2018 World Lacrosse Championship
The 2018 World Lacrosse Championship was the 13th edition of the international men’s field lacrosse tournament for national teams organized by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). As many as 50 countries were expected to compete in the tournament; with the official total coming in at 46, which made the 2018 WLC the largest of all-time. The games were held in Netanya, Israel on 12–21 July 2018. The United States won the tournament, its 10th championship in the history of the event. Hosting. Manchester, England was originally selected to host the tournament, but withdrew  in May 2017. Instead, the championships took place in Netanya, Israel between 12 and 21 July 2018. This was the first World Lacrosse Championship played outside of the United States, Canada, England, or Australia. Tournament. On Thursday, 12 July, the Opening Ceremony and first games were held at Netanya Stadium, a 13,610-seat multi-use stadium which opened in 2012. It served as a home field for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and features 36 luxury suites, a VIP seating area, and a modern press box. The stadium serves as the home field of Maccabi Netanya FC, as well  as the temporary home of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and Hapoel Ra'anana A.F.C. From Friday, 13 July to Saturday, 21 July, the tournament games will be played at Wingate Institute. Located on 50 hectares (125 acres), the Wingate Institute serves as Israel’s National Centre for Physical Education and Sport. The campus doubles as both the State of Israel’s primary university for the development of physical education teachers, as well as the nation’s official training centre for national teams, the Israel Olympic Team, and national and international sports science conferences. The campus hosts the Israel Olympiada annually and  the Maccabiah Games every four years. Wingate Stadium also serves as the home field for the Israel National Rugby Team. Participating Nations. 48 teams initially entered the tournament. They were drawn into 14 groups in March 2018. However Bulgaria and Haiti later withdrew leaving just 46 teams. The world ranking of the teams based on their performance in the 2014 edition is also displayed. The top 6 teams in the 2014 edition are drawn into the Blue Division while the rest of the teams were drawn into the other divisions. Play-in games. Upper bracket. The upper bracket includes the  13 first-place finishers from each division as well as the second-place finisher of the white division. These teams can still win the world championship. !|First Round !|Second Round !|Third Round Middle bracket. !|First Round !|Second Round !|Third Round Lower bracket. !|First Round !|Second Round !|Third Round 2018 World Lacrosse Festival. Alongside the WLC, youth and adult lacrosse teams from around the world will participate in the 2018 World Lacrosse Festival at Shefayim Soccer Complex. Awards. The following awards were given out at the end of the tournament. MVP: Michael Ehrhardt Outstanding Attackman: Curtis Dickson Outstanding Midfielder: Tom Schreiber  Outstanding Defenseman: Michael Ehrhardt Outstanding Goalie: Dillon Ward