Lacrosse (World Lacrosse) — Official Rules

Two teams of ten Players each play lacrosse. The two teams attempt to score by causing the ball to enter the goal of their opponent, while preventing the other team from securing the ball and scoring. The ball is kept in play by being carried, thrown, or batted with the stick, rolled or kicked in any direction, subject to the Rules. The hand may not touch the ball, except by a goalkeeper who is within their own goal crease. The team scoring the greater number of goals is declared the winner.

These Rules of Men's Field Lacrosse are issued by World Lacrosse, the international federation for the sport. This is Version 1.0 of the 2025-2027 edition, approved by the Members in 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025. They apply to all World Lacrosse competitions and qualifications and to all international games. In any conflict between the official English version and any translation, the English version governs.

The playing area is a solid-lined rectangle, 91.4 m to 100 m long between the end-lines and 50 m to 60 m wide between the side-lines. An extra-heavy white line is marked through the centre of the field perpendicular to the side-lines — the centerline. The long boundaries are the sidelines; the short boundaries are the end lines.

Each goal has two vertical posts joined by a crossbar, 1.83 m (6 ft) apart and 1.83 m (6 ft) high, placed 12 m from each end line and centered between the sidelines; the posts and crossbar are the pipes. Around each goal is a circle, the Goal Crease, with a radius of 3 metres, centred on the mid-point of the goal line. The net is fastened to the ground 2.1 m (7 ft) behind the centre of the goal line.

In each half a Goal Area Line is marked from sideline to sideline 22 m from the goal line. The Wing Lines are marked parallel to the sidelines 18 m from the centre of the field, extending 10 m on each side of the centerline. The center is marked with an 'X' or a 10 cm square where the ball is faced.

On the side of the field by the timer's table, the Special Substitution Area is bounded by two lines 9 m long running at right angles from the sideline at points 6.5 m from the centerline; the part of the sideline between them — 13 m long — is the Gate through which players substitute on the fly.

The ball is white or orange rubber, 19.69 cm to 20.32 cm in circumference and 141.75 g to 148.83 g in weight (approximately 5 to 5.25 oz). When dropped onto a hard wooden floor from 1.83 m it must bounce to a height of 114.3 cm to 124.46 cm.

A stick is either a short stick (101.60 cm to 106.68 cm / 40-42 in) or a long stick (132.08 cm to 182.88 cm / 52-72 in). A team may have no more than four long sticks on the field (excluding the goalkeeper) when the ball is live. The head measures 15.24 cm to 25.40 cm wide; the goalkeeper's head may be up to 38.10 cm wide. Illegal sticks are penalised under the foul rules.

A full team is ten (10) Players: 1 goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 attackers. Each team must have one properly equipped goalkeeper on the field at all times. If injuries, fouling-out, or expulsions prevent ten players, the team may continue with fewer, with no exceptions to the regular rules.

A team may have up to 12 substitutes. Only 22 players in the squad may dress in team uniform for a game; any others in the bench area must wear alternate strip or track suits.

The match is divided into 4 periods (quarters) of 15 minutes each. The interval between the 1st and 2nd quarters and between the 3rd and 4th quarters is 2 minutes; the half-time interval is 10 minutes. Teams change ends at the end of each quarter. The game clock and penalty clock(s) stop after the whistle for a goal, when awarding time-serving penalties, whenever the ball is dead in the last 30 seconds of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters, and in the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter and any overtime.

If the score is tied at the end of regulation, play continues in Sudden Victory overtime after a 2-minute break. Overtime is played in 4-minute periods, with a 2-minute break between periods and a coin toss for choice of goals. The game ends on the first goal scored, deciding the winner. No team time-outs are allowed in a sudden-victory overtime period.

Play is started at the beginning of each period and after each goal by facing the ball at the center. Two players crouch with sticks back-to-back over the ball; on the whistle each may attempt to gain possession. Once 'set', any movement of a player's stick or gloves before the whistle awards possession to the opponent. No player using a left-handed stick may take a face-off. If a team had an extra-man advantage at the end of a quarter or overtime, the next period starts by awarding that team the ball rather than by a face-off.

A goal is scored when the ball passes completely through the plane of the goal from the front. Each goal counts one point. The last attacking player to give force to the ball is the scorer; a defender who puts the ball into their own goal credits an own goal to the attacking in-home. A goal does not count if scored after the period has ended or after any whistle, while an attacker touches the crease area, while the attacking team has too many players on the field, or while the attacking team (or both teams) is offside.

A team is offside when the ball is live and it has more than six (6) players in its attack half or more than seven (7) players in its defensive half (including players in the penalty box). Being offside while only that team is offside is penalised as a Minor foul. A goal does not count if the attacking team, or both teams, is offside; if only the defending team is offside the goal stands.

In force from 1 January 2026 (and enforced at the 2027 Men's World Championship), an 80-second shot clock governs each possession; two visible clocks count down from 80 to 0 and are operated on the officials' whistle and signal. On gaining or being awarded possession (including after a face-off) the clock starts/resets to 80 seconds. If the clock expires without a qualifying shot, the ball is awarded to the defensive team. A shot taken above the Goal Line Extended that hits the goalkeeper or their crease equipment, hits a pipe, or scores resets the clock; a pass from behind the goal line extended does not.

After gaining possession in its defensive half, a team must carry, pass or cause the ball to be in its offensive half when the shot clock displays 60 seconds; failing to do so is a turnover, with possession awarded to the opponent at the spot. Once the ball is advanced over the centerline (clock at or under 60), the Over-and-Back rule applies: the offensive team in possession may not cause the ball to return to its defensive half or touch the centerline (except on a valid shot). A violation is an immediate turnover.

A team may request a time-out when the ball is dead or when the team has player-possession of the ball in its attacking half. A team time-out is 90 seconds long and a team is limited to 2 time-outs per half. A team may not take consecutive time-outs without a resumption of play, and no time-outs are allowed in sudden-victory overtime. Officials may also call an official's time-out, including for an injury.

Substitution is unlimited and may take place at any time (on the fly). A substitute may enter only after the player being replaced has left the field, and both players must pass through the Gate of the special substitution area, observing the offside rule. On the scoring of a goal, at the end of a period, or during any time-out, substitution may be made from any point on the sideline, provided the team has the correct number of players when play restarts.

(2024 change: 'technical' fouls were renamed Minor fouls.) If the offending team has, or the ball is loose at the time of, a Minor foul, possession is awarded to the opponent at the spot. If the opponents have possession when a Minor foul is committed, the offender is suspended from the field for 30 seconds (served in the penalty box), creating a man-down situation.

Minor fouls are the less serious infractions and include interference, pushing, illegal pick, holding, handling the ball, withholding the ball from play, illegal procedure, offside, warding off, and a conduct foul (unsporting behaviour). If a Minor foul gives no unfair advantage, officials may allow play to continue (play-on).

(2024 change: 'personal' fouls were renamed Major fouls.) A Major foul carries suspension from the game for 1, 2 or 3 minutes, at the officials' discretion based on the severity and intention of the foul, and the ball is normally given to the fouled team. The offender serves the time in the penalty box, putting the team man-down.

Major fouls are the more serious infractions: illegal body-check (e.g. checking a player not in possession or not within 2.74 m of a loose or in-flight ball, from the rear, below the hips, or at/above the neck), slashing, cross-check, tripping, unnecessary roughness, and unsportsmanlike conduct. Any player committing 5 Major fouls is fouled-out of the game and may take no further part on the field.

An expulsion foul carries suspension for the remainder of the game. The team serves a 3-minute non-releasable penalty (served by the in-home) plus any other penalty time the expelled player incurred, after which a substitute may enter. Expulsion fouls include deliberately striking or attempting to strike an opponent, official, or other person; leaving the bench to join a fight after benches are frozen; being the third person into an altercation; and refusing the authority of the officials or using threatening, foul or abusive language or gestures. The incident is reported in writing to the controlling body.

While a player serves a time-serving penalty, the offending team plays man-down and the opponent man-up (extra-man). Time-serving Minor and Major foul penalties are 'releasable': if the team on man-up scores during the penalty, the penalised player is released and returns to the field. Expulsion penalties (and certain non-releasable fouls) are not released by a goal and must be served in full. When all penalty time has expired the player returns and the man-up situation ends.

After a penalty in the offended team's defensive half, the ball is awarded to a player of the offended team on the offensive side of the centerline. The Slow-Whistle (Flag-Down) Technique lets play continue when the offended team has possession: an official throws a flag but delays the whistle so the team can complete a scoring opportunity. If a goal is scored during a slow-whistle play for a Minor foul, no penalty is applied; if no goal is scored, the time-serving penalty is then applied and the ball restarted under the Free Play rule.

The game is controlled by on-field officials supported by a Chief Bench Official / Bench Manager, timekeeper(s), penalty timekeeper(s), scorers and a shot-clock operator. All in-game interpretations of the Rules and all decisions are made exclusively by the game officials. A head coach may request a stick-check or stick-count of an opposing stick when the ball is dead.