(the World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the world championship for international men’s field lacrosse)
From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF). In 2008, the ILF merged with the former governing body for women’s lacrosse, the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA), to form the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). Future World Championships will be sanctioned by FIL.
The WLC began as a four-team invitational tournament which coincided with Canada’s centennial lacrosse celebration in 1967. Seven years later, Australia celebrated its lacrosse centenary, and the USA fielded an all-star team to compete in a similar international invitational tournament. It was here that the concept of holding a World Championship tournament every four years was born. The championship has not left North America since the tournament started, with the USA capturing nine victories and Canada the other three.
(the 2014 championships featured a record thirty-eight competing nations)