The stage is set for this year’s 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships (WILC) put on by World Lacrosse in Langley, British Columbia.
Canada has historically been the dominant power at the WILCs, winning the gold every time it has been played, with the Iroquois Confederacy having always taken silver and the United States settling for bronze at each world games.
Twenty teams are currently slated for this year’s indoor championships, up seven teams from the championships held in 2015. Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Netherlands are amongst the countries playing in their first-ever world indoor championships event. With the impressive growth that World Lacrosse member nations have seen over the last 10 years or so, there should only be more and more countries added to competition over the next few years.
2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Champions: Canada
The fact that there are so many more new countries competing at the 2019 WILC can only spell good things for lacrosse globally. Box lacrosse can teach so many new elements and nuances that can be applicable to the field game as well. And, with the new rules that World Lacrosse (formerly the FIL) has submitted for to be followed should lacrosse become an Olympic sport, it only makes sense that the growth of the box game would help the growth and quality of the international game.
It will also be interesting to see if dominance at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships would translate into success for the modified Olympic rules once lacrosse becomes an Olympic sport.
For now, though, we’ve got a World Lacrosse indoor championship to play that should be incredibly exciting. Could this be the year that the Canadian stranglehold on being the top dog will be broken? The Iroquois have come close before, losing in overtime to the Canadians in 2007. Do they have what it takes to finally get over the hump? And what about the United States, who has seen more and more growth of the indoor game in the country? Israel took fourth at the previous WILC in 2015 — can they break through for a medal this year?
For these answers, we will have to wait until competition on September 19. In the meantime, be sure to follow World Lacrosse for updates regarding international competition.
