Event - World Junior Lacrosse Championship

2026 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship

Lethbridge, AB - VisitLethbridge.com Arena, JUNE 28 - JULY 3, 2026

The World Junior Lacrosse Championship is for players who are and will remain under twenty two years old (U22) for the calendar year in which the championship is played. The 2026 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship is open to players born in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 players who will be turning 21, 20, 19, or 18 years of age in 2026.

The history of the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship (WJLC) first took shape in 2015 as the U-19 World Lacrosse Challenge. Originally, the tournament was scheduled in conjunction with the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship (WILC) as the U-19 Indoor Lacrosse Festival in Buffalo, NY. However, when Buffalo was removed as one of two host locations, organizers were told to cancel and remove the festival from the WILC lineup. With international team flights already purchased, the festival was moved to Six Nations and renamed. The first World Juniors featured 12 teams, including regional squads from Canada and Iroquois, Junior National Teams from Czech Republic, Israel, and the United States along with German club team Deutschland Adler rounding out the field. Canada West won the gold medal game while Iroquois West captured the bronze medal. 

WJLC History