Section 1: Introduction
Lacrosse Sixes is the shortened-format variant of lacrosse developed by World Lacrosse to provide a faster, smaller-field, more spectator-friendly version of the game suitable for international and Olympic competition. The format was approved for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as the lacrosse medal discipline — the sport's return to the Olympic program after a 1908 hiatus. As the official rulebook's "The Game" summary states, Sixes Lacrosse is played by two teams of six Players each, with the purpose of each team being to score by causing the ball to enter the opponent's goal while preventing the opposing team from securing the ball and scoring.
The current ruleset is the 2026-2028 Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules, Version 1.0 (January 2026), which supersedes the prior 2024-2025 v1.1 rules and governs all World Lacrosse competitions, qualification events, and other international games as defined by World Lacrosse. Per the rulebook's "About This Book" section, rules specific to one discipline are denoted "W" (Women's) or "M" (Men's) in the rule numbering; where no such designation appears, a rule applies equally to both disciplines. See the sibling World Lacrosse Official Rulebook, NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules, and NCAA Women's Lacrosse Rules entries for the parent 10-a-side ruleset and college variants.
Section 2: Equipment
Ball (Rule 2.1.1): The ball must be solid, predominantly smooth, and of elastomer-type composition, with a circumference of no less than 19.7 cm and no more than 20.3 cm. It must weigh between 141.75 g and 148.83 g and, when dropped onto a hard wooden floor from a height of 1.83 m, must rebound to a height of between 114.3 cm and 124.46 cm (Rule 2.1.1).
Field stick — Women's (Rule 2.2.1W): Overall length between 90 cm and 110 cm minimum-to-maximum, head length at least 25.4 cm, and inside head width at its widest point of at least 15 cm.
Field stick — Men's (Rule 2.2.1M): Overall length between 100 cm and 110 cm, with the same minimum head-length (25.4 cm) and inside-width (15 cm) specifications as the women's stick. Field sticks in both disciplines may be constructed of wood, metal alloy, or composite material and must be nominally straight.
Goalkeeper stick (Rule 2.2.2): As an exception to the field-stick dimensions, the designated Goalkeeper's stick head may measure from 15.24 cm up to 38.10 cm at its widest point, with an overall stick length of 100 cm to 140 cm for Men and 90 cm to 140 cm for Women.
Personal protective equipment — Men's (Rule 2.4.1M): All Men's-discipline Players are required to wear protective gloves and a protective helmet designed for lacrosse, equipped with a facemask and a chinstrap fastened on both sides. Suitable shoes must be worn.
Personal protective equipment — Women's (Rule 2.4.1W): Close-fitting gloves, nose guards, and eye guards may be worn by any Women's-discipline field Player; where worn, eye guards must meet the ASTM F3077 safety standard or a comparable national/testing-body standard. Suitable shoes must be worn.
Mouthguard (Rule 2.4.2): All Players, including the Goalkeeper, must properly wear an intra-oral tooth and mouth protector molded to the Player's teeth and jaw, covering all upper-jaw teeth.
Goalkeeper equipment (Rule 2.4.3): The Goalkeeper must wear a chest or body pad, a helmet designed for field lacrosse with a fastened chin strap, a facemask, and an attached throat protector that hangs no farther from the helmet than the diameter of the ball. Padded gloves are also mandatory for the Goalkeeper.
Uniform (Rule 2.4.5): All eligible Players on a team must be dressed uniformly with, at minimum, matching jerseys and shorts/skorts or kilt of the same dominant team color; altered uniforms are not permitted.
Jersey numbers (Rule 2.4.6): Each Player and Goalkeeper must wear an individual identifying number, 15–21 cm high on the front and 20–26 cm high on the back, ranging from 0 to 99, with no duplicate numbers on the same team.
Prohibited personal items (Rule 2.5): No Player may wear a body- or helmet-mounted camera (Rule 2.5.1), and jewelry or body piercings are prohibited except for taped medical-alert or religious items (Rule 2.5.2).
Section 3: Playing Area
Field (Rule 1.1.1): The playing field for all World Lacrosse Sixes events is rectangular, 70 m long and 36 m wide, with out-of-bounds lines measured from the inside edge of the line. For events not recognized or approved by World Lacrosse, field dimensions may be adjusted between 55–75 m long and 35–55 m wide.
Goals (Rule 1.2.1–1.2.3): Each goal consists of two vertical posts joined by a rigid crossbar, 1.83 m in height and width (all inside measurements), with posts of approximately 5 cm outside diameter. Goals are centered on the field width and placed 25 m from the midline (Rule 1.2.2), and must be orange in color (Rule 1.2.3).
Goal crease (Rule 1.3.1): The goal crease is a circle of 3 m radius centered on the mid-point of the goal line. This is an increase from the 2.75 m crease radius under the 2024-2025 Sixes rules, part of the 2026-2028 rules cycle.
Zones (Rule 1.1.4): The center-line divides the field into each team's Defensive Zone (the half containing the goal it defends) and Offensive Zone (the half containing the goal it attacks).
Shot clocks (Rule 1.4.3): Two 30-second visible shot clocks are required at each end line, positioned so they can be easily seen by players and officials.
Movement restrictions: Field Players are not subject to a traditional offside line and may move freely across the entire field. The Goalkeeper, however, is subject to a narrow center-line restriction: a team is offside if its Goalkeeper's body, including a gloved hand on the stick, touches, steps on, or crosses the center-line (Rule 7.2.10; see Section 7).
Section 4: Players & Officials
Roster (Rule 3.1.1): No team may carry more than twelve (12) Players on its active roster, including a minimum of one (1) Goalkeeper.
Players to begin a game (Rule 3.1.3): A full team is composed of six (6) Players on the field — five (5) field Players and one (1) Goalkeeper. Each team must always have a legally equipped Goalkeeper on the field; if injuries or fouls reduce a team below six, play continues short-handed with no exceptions made to this requirement.
The In-Home (Rule 3.1.6): Before the game, each Head Coach nominates a Player — any Player except a Goalkeeper — as the team's "In-Home." The In-Home serves any penalty assessed against a non-designated Player, a Team Official, or the Goalkeeper, so that the penalized individual need not leave the bench area.
Captains (Rule 3.2.1): Each team appoints one Captain, who alone has the privilege of discussing Rules interpretation questions with the Head Official when invited to do so (Rule 3.2.2).
Officials (Rule 4.1.1): The game is controlled by three (3) officials, one designated the Head Official, whose decision is final in any dispute. The officials have authority and jurisdiction over the Official Timekeeper, Penalty Timekeepers, Official Scorers, Players, Substitutes, Coaches, and anyone officially connected with either team.
Section 5: Rules of Play
Game Length
- 4 quarters × 8 minutes of regulation playing time (Rule 5.1.1).
- A two-minute interval between the first and second quarters and between the third and fourth quarters (Rule 5.1.2); a five-minute half-time intermission between the second and third quarters (Rule 5.1.3).
- Teams change direction of play at the end of every quarter, including overtime periods (Rule 5.1.3, "Change of Direction of Play").
Overtime — Updated for 2026-2028
Under Rule 5.1.4, sudden-death golden goal is no longer used. When the score is tied at the end of regulation, play continues with a full three-minute overtime period of stopped time, and the team leading when that period ends is declared the winner — the period is played to completion rather than ending on the first goal. Overtime periods are separated by a two-minute break, and if the score remains tied after the first overtime period, additional three-minute periods (each preceded by a two-minute break) are played until a winner is decided.
Starting Play
- Each quarter and overtime period begins with a draw at the center of the field (Rule 6.4.1), with draw positioning and procedure differing by discipline (Rules 6.4.2W/6.4.3W for Women's, 6.4.2M/6.4.3M for Men's).
- Initial offensive/defensive zone assignment is determined by a pre-game coin toss called by the Visiting Team Captain (Rule 6.1.4).
Possession, Shot Clock & Pace
- Upon a team gaining possession, a 30-second shot clock begins; if it expires without a shot on goal, possession is awarded to the defensive team (Rule 5.3.1).
- A team gaining possession in its defensive half must advance the ball across the center-line within a 10-second count (Rule 6.9.1).
- Each team is limited to one timeout per half, of 60 seconds duration (Rule 6.10.4–6.10.5) — a new time-management provision under the 2026-2028 rules.
Movement & Substitution
- Substitution may take place at any time through the Substitution Area, with Players permitted to substitute on the fly (Rule 6.13.1).
- Body-checking of an opponent in any form is illegal under Rule 8.3.1 — Sixes is designed around stick skills and loose-ball play rather than body contact, subject only to incidental contact of equal pressure between opposing Players.
Section 6: Scoring
Goal (Rule 6.6.1): A goal is scored when the ball, whether loose or in a Player's possession, completely passes through the plane of the goal. A valid shot on goal requires the Player's stick head to be above the Goal Line Extended when the ball is released, thrown with the intent to score (Rule 6.6.1).
Scorer (Rule 6.6.2): The last attacking Player who provided sufficient force or impetus for the ball to pass through the goal plane is credited with the goal; if a defensive Player provides that force, it is scored as an own goal credited to the offensive team's designated In-Home.
No goal (Rule 6.6.3): A goal is disallowed if, among other listed circumstances, the ball is released after the quarter or shot clock has expired, an official's whistle has already sounded, the scoring team has too many Players on the field, or the goal-scorer's stick is subsequently found illegal on a requested stick check before the next live ball.
Deciding the winner: Total goals across the four regulation quarters decide the winner. If tied, the game proceeds to overtime under Rule 5.1.4 — a full three-minute stopped-time period is played, with the leading team at its conclusion declared the winner, repeating in further three-minute periods until decided (see Section 5).
Forfeit scoring (Rule 5.5.1, 5.5.3): A team failing to appear, failing to finish a contest, or unable to field the minimum of six Players (including a designated Goalkeeper) forfeits by a score of 1-0.
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Minor Fouls
Minor fouls cover violations not specifically listed as major or expulsion fouls (Rule 7.1.1) and include interference (Rule 7.2.1), holding (Rule 7.2.3), withholding the ball from play (Rule 7.2.4), illegal procedure (Rule 7.2.7), offside (Rule 7.2.10), warding (Rule 7.2.11), and charging (Rule 7.2.12). Under Rule 7.1.2, if the non-offending team had possession of the ball when a minor foul occurred, the offending Player serves a 30-second suspension from play; if the offending team had possession, or the ball was loose, the penalty is instead a change of possession to the non-offending team with no time served.
Major Fouls
Major fouls are more serious in nature (Rule 8.1.1) and carry a one-minute suspension from the game, with the ball awarded to the non-offending team (Rule 8.1.2). Three or more major fouls by the same Player result in fouling out for the remainder of the game (Rule 8.2.1). Enumerated major fouls include illegal body check (Rule 8.3.1), slashing (Rule 8.3.2), cross-check (Rule 8.3.3), tripping (Rule 8.3.4), unnecessary roughness (Rule 8.3.5), illegal stick (Rule 8.3.6), unsportsmanlike conduct (Rule 8.3.7), and walling — two or more defenders forming a stationary, parallel wall-type formation in front of the goal or crease instead of actively defending (Rule 8.3.8).
Expulsion Fouls
Expulsion fouls are the most serious category and result in ejection from the game for the offending Player (Rule 8.4.1). Under Rule 8.4.2, the penalty is suspension of the offending Player for the remainder of the game, with the team's In-Home serving a two-minute penalty on the Player's behalf. Examples under Rule 8.4.3 include fighting, deliberately striking or attempting to strike another person connected with the game, entering the field of play during a fight, and deliberately body-checking an opponent in the head or neck area or from behind.
Foul Reporting
Officials designate the severity of a time-serving foul by card color: green for a minor foul (30 seconds), yellow for a major foul (one minute), and red for an expulsion foul (Rule 9.5.1).
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Lacrosse Sixes is designed with reduced-contact rules relative to traditional men's field lacrosse: Rule 8.3.1 makes body-checking of an opponent illegal in any form, and stick-based contact is tightly regulated through the slashing (Rule 8.3.2), cross-check (Rule 8.3.3), and unnecessary-roughness (Rule 8.3.5) provisions. Equipment mandates differ by discipline — the Men's game requires a helmet with facemask and chinstrap plus protective gloves (Rule 2.4.1M), while the Women's game permits close-fitting gloves and ASTM F3077-rated eye guards (Rule 2.4.1W) — but a properly fitted mouthguard is mandatory for every Player, including the Goalkeeper, in both disciplines (Rule 2.4.2).
Play must be suspended immediately if a Player's required equipment becomes dislodged in a way that compromises safety or increases injury risk (Rule 2.4.4). World Lacrosse requires on-site medical provision (athletic trainer minimum, team physician at international tournaments) and applies its Concussion Management Guidelines — removal-for-evaluation, staged return-to-play, and mandatory rest — consistent with the World Rugby framework. Heat protocols for summer-season events (mandatory water breaks, heat-stop authority) and an on-site AED remain required at all sanctioned tournaments. Weather interruptions, including lightning, are governed by the World Lacrosse Lightning Protocol (Rule 5.4.1), which requires all participants to move indoors at the earliest opportunity.
