Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team game in which players use sticks with a netted head to throw a small rubber ball into the other team's goal. Sixes, the short, fast form chosen for the Olympic Games, is two teams of six, a goalkeeper and five field players, over four quarters of eight minutes. A team has 30 seconds from gaining the ball to shoot. Field lacrosse, the game of the World Championships, is ten a side over four quarters of 15 minutes, with separate rule books for men and women.
New to lacrosse? Start here
Which to watch first, and how long
Start with Sixes. The short, fast form chosen for the Olympic Games.
- Sixes
- Four quarters of 8 minutes
- Field (men)
- Four quarters of 15 minutes, ten a side
- Field (women)
- Four quarters of 15 minutes
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1Olympic Games (lacrosse)On the programme at Los Angeles 2028 in the sixes format; lacrosse was last held in 1908.Every 4 years
- 2World Lacrosse Men's and Women's ChampionshipsThe world title in the field game.Every 4 years · Holder: Men: the United States
India
India has not played at the Olympic Games or the World Championships [the two pages].
- Lacrosse at the Olympic Games: Has not played
- World Lacrosse Men's and Women's Championships: Has not played
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- United StatesLacrosse at the Olympic Games: 1 silver (latest 1904); World Lacrosse Men's and Women's Championships: 21 golds, 5 silvers (latest 2026)
- CanadaLacrosse at the Olympic Games: 2 golds, 1 bronze (latest 1908); World Lacrosse Men's and Women's Championships: 3 golds, 11 silvers, 6 bronzes (latest 2026)
- AustraliaWorld Lacrosse Men's and Women's Championships: 2 golds, 8 silvers, 10 bronzes (latest 2013)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | World Lacrosse, 2026-2028 Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules, version 2.0, May 2026 |
| International federation | World Lacrosse |
| In India | Lacrosse Association of India, a Full Member of World Lacrosse, which it joined in 2021 as a provisional member. |
The rules sets cover sixes and, since 2026-10-21, men's and women's field lacrosse, the game of the World Championships.
Where and when it is played
On a field, with a goal at each end. The big events: the Olympic Games (sixes, from Los Angeles 2028) and the World Lacrosse Men's and Women's Championships every four years (field).