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Sports Cockpit · Ball & Team Sports · World Lacrosse Sixes rules 2026–28 · LA28 qualification

Lacrosse (Sixes) — rules, fouls & the road to LA28

Governed by World Lacrosse · national association in India ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 18 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's lacrosse map in simple words: the fast Sixes game that is coming to LA28, the field, team and clock rules, what counts as a foul, the safety kit, the age rules and how a team from Asia can reach the Olympics.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap World Lacrosse Sixes Rule Book 2026-2028 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) LA28 lacrosse qualification (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Players
6 on the field (5 + goalkeeper); squad of 12 [1]
Match time
4 quarters × 8 minutes [1]
Shot clock
30 seconds [1]
LA28
6 men's + 6 women's teams of 11 [2]
01 Core rules & selection formats

How Sixes lacrosse works

Players use a stick with a net to carry, throw and catch a ball and score in the other team's goal. The ball may also be rolled or kicked. Sixes is the short, fast form of lacrosse chosen for LA28. [1]

Sixes in numbers (World Lacrosse) [1]

Sixes in numbers (World Lacrosse)
RuleWhat it says
Field70 m × 36 m
Team6 on the field — 5 field players and 1 goalkeeper; up to 12 on the roster
Time4 quarters of 8 minutes; each quarter starts with a draw at the centre
Shot clock30 seconds from when a team gets the ball
Goal creaseA circle of 3 m radius around each goal
  • Body checking is banned in any form — you may not use your body to knock or block an opponent.
  • A major foul sends a player to the penalty area for one minute; three major fouls and the player is out of the game.
  • Everyone wears a mouthguard. Men wear gloves and a lacrosse helmet with a facemask (and certified shoulder pads from the 2027 Sixes World Championships). Women's field players may wear soft headgear with eyewear, and from 2027 must wear protective eyewear. Goalkeepers wear a chest pad and helmet.
  • Officials can check that a stick is legal; asking for a check on a legal stick costs your team a major foul. [1]
02 Institutional & global recognition

Back in the Olympics at LA28

How LA28 places are won (men and women each) [2]

How LA28 places are won (men and women each)
StepWhat happens
Continental qualifiersAsia-Pacific: top 5 go to the World Sixes Championship (Europe 5, Pan-America 5, Africa 1)
World Lacrosse Sixes Championship (16 teams)Best 4 (not counting the host) win places, at least one per continent; you must finish in the top 12
Final Qualifying Tournament (6 teams)1 more place
Host (USA)1
  • Lacrosse is also a World Games sport. It is not on the 2026 Asian Games programme or the Sports Ministry's cash-award list. [3][4][5]
03 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping

Age rule and anti-doping

  • At LA28, men must be at least 16 and women at least 15 on the day before competition starts. Your country must be a member of World Lacrosse in good standing. [2]
  • Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [6]
04 Grassroots-to-elite pipeline

From first stick to the World Championship

  1. 1Grassroots & local entry Any age
  2. 2Club & national team Senior
  3. 3Asia-Pacific qualifier Senior
  4. 4International orbit LA28
The full Lacrosse roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap
05 Training centres & cities

Where players train

  • Lacrosse is not among SAI's NCOE or STC sports; players train with clubs and their national association. [7]
06 Equipment costs & who pays

Sticks and safety kit — and who pays

  • You need a legal stick, a mouthguard and the safety kit for your event (men: gloves and helmet; women: eyewear); goalkeepers need extra pads. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. [1]

Who pays [8]

Who pays
StagePaid byWhat you get
Olympic prospectTOPS Core Group₹50,000 a month + approved training plan
Athlete in hardshipPDU National Welfare FundUp to ₹2.50 lakh
07 Earning channels & central job quotas

The honest job picture

  • Lacrosse is not on the DoPT list of 65 sports, and the 2026 Railways and CRPF notices had no lacrosse posts. [9][10][11]
08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that cost players

  • Body checking — a major foul, one minute off.
  • Three major fouls — out of the game.
  • Missing safety kit — mouthguards are a must, and kit rules get stricter from 2027. [1]
09 Real-world player doubts

Straight answers

Is Sixes lacrosse a contact sport?

Not in the body-checking sense: in Sixes, body checking is banned in any form. You still need a mouthguard and the safety kit for your event because the ball and sticks move fast. [1]

How could an Asian team reach LA28?

Finish in the top 5 of the Asia-Pacific qualifier to reach the World Sixes Championship, then finish in the top 4 there (with at least one place per continent) or win the Final Qualifying Tournament. [2]

10 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 18 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

  1. World Lacrosse — Sixes Rule Book 2026-2028 (v2, May 2026) (opens in a new tab) Six players, 12-player roster, 70 × 36 m field, 3 m crease, 4 × 8 min, 30-second shot clock, body checking ban, major fouls, equipment, stick checks · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
  2. World Lacrosse — Qualification System, LA28 Olympic Games: Lacrosse (version 12 May 2026; copy published by DOSB) (opens in a new tab) 6 + 6 teams of 11, age limits, continental qualifiers (APLU top 5), World Sixes Championship, Final Qualifying Tournament · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
  3. International World Games Association — The World Games 2025, Chengdu (opens in a new tab) Lacrosse at the World Games 2025 · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  4. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) 2026 Asian Games sport list (lacrosse not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  5. MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Eligible sports list (lacrosse not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  6. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  7. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE and STC sport lists (lacrosse not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  8. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  9. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) 65-sport list (lacrosse not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  10. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) 2026-27 sports-quota posts (lacrosse not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  11. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 2026 sports-quota disciplines (lacrosse not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  12. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  13. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.

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