USA women’s lacrosse readies for Olympic Games 2028 in Los Angeles; as host nation USA already qualified
From Tokyo to LA: Enthusiasm abound as women’s lacrosse winds up for Olympic Games 2028
From Tokyo to LA: Enthusiasm abound as women’s lacrosse readies for Olympic Games 2028
After the United States romped to a fifth consecutive world championship in Tokyo, the world’s top teams begin their quest for one of five available berths at the Games. Hosts USA have already qualified.
Now that the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship 2026 is in the bag, the next stop is a big one: LA28 .
And the top players cannot wait.
“That’s like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I think I’m just so incredibly grateful to get the chance to have that opportunity, and have the chance to compete for it to be in that position,” USA attacker Madison Taylor said to Olympics.com as the 10-day competition wound down in Tokyo. “I think it’s just so cool.
“Not a lot of people could say they could do that (become an Olympian). I think more people around the world will just see what an amazing game lacrosse is.
“We’ve just seen the sport grow so much over the past years and it’s so cool to see how these countries have just improved so much.
“Like walking out of my game (USA-Israel in the semi-finals) and seeing the Japan-Canada game and the crowd that Japan brought was just so cool. They were so loud, so passionate about the game.”
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Canada will be eyeing payback against the United States at the Olympic Games in 2028.
Difficult qualifying path to LA28
The path to LA, however, will not be easy for the teams apart from Taylor and USA, who as hosts already have a place in the six-team competition where the sixes will be the format of choice.
Those teams need to first play at their respective continental world championships qualifiers that will be held from September to December this year.
Sixteen sides progress to the World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in October 2027, where the top four book a spot at the Olympic Games. The next six ranked teams will then go up against each other once more for the one remaining berth, which will be awarded through the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament in March 2028.
Aside from the finalists here, though, it will be difficult to call who the other four teams heading to LA two summers from now will be, as close as some of the competition was in Tokyo.
“I think the World Games (in 2025) was when my eyes opened up to how quickly these countries are just skyrocketing in their level of play and the speed at which they’re playing at,” Taylor’s team-mate Chloe Humphrey said.
“It really is cool that a lot of other countries are starting to get more visibility to the sport and more girls are starting to pick up their lacrosse sticks.
“And I think Japan is going to be a powerhouse. I don’t know what the timeline on that is going to look like, but I think that definitely they are going to be competing at the U.S. and Canada level and be making it to these championships in no time.”
Added Canada veteran Erica Evans : “I know there’s been players from the U.S. and Canada have gone over to other countries and have grown the game in that sort of way.
“And I think that’s something that’s really important for us as countries that are booming in the sport to do that to help the growth. But I think seeing other countries kind of continue to build and grow like Japan and Israel and other countries, are starting to kind of develop in a lot of ways and it’s going to take time.
“But just with the Olympics coming up I think that excitement has really drawn in a lot of other countries to kind of push for that growth as well.”
Rising teams like Japan will be counted on to make the LA28 competition more intriguing.
The sixes is a faster competition with a 30-second shot clock, designed with the hope that it will reach a wider audience around the world. Japan star Nakazawa Kokoro likens it to basketball - but with a stick.
Most players play both sixes and field, the traditional format used at worlds, but it remains to be seen just how the format will shape the Games.
“It’s really fast paced,” Nakazawa said. “The ball doesn’t stop often and you have 30 seconds to attack. It’s a lot closer to basketball so things like the transition game, the aggressiveness are where it’s different.
“And the goal is so close so it makes me want to shoot a lot. I really like the speed.”
Everyone associated with lacrosse hopes the Olympic Games will be a lightning rod and that a lot of eyes will be opened to the sport worldwide, not only in North America.
“I mean, there really is no limit to the impact it could have. I think there’s going to be so much interest in the sport,” said USA’s Charlotte North , the GOAT of the women’s game who is recovering from a torn Achilles and is in Japan to support her team-mates.
“People are going to attend the games, watch the games and realize that they love all the elements of it and how competitive it is, how physical and fast and exciting it is.
“The plays that are made by the players at the highest level are beautiful to watch like it’s a form of art like when we watch the U.S. team - or any team, really But it’s really inspiring and so I think people are going to be excited about where they can get more lacrosse.
“You’re going to see a lot of young players that maybe play basketball or play (ice) hockey and they want to go out and get a stick and try it because they’re inspired.
“And I think that’s the ultimate goal, especially when you look at the big picture - is to continue to inspire those younger players to grab a stick, start a team, join the team down the street or encourage their friends to go out and play because they love it.”
World Lacrosse would love nothing more if that were to happen.
24 July - 2 August
Lacrosse | Women’s Championship | Tokyo | Japan
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