The Premier Lacrosse League -PLL- and the Women’s Lacrosse League -WLL- announced that both competitions will play matches at Centreville Bank Stadium from 15 to 17 May 2026, in a joint event that will bring men’s and women’s professional lacrosse together in Rhode Island.
The weekend will also mark the first official Opening Weekend in WLL history, launching the league’s competitive calendar with the participation of Boston Guard, New York Charging, Maryland Charm and California Palms, competing in the 10-on-10 format successfully introduced at the 2025 All-Star Game.
Centreville Bank Stadium to host the first WLL Opening Weekend
The event in Pawtucket will represent the formal start of the WLL season, with the league staging an opening weekend of official games for the first time. The choice of Rhode Island will allow the women’s league to open the season at a neutral venue, sharing the stage with the men’s competition and increasing the visibility of women’s professional lacrosse.
Paul Rabil, co-founder and president of the PLL, highlighted the significance of the selected venue. “We are thrilled to bring the Premier Lacrosse League and Women’s Lacrosse League to Rhode Island in 2026 and make history with the WLL’s first Opening Weekend at Centreville Bank Stadium,” he said, pointing to the combination of a state-of-the-art facility and the region’s lacrosse tradition.
The PLL to play in Rhode Island for the first time as a neutral site
In addition to the WLL’s debut Opening Weekend, the stadium will host all eight PLL teams as one of three neutral-site venues included in the 2026 season calendar. This will mark the first time the men’s league has played games in Rhode Island, as part of a tour-based regular season model that combines home markets with neutral venues.
The PLL’s 2026 campaign will begin from 8 to 10 May at Zions Bank Stadium and will conclude with the Championship from 18 to 20 September at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Over 12 weeks of regular-season play, the league will also visit additional neutral sites in Chicago, Fairfield and Columbus, while the location of the All-Star Weekend will be announced at a later date.
The 2026 calendar set against the Olympic return of lacrosse
The 2026 season will unfold against the backdrop of lacrosse’s return to the Olympic programme at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the sport will be contested in the Olympic Sixes format. In this context, the PLL will stage the 2026 Championship Series between February and March, featuring the top four teams from the previous season —New York Atlas, Denver Outlaws, California Redwoods and Carolina Chaos— as part of the competitive preparation in that format.
The calendar announcement follows a 2025 season of growth for the PLL, with increased television audiences and stadium attendance, and coincides with the planned expansion of games and venues for 2026, reinforcing the presence of professional lacrosse on the road to its Olympic return.
