Lacrosse is a team sport played with a stick and a ball. The purpose of each team is to score by putting the ball into the goal of its opponent, and to prevent the other team from securing the ball and scoring.

The ball is kept in play by being carried, thrown or batted with the stick, or rolled or kicked in any direction inside the field of play.

The World Games 2022 will for the first time feature World Lacrosse Sixes, with six players per team on the pitch. 'Sixes' brings the excitement and speed of Lacrosse to a smaller, faster, more accessible format.

Athletes move up and down the field throughout the game, playing both offence and defence. With smaller rosters and standardized stick lengths, athletes are challenged to develop a range of technical skills compared to the traditional 10-a-side version of Lacrosse.

The goal is to score more goals than the opposing team in order to win the match.

- Two groups of four teams; Round-robin games in both groups.

- 4th placed teams from both groups compete for the 7th place.

- 3rd placed teams from both groups compete for the 5th place.

- The two best teams from each group qualify for crossed semi-finals.

- Losing semi-finalists compete for Bronze. Winning semi-finalists compete for Gold and Silver.

Initial ends for defending/attacking will be determined by a coin toss prior to the start of the game to be called by the Visiting Team Captain. The winner of the coin toss chooses alternate possession, or the goal their team will defend for the first quarter. Teams will change ends they are defending after each quarter and overtime periods. Prior to the first overtime period there will be an additional coin toss to redetermine the above.

Game time shall begin when the Official blows the whistle to start the first draw of each quarter. The only time that game time will stop during play is during team timeouts, a player’s injury, during the last two minutes of the 4th quarter and all overtime periods.

Each team is allowed two 30-second time-outs per half. To be legally entitled to call a timeout, a team must be in possession of the ball in their attack half of the field, or entitled to possession if during a dead ball. Timeouts can be called by the team's coaches, or the player with possession of the ball. 

If the score is tied after regulation time, then there shall be sudden victory overtime which will last until a goal has been scored, and a winner is determined.  Overtime will be broken into 4-minute periods of play. There shall be a two-minute break before the start of overtime. Each team may have one (1) 30-second time-out per overtime period.

More information can be found here.

Substitution may take place at any time through the Substitution Area. When substitution is imminent, the substituting player must wait in the Substitution Area for the Player whom they are replacing to leave the field of play, and only then may they enter the field of play. Players may substitute on the fly, and they may do so on either side of the centre line, except for a goalie-to-goalie substitution that must occur in the defensive zone.

It is illegal for an opponent to body check another player, and “slashing” of an opponent’s stick with deliberate viciousness results in a foul.

In the women’s game, defensive players cannot be penalized for entering the shooting lane of an offensive player. Offensive players will be penalized for taking a shot without regard for other players.

Fouls are categorized as minors (30 seconds suspension from play), majors (one-minute suspension) and expulsion fouls. Any Player committing three or more major penalties (or an expulsion foul), shall be “fouled out” of the game.

More information on fouls can be found here.

There are three types of Penalties.

1) Minor Fouls which are less serious in nature incur a change of possession and/or a 30-second time served foul for the player which has transgressed the rules.

2) Major Fouls are of a more serious nature and incur a penalty time of 1 minute.

3) Finally, Expulsion Fouls are the most serious and result in the player being ejected from the game. 

In all instances where there is a time served penalty, the player must leave the field for the prescribed penalty time and the team shall play short-handed until the penalty time has expired.

More information can be found here.

10-a side Women

1. Team USA
2. Team CAN
3. Team AUS