21/05/2025
Haudenosaunee to Compete in Top Division at 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship
The Haudenosaunee Nationals will take the global stage once again this summer as one of the elite teams competing in the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship, scheduled for August 15–24 on Jeju Island, Korea.
World Lacrosse officially announced the tournament schedule today, revealing a 62-game event that will feature 20 national teams. The Haudenosaunee, along with the United States, Canada, and Australia, were placed into Pool A, a top-tier grouping reserved for the highest finishers from the 2022 championship. The selection not only reflects the team’s strength and past performance but also affirms their position as one of the dominant forces in international lacrosse.
The Haudenosaunee are the original creators of the game, and their participation in global competition is a continued assertion of Indigenous sovereignty, cultural pride, and athletic excellence. Their inclusion in Pool A marks a significant milestone in the movement for recognition and respect within international sport.
Pool play will run from August 15 through August 19, with each team playing three games. All Pool A teams will automatically advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face opponents emerging from play-in rounds involving the other 16 teams. The championship culminates in medal round games on Sunday, August 24.
The event will be hosted at the Gongcheonpo Training Center, known for previously hosting the 2022 Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Union Men’s Championship. With six to eight matches per day, the tournament promises non-stop action and international exposure for the Haudenosaunee and fellow competitors.
The 2025 championship also highlights the expanding global reach of lacrosse, with teams from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Pool E includes Kenya and Puerto Rico, while Pool D will see newcomers like China and Mexico face off.
As anticipation builds, the Haudenosaunee Nationals stand not only as competitors—but as cultural ambassadors reminding the world of the Indigenous roots of lacrosse, a sacred game known as the “Medicine Game” to the Haudenosaunee people.
As Faithkeeper Oren Lyons once said,
“Lacrosse was given to us as a medicine. It was given to us to heal the people.”
The team’s presence on the world stage is a living expression of that purpose—bringing healing, unity, and pride not only to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, but to Indigenous nations and lacrosse communities worldwide.
Tickets for the event will go on sale soon.
—Mohawk TV