Bby Olivier Cadotte | August 6, 2026 | The Eastern Door | Photo Courtesy Haudenosaunee Nationals
The Haudenosaunee Nationals may have come up short in winning a medal at the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Tokyo, but the run itself is worthy of celebrating.
Indeed, this fourth-place finish following their 7-4 loss in the bronze medal game against Israel is the best the program has ever done at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, a testament to the growth of women’s lacrosse as a vector for Indigenous talent and athlete development.
The Nationals started their tournament off with the round-robin portion, consisting of three games within a team’s pool.
The Nationals played in Pool A, with Ireland, Chinese Taipei, and the United States.
In the tournament opener, the Nationals defeated Chinese Taipei 11-8. The United States won a lopsided game two 22-5.
Facing a win-and-in situation in their third game against Ireland, the Nationals successfully punched their ticket to the quarterfinals with a 13-7 victory.
Facing England in the quarterfinals with a chance to make history for the program, the Nationals did not disappoint.
It was not a cakewalk, though, with the two teams putting on an exciting back-and-forth game.
The Nationals finished the first quarter up 4-3. Each team had two goals in the second to make it 6-5 Haudenosaunee at the half.
The third quarter was all England, putting three in the net to go up 8-6 with just one quarter left.
The game loosened up offensively for the Nationals, and with just seconds left before overtime, the two teams were tied 9-9.
With five seconds left, Avery Doran made history by scoring the game-winning goal, sending the Nationals to the semis.
With two chances at medalling, the Nationals were unfortunately not able to come home with some hardware, with two tough losses to end their tournament: 18-5 in the semifinals against Canada, and their 7-4 loss to Israel in the bronze medal game.
The World Championship was played two years to the day before the return of lacrosse to the Olympics, with the sixes format being played in Los Angeles in 2028.
But, despite the advances the Haudenosaunee Nationals’ program has made in recent years, there is no guarantee any of the athletes who play under that banner in high-profile tournaments will get a chance to play at the Olympics.
That’s because the International Olympic Committee has said that it will not permit a standalone Haudenosaunee team to compete at the Olympics, instead requiring those players to compete for Canada or the United States.
Being the two strongest programs in lacrosse today, with their own pipelines and regular player pools, makes the chances of participation for those who cherish lacrosse as the Creator’s game slim at the sport’s highest level.
