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This page explains what lacrosse's rule books, governing bodies and standards bodies publish. It is not a substitute for coaching from a qualified coach, and it does not replace medical advice.
Worldwide
World Lacrosse's Bid Guidelines, published at the start of 2021, carry a message from its chief executive claiming more than 1.2 million participants worldwide. That is World Lacrosse's own figure and the latest global estimate found; the research for this site did not record how it was counted. No newer worldwide figure was found.
World Lacrosse members
World Lacrosse's count of national members is easier to follow, because it has given it at many dates. Each figure below is World Lacrosse's own unless another source is named.
| Date | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-1980s | Four member nations: the United States, Canada, Australia and England | Onondaga Nation, June 2023, writing about the international federation of that time |
| End of 2008 | 45 members | World Lacrosse feature |
| 16 September 2019 | 63 member national governing bodies | World Lacrosse release |
| Start of 2021 | 68 member national governing bodies and three continental federations | World Lacrosse Bid Guidelines 2021 |
| 20 July 2021 | 70 member national governing bodies, seven added in the previous 20 months | World Lacrosse release |
| October 2023 | 90 national federations | World Lacrosse feature |
| November 2024 | 92 national federations and four continental federations took part in the General Assembly (a count of those taking part, not of all members) | World Lacrosse release, 16 November 2024 |
| 15 April 2026 | The UAE becomes the 96th member and Tanzania the 97th, the first new members of 2026 | World Lacrosse release |
| 21 April 2026 | 97 members | Francs Jeux |
No 98th member had been found by 23 October 2026; later additions may exist.
World Lacrosse has described its growth in two ways that use different starting years. In September 2019 it said membership had grown by more than 240 percent since 2002. At the start of 2021 it said more than 350 percent since 2000. Both are the body's own claims, and because they start from different years they cannot be compared directly.
By continental federation, World Lacrosse gave the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union 16 members and the Africa Association of Lacrosse pending approval in February 2022, and gave them 23 and 16 members respectively in April 2026. The World Lacrosse page has the full table.
United States
USA Lacrosse says on its about page (read 23 October 2026) that it serves almost 420,000 members; the page gives no date for the figure. Its chief executive said in March 2026 that it had more members aged nine and under than at any time in its history, without giving a number, and that 24 states give high school lacrosse full state championship status, with two more giving partial recognition.
High school (NFHS 2024-25 participation survey)
| Sport | Participants | Schools | States reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys' lacrosse | 113,696 | 3,346 | 28 |
| Girls' lacrosse | 99,292 | 3,324 (see below) | 29 |
| Combined | 212,988 | Not added together here |
Girls' lacrosse ranked tenth among girls' high school sports by participants in the same survey.
The NFHS gives two different school counts for girls' lacrosse in 2024-25. The survey table gives 3,324 schools; the NFHS's girls' rules release of 10 July 2026 gives 1,682. The figure of 1,682 is the boys' ice hockey school count in the same survey table, which suggests the release copied the wrong line, but that is this site's inference and the NFHS has not said so. This page uses the survey table.
College (NCAA projected sponsorship, 2026-27)
The NCAA's projected sport sponsorship figures for 2026-27, as of September 2026, count programmes rather than players:
| Game | Division I | Division II | Division III | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's lacrosse | 77 | 81 | 236 | 394 |
| Women's lacrosse | 133 | 114 | 274 | 521 |
NCAA athlete numbers for lacrosse were not found.
Australia
The Australian Sports Commission reports that in 2025 about 7,000 Australians aged 15 and over played lacrosse at least once, about 4,000 women and 3,000 men, along with about 2,500 children aged 0 to 14. That counts anyone who played at least once, a different measure from membership or school participation.
Canada and England
No current participation figures for Canada or England were found during the research for this site, so none are given.
Why the figures cannot be added up
These numbers measure different things: World Lacrosse's members, its claimed participants, USA Lacrosse's members, NFHS high school participants, NCAA programmes and the Australians the Australian Sports Commission counts as having played at least once. They cover different years and different groups of people. Adding them would produce a number that no body has published.
Sources
- World Lacrosse, Bid Guidelines 2021
- World Lacrosse, history and Olympic feature
- World Lacrosse, release of 16 September 2019 on membership
- World Lacrosse, IOC grants Full Recognition to World Lacrosse (20 July 2021, copy hosted by the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union)
- World Lacrosse, 2024 General Assembly concludes (16 November 2024)
- World Lacrosse, World Lacrosse adds UAE and Tanzania as members (15 April 2026)
- World Lacrosse, Africa Association of Lacrosse formed (February 2022)
- Francs Jeux, World Lacrosse is approaching the 100-member mark (21 April 2026)
- USA Lacrosse, About USA Lacrosse (read 23 October 2026)
- USA Lacrosse, State of the sport: USA Lacrosse CEO examines COVID bounceback and more (23 March 2026)
- NFHS, 2024-25 High School Athletics Participation Survey
- NFHS, 2027 girls lacrosse rules changes press release (10 July 2026, copy hosted by the MPSSAA)
- NCAA, Membership composition and sport sponsorship
- Australian Sports Commission, Clearinghouse for Sport: Lacrosse
- Onondaga Nation, Haudenosaunee Nationals looking to make history at 2028 Olympics (21 June 2023)