The National Lacrosse League is bringing professional box lacrosse to FloLacrosse, and the timing comes with a milestone. Founded in 1986, the NLL enters its 40th anniversary season in 2026-27 with 12 teams competing across the United States and Canada.

The season features 108 regular-season games, a playoff format that can eliminate a team in one night and a new class of college lacrosse standouts entering the professional ranks. From Buffalo to Vancouver and Las Vegas to Halifax, the league offers fans plenty of teams and storylines to follow.

The 2026-27 NLL season begins Nov. 27, with the regular season and playoffs streaming on FloLacrosse and the FloSports app through a new exclusive global partnership. 

Here are 10 things to know about the league before opening weekend.

1. The NLL Is Celebrating 40 Years Of Professional Lacrosse

The National Lacrosse League traces its founding to 1986, making the 2026-27 campaign its 40th anniversary season.

The league has grown into North America's largest professional lacrosse league, with franchises in major metropolitan areas and smaller markets across two countries.

The anniversary also arrives with a new streaming partnership and a 12-team competition, giving fans an opportunity to discover the league while longtime followers celebrate its history.

2. The NLL Has 12 Teams Split Evenly Between The United States And Canada

Six American teams and six Canadian teams make up the NLL in 2026-27.

The American franchises are:

•  Buffalo Bandits
• Colorado Mammoth
• Georgia Swarm
• Las Vegas Desert Dogs
• Rochester Knighthawks
• San Diego Seals

Canadian Franchises are:  

• Calgary Roughnecks
• Halifax Thunderbirds
• Oshawa Firewolves
• Saskatchewan Rush
• Toronto Rock
• Vancouver Warriors

That geographic spread creates a league stretching from the Pacific Coast to Atlantic Canada. Fans can follow teams playing in markets as different as Las Vegas, Saskatoon, Buffalo and Halifax throughout the season.

3. Every NLL Team Gets Just 18 Regular-Season Games

An NLL team has 18 games to build its record and qualify for the playoffs.

The 2026-27 regular season runs from Nov. 27, 2026, through April 25, 2027, with 108 games scheduled across the league.

Each franchise plays nine home games and nine road games. Teams face every other opponent at least once and play seven opponents twice.

The schedule opens with the Saskatchewan Rush visiting the Oshawa FireWolves on Nov. 27. It concludes April 25 when the Vancouver Warriors visit the San Diego Seals.

With only 18 games per team, every victory and defeat contributes a substantial share of the final standings.

4. One Bad Night Can End An NLL Team's Championship Dreams

The NLL's playoff format leaves little room for mistakes.

The top eight teams in the league-wide standings qualify for the postseason, with no separate conference brackets determining who advances.

The quarterfinals are single-elimination games. The No. 1 seed faces No. 8, No. 2 plays No. 7, No. 3 meets No. 6 and No. 4 takes on No. 5.

A quarterfinal loss ends a team's season immediately.

The four survivors advance to best-of-three semifinal series, followed by a best-of-three championship series to determine the NLL champion.

That combination of single-game elimination and short playoff series gives the postseason a different structure from many other professional sports leagues.

5. There Are No Ties In The NLL

Every NLL game produces a winner.

If the score is tied after regulation, the teams play sudden-death overtime. The first team to score in overtime wins the game.

There are no shootouts to settle a tie.

The overtime format applies to regular-season and playoff games, meaning a championship contest can end on a single overtime goal.

For fans familiar with hockey's sudden-death playoff format, the concept is straightforward: The next goal can decide everything.

6. The NLL Plays In Some Major Hockey Arenas

Professional box lacrosse and professional hockey share more than an indoor setting.

Several NLL franchises play in arenas that also host major hockey teams.

The Buffalo Bandits call KeyBank Center home, while the Colorado Mammoth play at Ball Arena in Denver. The Calgary Roughnecks compete at Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Vancouver Warriors play at Rogers Arena.

Other NLL venues include Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Blue Cross Arena in Rochester and SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

Eight NLL clubs share arenas with teams from leagues covered by FloHockey, creating a connection between professional lacrosse and hockey audiences.

For hockey fans discovering the NLL, some of the buildings will already look familiar.

7. College Lacrosse Stars Are Entering The NLL

The 2026 NLL Entry Draft brought several recognizable college lacrosse names into the professional league.

• The Rochester Knighthawks selected Syracuse forward Finn Thomson with the No. 1 overall pick in September.
• The Toronto Rock followed by selecting another Syracuse forward, Joey Spallina, at No. 2.
• The Vancouver Warriors chose Albany forward Silas Richmond third, while the Las Vegas Desert Dogs selected Johns Hopkins forward Matt Collison fourth.
• The San Diego Seals used the fifth pick on transition player Dante Bowen, who played college lacrosse at Syracuse and Ohio State.

The selections provide a connection for college lacrosse followers interested in tracking players as they enter the professional box game.

8. The NLL Looks Different Heading Into 2026-27

The upcoming season brings significant changes to the league's lineup.

The Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings ceased operations following the 2025-26 season, reducing the active field to 12 teams.Players from those franchises entered a dispersal draft, creating opportunities for the remaining clubs to reshape their rosters.

The changes also mean the NLL will compete with a single 12-team standings table rather than separate conferences.With eight playoff spots available, two-thirds of the league's active franchises can qualify for the postseason.

9. The NLL Has A Championship History Worth Following

The NLL enters its anniversary season with established franchises and a history of championship competition.

The Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock are among the league's prominent championship organizations, each associated with seven titles in the historical records included in the research.

The 2025-26 season also provided a recent example of how competitive the league's standings can be.

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Vancouver finished 13-5, while Colorado, Saskatchewan and Georgia each finished 12-6.

Toronto and Buffalo followed at 11-7.

Those records illustrate how several franchises can finish close together over an 18-game schedule, making postseason seeding an important part of the championship race.

10. Every NLL Game Has A New Streaming Home On FloLacrosse

The NLL's 40th anniversary season introduces a new way to follow professional box lacrosse.

FloSports and the NLL announced an exclusive multiyear global streaming partnership that brings the league's complete regular season, postseason and marquee events to FloLacrosse.

FloLacrosse officially launches Nov. 5, ahead of the Nov. 27 season opener.

Fans also will be able to stream games through the FloSports app, while the NLL Saturday Showcase and 2027 NLL Finals will receive additional distribution through the FloSports Channel, available on platforms including Prime Video, YouTube and LG Channels.

FloLacrosse also will feature game previews, highlights, recaps and other year-round coverage.

With 12 teams, 108 regular-season games and a championship to chase, the NLL's anniversary season gives new and returning fans plenty to follow.