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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.
Four rule books
World Lacrosse's playing rules page (read 23 October 2026) lists men's field, women's field, box and sixes as its four disciplines and links a rule book for each. It says every discipline runs its own rules change cycle. The books used on this site are:
- Men's field: Men's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2027, version 1.0, in force from 1 January 2025. World Lacrosse now links version 1.1 (uploaded January 2026), which was not read, so it is not known whether any rule number below changed in it.
- Women's field: Women's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2026, version 1.0, in force from 1 January 2025. World Lacrosse now links version 1.1 (uploaded March 2025), which was not read.
- Box: Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, version 2.0, May 2026, from World Lacrosse's own site.
- Sixes: Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, version 2.0, May 2026, from World Lacrosse's own site. It is one book for women and men, with rules that apply to only one marked W or M.
Each book says it governs World Lacrosse competitions and other international games, and that a national governing body may choose its own implementation date and vary the rules for national play.
Side by side
| Rule | Men's field (2025-2027 v1.0) | Women's field (2025-2026 v1.0) | Box (2026-2028 v2.0) | Sixes (2026-2028 v2.0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players on the field | 10: a goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, three attackers (Rule 19.1) | Up to 10, one of whom may be a goalkeeper; a team may play without one (Rule 5.A.3) | 6 (Rule 3.1.1) | 6: five field players and a goalkeeper (Rule 3.1) |
| Squad | Up to 12 substitutes; 22 may dress (Rules 20.1, 20.2) | Roster of at most 22 at World Lacrosse events (Rule 5.A.2) | No more than 20 players, goalkeepers included (Rule 3.2) | Not covered here |
| Playing area | 91.4 to 100 m long, 50 to 60 m wide (Rules 1.1, 1.2) | 91.4 to 100 m long, 50 to 60 m wide; 100 m by 50 to 60 m at World Lacrosse events (Rules 1.A.2, 1.A.3) | Floor enclosed by dasher boards 3 ft 6 in to 4 ft high, with safety glass above (Rule 1.1.1) | 70 m by 36 m at World Lacrosse events; 55 to 75 m by 35 to 55 m elsewhere (Rule 1.1.1) |
| Area around the goal | Crease, 3 m radius (Rule 3.1) | Goal-Circle, 3 m radius (Rule 1.A.6) | Crease, 9 ft 3 in radius to its outside edge (Rule 1.1.7) | Crease, 3 m radius (Rule 1.3.1) |
| Time | Four 15-minute periods (Rule 29.1) | Four 15-minute quarters (Rule 12.A.1) | Four 15-minute quarters (Rule 5.1.1) | Four 8-minute quarters (Rule 5.1) |
| Half-time | 10 minutes (Rule 29.3) | Up to 10 minutes (Rule 12.A.2) | 12 minutes (Rule 5.2.2) | 5 minutes (Rule 5.1) |
| Overtime | 4-minute sudden-victory periods (Rules 31.1, 31.2) | 4-minute sudden-victory periods (Rule 12.C.1) | 15-minute sudden-victory periods (Rule 5.4.1) | Full 3-minute periods; the leader at the end wins (Rule 5.1.4) |
| Restart | Face-off (Rule 34.1) | Draw (Rule 13.A.1) | Face-off (Rule 1.1.9; Section 6) | Draw, for men and women (Rule 6.4) |
| Shot clock | 80 seconds, applying from 1 January 2026 (Rule 43) | 80 seconds, in World Lacrosse events from 1 January 2027 (Rule 24) | 30 seconds (Rule 6.6.1) | 30 seconds (Rule 1.4.3) |
| Body-checking | Permitted only within the limits of Rule 41.1 | Not covered on this page | Not covered on this page | Prohibited in any form (Rule 8.3.1) |
| Penalties | Minor foul: possession, or a 30-second suspension (Rule 50.1); major foul: 1, 2 or 3 minutes (Rule 68.1) | Cards: 2 minutes for a yellow, 5 for a second yellow, 10 for a straight red, served in the bench area (Rule 23.B) | Minor: 2 minutes (Rule 7.2.1); major: 5 minutes (Rule 7.3.1) | Minor foul: possession, or a 30-second suspension (Rule 7.1.2); major foul: 1 minute (Rule 8.1.2) |
The table gives each book's own figure and nothing more. A blank comparison between two games does not mean the rule is the same in both: the men's and women's games are separate games with separate books, and the detail is on the men's field, women's field, box and sixes pages.
Men's field and women's field
The two field games use the same range of field sizes under World Lacrosse's books, and both play four 15-minute quarters. Beyond that they diverge. The men's game has a set formation, the face-off and limited body-checking. The women's game has the draw, a Goal-Circle, marking areas in front of each goal (a 15 m semicircle and an 11 m area, Rules 1.A.7 and 1.A.8) and restraining-lines 22 m from each goal line (Rule 1.A.9), and carded penalties served in the bench area (Rule 23.B). The equipment rules differ just as much; see the equipment section.
Box
Box lacrosse is the indoor game, played six a side on a floor enclosed by boards and glass, with the floor split into defensive, centre and offensive zones. Its 30-second shot clock (Rule 6.6.1) is far shorter than the 80-second clocks in the two field books. Lacrosse Canada names box among its disciplines, alongside men's and women's field, and its site also lists sixes.
Sixes
World Lacrosse formally introduced sixes in May 2021. In its July 2021 release it described the aims as lowering barriers to entry such as cost, team size and field size, appealing to new players, improving competitive balance, and fitting the IOC's lower-cost approach to the Games. Sixes is the form of lacrosse on the programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games; see the Olympic path.
Wheelchair and mixed rules
World Lacrosse's playing rules page also links suggested wheelchair rules, dated 3 May 2016, and mixed field rules. Neither was read for this site. Adaptive formats in the United States are on the wheelchair and adaptive lacrosse page.
Other codes
National bodies and leagues can set their own rules, and several do:
- NCAA women's lacrosse in US college play is 12 a side. The research behind this site did not read the NCAA rule book; the figure rests on the NCAA's 12 August 2026 release, which describes a fall 2026 experiment with 10 players a side instead of 12.
- NFHS boys' lacrosse in US high schools: the NFHS's undated Boys Lacrosse Official Timer Guidelines describe four 12-minute stop-time quarters and 4-minute overtime periods. The NFHS rule book itself is sold rather than posted and was not read.
- The Premier Lacrosse League, a professional field league, announced for its first season in 2019 a 52-second shot clock starting on possession, a two-point arc 15 yards from the goal, and a field with 70 yards between the goals instead of the usual 80 (its article of 27 May 2019).
- The National Lacrosse League is a professional box league. Wikipedia, a secondary source, records that its 2025-26 season, its 39th, ran from late November 2025 to May 2026; the league's own announcement confirms that its 2026 Finals were scheduled for May 2026, but the start date and the season count rest on Wikipedia alone.
The Haudenosaunee Nationals say the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee has sanctioned women's, men's and youth teams in box, field and sixes lacrosse. The US college and high school codes are covered on the college and high school rules page.
Sources
- World Lacrosse, playing rules page (read 23 October 2026)
- World Lacrosse, Men's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2027, v1.0 (copy hosted by BC Lacrosse with World Lacrosse's permission)
- World Lacrosse, Women's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2026, v1.0 (copy hosted by Lacrosse Victoria)
- World Lacrosse, Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, v2.0 (May 2026)
- World Lacrosse, Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, v2.0 (May 2026)
- World Lacrosse, history and Olympic feature
- World Lacrosse, IOC grants Full Recognition to World Lacrosse (20 July 2021, copy hosted by the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union)
- Lacrosse Canada, history page
- Haudenosaunee Nationals, history
- NCAA, Simplified penalty structure approved in women's lacrosse (12 August 2026)
- NFHS, Boys Lacrosse Official Timer Guidelines (undated)
- Premier Lacrosse League, updated playing rules for inaugural season (27 May 2019)
- Wikipedia, 2026 NLL season (secondary)
- National Lacrosse League, 2026 Finals matchup and schedule (10 May 2026)