Countdown to the First Netball World Cup in South Africa

The countdown to the Netball World Cup has begun. South Africa is the host.

The Vitality Netball World Cup 2023 (VNWC2023) is scheduled to be hosted on African soil for the first time.

The VNWC2023 will be held in Cape Town from 28th July – 6th August 2023 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) with 16 of the world’s top netball nations, including the hosts South Africa, competing.

Tickets and travel packages can be purchased by visiting the official tournament website (www.nwc2023.org.za) with a range of tickets and packages available. 

The four countries carrying the hopes of Africa are South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. South Africa find themselves in pool C paired alongside Jamaica, Wales, and Sri Lanka. The Spar Proteas have faced these teams at a World Cup before.

South Africa have been drawn with Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls in a group at a World Cup on three previous occasions, in 2003, 2011 and most recently 2019. South Africa last shared a group with Wales in 1999 and Sri Lanka in 2015. South Africa is ranked fifth in the world, Jamaica fourth, Wales ninth and Sri Lanka 16th (World rankings based on matches up to 3 November 2022).

The 16 teams on their way to Cape Town are as follows: South Africa, Australia, Barbados, England, Fiji, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tonga,Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Wales, Zimbabwe.

South Africa played in the 1967 Netball World Cup before being banned due to the government’s Apartheid policies. They returned at the 1995 World Cup.