NLL brings professional lacrosse back to Edmonton after 10 years

Professional lacrosse is returning to Edmonton on Friday night, as the National Lacrosse League stages a regular-season game in the city for the first time in more than 10 years.

The match at Rogers Place will feature the Georgia Swarm as the designated home team against the visiting Calgary Roughnecks.

The Swarm enter the game with a 2-3 record early in the 2025-26 NLL season, while the Roughnecks are 1-4. The league’s 14 teams play an 18-game season from December through April before the playoffs begin.

The game is part of the league’s Unboxed initiative, launched in 2024 to promote lacrosse in communities without a current NLL franchise.

The first Unboxed game was held in Montreal last November.

League commissioner Brett Frood said, while speaking to media at Rogers Place that Edmonton was a natural choice, as there is “a lot of passion” in the city.

“Obviously, from an endemic standpoint, lacrosse is huge in Alberta and growing, and we’ve got phenomenal crossover with hockey fans, so if you think about the synergies, it’s a great place to be.”

“We certainly were strategic bringing in Calgary,” he said. “We know how much fun the Edmonton fans have with that fan base.”

Edmonton last hosted NLL action in 2015, when the Edmonton Rush won the league championship at Rexall Place.

The team later relocated to Saskatoon after failing to secure a lease at Rogers Place.

Georgia Swarm veteran Lyle Thompson said the return is meaningful: “Edmonton used to have a professional lacrosse team,” Thompson said.

“Something was built here, and I’m sure they’re missing lacrosse, so it’s good to be back.”