A record 30 nations are confirmed to compete for the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship from July 7-17, 2021 at Towson (Md.) University in the United States. US Lacrosse will host the quadrennial championship for the first time since 2005.
The 30 teams earned their bids based on their placement at the 2017 World Lacrosse championship or their performances in their respective Continental Federation qualifiers.
The 11-day event is expected to bring tens of thousands of visitors to the region. In addition to the World Lacrosse championship event, the World Festival Tournament will provide options for youth, high school and adult teams to experience the international flavor of the event. The World Festival Tournament will be held at Goucher College, located in close proximity to Towson University.
“We’re very much looking forward to welcoming the participants and guests from around the world to the United States and providing them an experience they’ll remember for the rest of their lives,” said Kim Rogers, director of special events for US Lacrosse. “The sport continues to thrive, and we’re thrilled to showcase the tremendous talent that women’s lacrosse has to offer.”
“With 30 National Teams confirming their participation, we have reached yet another important, and exciting milestone for the sport of lacrosse globally,” said Fiona Clark, World Lacrosse Board of Directors Member and Competition Director. “The growth of this World Championship is a reflection of how competition and opportunities for lacrosse continue to expand around the world, and that is due to the outstanding work of our member-National Governing Bodies and Continental Federations. Not only will this be the largest Women's World Championship ever staged by World Lacrosse, the overall depth and quality of play, across all 30 teams, will undoubtedly set a new standard for excellence.”
The United States has won the last three world championships, beating Canada 10-5 in Guildford, England in the 2017 gold medal game. England beat Australia 10-9 in four overtimes to claim the bronze medal, its first medal since 2005.
A then-record 25 teams competed in the 2017 world championship. By comparison, just 10 teams competed when US Lacrosse hosted the 2005 championship in Annapolis, Md. The first women’s world championship was held in 1982 and this will be the 11th time the event has been held.
This year’s field includes five teams that will be participating in the women’s world championship for the first time — Argentina, Jamaica, Norway, Puerto Rico and Uganda.
Listed below are the teams expected to attend the 2021 World Championship and their history in the event.
Argentina: First appearance
Australia: 11th appearance – Best finish (1st in 1986 and 2005) – nine medals
Austria: 3rd appearance – Best finish (13th in 2013)
Canada: 11th appearance – Best finish (2nd in 2013 and 2017) – four medals
China: 2nd appearance – Best finish (22nd in 2017)
Colombia: 2nd appearance – Best finish (24th in 2017)
Czech Republic: 5th appearance – Best finish (8th in 1993 and 2005)
England: 11th appearance – Best finish (2nd in 1989 and 1993) – six medals
Germany: 6th appearance – Best finish (8th in 2001)
Haudenosaunee: 4th appearance – Best finish (7th in 2013)
Hong Kong: 3rd appearance – Best finish (18th in 2013 and 2017)
Ireland: 4th appearance – Best finish (5th in 2009)
Israel: 3rd appearance – Best finish (6th in 2017)
Italy: 2nd appearance – Best finish (11th in 2017)
Jamaica: First appearance
Japan: 8th appearance – Best finish (5th in 2005)
Korea: 4th appearance – Best finish (15th in 2013 and 2017)
Latvia: 3rd appearance – Best finish (17th in 2013 and 2017)
Mexico: 2nd appearance – Best finish (20th in 2017)
Netherlands: 4th appearance – Best finish (13th in 2009)
New Zealand: 5th appearance – Best finish (8th in 2017)
Norway: First appearance
Puerto Rico: First appearance
Scotland: 11th appearance – Best finish (3rd in 1986) – one medal
Spain: 2nd appearance – Best finish (23rd in 2017)
Sweden: 3rd appearance – Best finish (19th in 2013)
Switzerland: 2nd appearance – Best finish (19th in 2017)
Uganda: 1st appearance
United States: 11th appearance – Best finish (1st in 1982, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2009, 2013 and 2017) – 10 medals
Wales: 11th appearance – Best finish (4th in 1997)
Registration for the World Lacrosse Festival will launch this summer and ticket sales for the championship will open in the fall.
For more information, please visit the 2021 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship event web page.