30, 2015 at 8:14 p.m. It has been updated and repurposed to best serve the lacrosse community.
Anyone who’s been to a handful of international lacrosse events or more know how easy it is to accumulate a ton of gear and clothing from teams around the world. Whether I’m out coaching, playing, or just walking around, I often get stopped, typically by strangers. Questions about the shirt, hoodie or hat I’m wearing, usually begin with: “they play lacrosse in (insert country here)?”
“Yes, they play lacrosse there,” I typically reply, with, “they also play in Africa” added to the tail. I don’t know why I choose Africa; I guess it just seems odd to most Americans that Africans play, and get good at, organized sports…especially a sport where most still can’t figure out if it’s played by rich kids or Native Americans. But really the answer is both, everything in between, and everywhere beyond!
Lacrosse is growing EVERYWHERE! People in the States are surprised when they hear of teams in the Dakotas popping up, let alone Hawaii or Alaska. But it’s more mind-blowing to me that teams like Serbia, Uganda, Colombia, China and others were able to make it to Israel to compete on lacrosse’s biggest stages.
I found 78 nations around the world that are playing lacrosse in some fashion or another. Some programs have roots as recent as 2015, while on the other end of the spectrum, lacrosse predates the recorded history of the Haudenosaunee. One thing that’s for certain: lacrosse in booming around the globe!
So where are those 78 nations? Let’s take a look around the world map of international lacrosse!
Full = Full Member of the FIL; Associate = Associate Member of the FIL; Roots = Game has been introduced, teams or are practicing or competing.
International Lacrosse: Lacrosse is Played Where?!
Africa
KENYA – Associate
RWANDA – Roots
SWAZILAND – Roots
UGANDA – Associate
SOUTH AFRICA – Roots
Australia
AUSTRALIA – Full
NEW ZEALAND – Full
Asia
CAMBODIA – Roots
CHINA – Full
HONG KONG – Full
INDIA – Roots
JAPAN – Full
KOREA – Full
MALAYSIA – Associate
PHILIPPINES – Associate
QATAR – Associate
SINGAPORE – Associate
SOUTH KOREA – Full
TAIWAN – Full
THAILAND – Full
Europe
AUSTRIA – Full
BELGIUM – Full
BULGARIA – Associate
CROATIA – Roots
CZECH REPUBLIC – Full
DENMARK – Full
ENGLAND – Full
ESTONIA – Associate
FINLAND – Full
FRANCE – Full
GERMANY – Full
GREECE – Associate
HUNGARY – Associate
IRELAND – Full
ISRAEL – Full
ITALY – Full
LATVIA – Full
LUXEMBOURG – Associate
THE NETHERLANDS – Full
NORWAY – Full
POLAND – Associate
PORTUGAL – Associate
ROMANIA – Roots
RUSSIA – Associate
SCOTLAND – Full
SERBIA – Associate
SLOVAKIA – Full
SLOVENIA – Associate
SPAIN – Full
SWEDEN – Full
SWITZERLAND – Full
TURKEY – Full
UKRAINE – Associate
WALES – Full
North America
BERMUDA – Full
CANADA – Full
COSTA RICA – Associate
CUBA – Roots
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Roots
EL SALVADOR – Roots
GUATEMALA – Associate
HAUDENOSAUNEE NATION – Full
HONDURAS – Roots
JAMAICA – Full
MEXICO – Associate
NICARAGUA – Roots
PANAMA – Roots
PUERTO RICO – Roots
UNITED STATES – Full
South America
ARGENTINA – Full
CHILE – Associate
COLOMBIA – Associate
COSTA RICA – Associate
ECUADOR – Associate
GUATEMALA – Associate
HAITI – Associate
PERU – Full
So who did we miss, anyone? If you know of lacrosse anywhere in the world that didn’t make our map of international lacrosse, let us know in the comment section below!