Women’s Netball Tournaments: A Guide to the World’s Biggest Events

Women’s netball is one of the fastest-growing team sports in the world, and nowhere is that energy clearer than at its biggest tournaments. The elite game now runs on a busy international calendar that stretches from a four-yearly world championship to a fast, made-for-television format and fiercely competitive professional club leagues. This guide takes you on a tour of five of the most important women’s netball tournaments — explaining what each one is, how it works, who tends to win and why it is worth following — with every date, result and governing body checked against official sources.

Netball World Cup

The Netball World Cup is the sport’s flagship event and the closest thing netball has to a global championship. It is run by World Netball — the governing body known as the International Netball Federation until it rebranded in 2023 — and is contested every four years by national teams from around the globe. The first tournament was held in 1963 in Eastbourne, England, with 11 nations taking part, and it has grown steadily in size, standard and audience ever since.

Modern editions feature 16 teams that play through group stages before a finals round decides the medals. Two nations have long dominated the honours board: Australia has won the title more often than any other country, with New Zealand’s Silver Ferns the next most successful. England’s Vitality Roses, who have climbed the world rankings in recent years, together with Jamaica and South Africa, have narrowed that gap and made recent tournaments far harder to predict.

Teams qualify through regional events across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Oceania/Pacific region, which gives the tournament a genuinely global field even though the medals are usually fought out by a handful of nations. The 2023 World Cup in Cape Town was the first ever held on African soil, and Australia confirmed their status by beating England 61–45 in the final. The next edition will be staged in Sydney from 25 August to 5 September 2027 — the fourth time Australia has hosted the event and, organisers say, the first time any city will have hosted it three times. For a fuller history and a complete list of champions, see our dedicated Netball World Cup guide.

Fast5 Netball World Series

If the World Cup is the traditional showpiece, the Fast5 Netball World Series is its short-form cousin, built to be quick, high-scoring and easy to broadcast. It began in 2009 as the World Netball Series and was rebranded as Fast5 in 2012. The event brings together the world’s top-ranked nations — usually six of them — for a single fast-paced weekend of competition rather than a long campaign.

Fast5 strips the seven-a-side game back to five players per team and shortens matches to four six-minute quarters. Its signature twist is a multi-zone scoring system: shots from close range are worth one point, mid-range attempts two points and long-range shots three points. Each team also nominates one ‘power play’ quarter in which all of its goals are doubled, a rule that can turn a match on its head in a matter of minutes.

The idea behind Fast5 is to showcase the sport in a tighter, more spectator-friendly window, encourage long-range shooting and give fans a burst of back-to-back internationals in one venue. The series has been hosted in New Zealand in recent years. The 2024 edition — the twelfth staging of the event — was played at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch in November 2024, where Australia beat New Zealand 34–30 in the final. Because a power play or a flurry of three-point shots can erase a lead almost instantly, the condensed format and bonus-point scoring make it one of the most unpredictable events on the calendar. Our explainer on Fast5 netball breaks the rules and scoring down in full.

Suncorp Super Netball

Suncorp Super Netball is Australia’s premier domestic competition and one of the strongest professional netball leagues in the world. It launched in 2017, taking over the Australian side of the former trans-Tasman league, and today features eight teams contesting a home-and-away season — typically running from autumn into mid-winter — followed by a finals series.

Because the standard is so high, the league attracts many of the leading internationals from New Zealand, England, Jamaica and South Africa to play alongside Australia’s Diamonds. That concentration of talent makes week-to-week results genuinely competitive and gives fans a regular diet of top-level netball between major international windows. Super Netball has also been a testing ground for rule changes, including a two-point ‘super shot’ from the outer edge of the shooting circle during the final five minutes of each quarter — a tactic that has reshaped how coaches manage the clock.

In 2026 the Adelaide Thunderbirds were crowned champions, defeating the Melbourne Vixens in the grand final for their third premiership in four years. You can read more about the clubs, the format and the current season in our overview of Super Netball.

ANZ Premiership

The ANZ Premiership is New Zealand’s top-flight netball league and the main domestic pathway to the Silver Ferns. It was launched in 2017 after the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship split into separate Australian and New Zealand competitions. The Premiership is made up of six regional franchises: the Northern Mystics, Northern Stars, Central Pulse, Mainland Tactix, Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and Southern Steel.

The league is known for tight, tactical, defence-driven netball in which any team can win on its day. It also uses a two-point ‘super shot’, scored from the outer ring during set periods of each quarter, a rule that can spark dramatic late comebacks and keeps close games alive to the final whistle.

The Northern Mystics won the 2026 title, beating the Southern Steel 56–46 in the grand final for their fourth championship. The league’s long-term future has been debated as Netball New Zealand reviews its high-performance structure, so the shape of the competition may yet change; our New Zealand netball news page tracks the latest developments.

Netball at the Commonwealth Games

Netball has been a core part of the Commonwealth Games since 1998 and remains one of the most prestigious titles in the sport, second only to the World Cup. Played every four years, it pits the strongest Commonwealth nations — Australia, New Zealand, England and Jamaica chief among them — against one another for medals and national pride, often in front of large, partisan crowds.

The competition has produced some of netball’s most famous moments. At the 2018 Gold Coast Games, England stunned host nation Australia 52–51 thanks to a Helen Housby goal in the dying seconds — the Roses’ first major title. Australia reclaimed gold at Birmingham 2022, defeating Jamaica in the final, with England finishing fourth.

Glasgow 2026 was a deliberately slimmed-down Games of just ten sports, and netball was the only traditional full-team sport retained — a clear sign of its standing within the Commonwealth. After Jamaica upset world number one Australia in the semi-finals, New Zealand’s Silver Ferns beat Jamaica 56–48 in the final to claim gold for the first time in 16 years, with Grace Nweke in attack and goalkeeper Kelly Jackson prominent in the win. Because the Commonwealth brings together almost all of netball’s strongest nations in a single event, it often serves as an early form guide on the road to the next World Cup, which is part of what makes each edition so closely watched across New Zealand and Australia.

Following the women’s netball season

Thanks to broadcast deals and streaming, these tournaments are easier to follow than ever. In New Zealand, Sky Sport carries the Silver Ferns, the ANZ Premiership and major internationals, with free highlights widely shared; in Australia, Super Netball is shown through Foxtel and Kayo. World Netball also streams selected international events, so the World Cup, Fast5 and Commonwealth fixtures are generally accessible to fans wherever they are.

The growth of the women’s game has been matched by rising interest in netball betting markets, which in New Zealand are offered only through the licensed TAB. Fans who choose to bet sometimes compare operators and markets first — comparison and review sites such as time2play set out the options for New Zealand users. Betting carries real financial risk and should only ever be treated as entertainment, never as a way to make money or a measure of how much you support a team.

Responsible gambling

This article is for general information only and is not betting or financial advice. Sports betting in New Zealand is legal only through the TAB and is restricted to adults aged 18 and over. No strategy, tip or statistic can guarantee a winning bet, and the odds always favour the operator over time. If gambling is affecting you or someone you know, free and confidential help is available from the Gambling Helpline New Zealand on 0800 654 655, and support and self-help tools can be found through Choice Not Chance. Set a budget before you start, never chase losses and take regular breaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often is the Netball World Cup held?

The Netball World Cup takes place every four years and is organised by World Netball. The most recent tournament was held in Cape Town in 2023 and won by Australia, and the next will be staged in Sydney in 2027.

What is the difference between Super Netball and the ANZ Premiership?

Both are elite club leagues that began in 2017, but Super Netball is Australia’s eight-team competition while the ANZ Premiership is New Zealand’s six-team league. Many of the same international players appear across both, and together they form the main professional pathways in the region.

Is netball still part of the Commonwealth Games?

Yes. Netball was retained for the slimmed-down Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games as the only traditional full-team sport on a ten-sport programme. New Zealand’s Silver Ferns won the gold medal, beating Jamaica in the final.

What is Fast5 netball?

Fast5 is a shortened version of netball with five players per side, four six-minute quarters and a one-to-three-point scoring system, plus a ‘power play’ quarter in which a team’s goals are doubled. It is played each year at the Fast5 Netball World Series between the world’s leading nations.

Which country has won the most women’s netball titles?

Australia is the most successful nation in international netball, having won more Netball World Cup titles than any other country, with New Zealand’s Silver Ferns the next most decorated. The two nations have dominated the top of the sport for decades.