Netball World Cup shake-up confirmed by governing body
A major change to the Netball World Cup has been confirmed, and the game’s governing body has announced the introduction of a men’s tournament.
Netball
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The netball World Cup will be held every two years and a new biennial event introduced in 2028, with World Netball confirming the plan revealed exclusively by CODE Sports more than six months ago.
World Netball (WN) announced overnight Wednesday (AEST) its new global events strategy, with the first phase the Netball World Cup (NWC) being held every two years, as well as the introduction of a men’s World Cup.
Sydney will host the next World Cup in August-September 2027 but WN will introduce an international window, with all future major events to be held in November allowing certainty for key stakeholders.
Uncertainty around the future of the Commonwealth Games, and netball’s status as a non-core sport within that competition, has prompted the world body to introduce its own biennial competition.
The new competition would be a “key deliverable built into any future NWC hosting event”, a WN release said.
While WN’s release did not expand on details of the new competition a prospectus seen by CODE Sports late last year outlines plans for a Continental Cup, a competition which would pit the top-ranked team from each of five World Netball regions – Asia, Oceania, Europe, Americas and Africa against each other.
Netball Australia, Netball England and Netball New Zealand would be joint owners of the Continental Cup with the world body.
The game’s three leading nations have partnered with WN to take the sport to a new level, capitalising on rising investment and interest in women’s sport and leveraging the more than 23 million netballers in 100 countries across the globe.
In a prospectus seen by this masthead, the game’s global leaders – WN president Dame Liz Nicholl, Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis, Netball England chair Bridget Blow and Netball New Zealand chair Matt Whineray – outline opportunities for a partner to unlock opportunities for the sport’s growth around the world.
WN declined to comment on the plans last year but overnight outlined its global events strategy, with chief executive officer Fiona Harold saying that while the sport had never been more competitive internationally, the landscape was becoming increasingly complex to navigate.
“WN needs to support its Members and deliver solutions that mean everyone in the ecosystem benefits,” Harold said.
“We also absolutely need to be proactive about futureproofing ourselves given the uncertainty around the Commonwealth Games post 2026.
“These decisions allow us to control our destiny and it’s positive news for everyone.
“As the International Federation, it is our job to sustain and grow the game over the long term.”
Speaking on the introduction of a men’s World Cup, Harold said while netball would always be proud of the sport’s traditions, it could not be “held hostage to them”.
“Our sport is open to all and now feels like the right time to make a clear statement on the men’s game, which is gaining momentum rapidly,” Harold said.
“The resounding feedback from many stakeholders across the game is that this is a really positive step, especially as we continue to strive and build our case for Olympic Games inclusion.
“I have enjoyed engaging with men’s netball groups over the past few months and we will continue to collaborate with them to help them realise their dream of seeing an inaugural men’s Netball World Cup happen in the next few years.”
While the international game will expand under the traditional format, WN has decided to pause its Fast5 World Series – a competition that has been a stepping stone for prospective Diamonds in recent years – although an international club competition could be on the cards.
The world body also confirmed its commitment to continuing to explore opportunities in multisport competitions, with the push for inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Games continuing.
Originally published as Netball World Cup shake-up confirmed by governing body
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