The Netball World Cup was first held in 1963. It’s the largest women’s sporting event on the planet – and for the first time it’s being hosted in Africa.
Four African teams have made the final 16 of the 2023 tournament, which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa from July 28 until 6 August. They are Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Hosting the event carries significant implications for South Africa, but also for the growth and image of the sport in the rest of the continent. Kamilla Swart is a professor and scholar who specialises in sport tourism and mega-events like this. We asked her five questions.
How do the four African teams rate? In current rankings, South Africa is the top ranked African country in the world , followed by Malawi , Uganda , Zimbabwe and Zambia . In Group B, Malawi has been drawn alongside England, Scotland and Barbados. England is the only country in Group B that ranks higher than Malawi. South Africa has been drawn alongside Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Wales in Group C and is only outranked by Jamaica . South Africa caused an upset by beating Jamaica in the last World Cup.
Netball South Africa has been making great strides in developing and growing the sport professionally across the country. Attitudes towards women’s sport have started to change dramatically in recent years thanks to tournaments such as this. Research has shown that the most recent World Cup, hosted by England in 2019, increased interest in the sport immensely.
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