Netball World Cup's big changes

The countdown to the 2027 Netball World Cup is well and truly on. 
 
World Netball dropped the news of some format changes that will shake things up a bit. 

We’ve unpacked all of the changes. 
 
Why will all games be played in one venue on one court? 
 
The move will level up broadcast, boost the fan experience, and improve the overall event presentation. 

Plus, it means every player gets the chance to compete on the main stage. 

How many matches will be played? 
 
The total number of matches is increasing from 60 to 64. 
 
Games will be played in sessions across the tournament, with two to four matches in each session. 

How will teams be seeded? 
 
The process begins the same way; teams will be seeded based on their World Netball ranking as of December 1 2026. 

But there will be a shake up when teams are placed into pools for Phase One. 

The top eight will be spread out more evenly to keep the tournament equitable and competitive. 

Here’s how the top seeds will line up: 

Pool A: 1st and 5th 

Pool B: 2nd and 6th 

Pool C: 3rd and 7th 

Pool D: 4th and 8th 

The teams ranked 9–12 and 13–16 will be drawn at random to round out the pools. 
 
This will make Phase One even more exciting, with tighter matches and more chances for lower ranked teams to improve their overall final placing. 

What happens in Phase One? 
 
Phase One is staying pretty much the same. 
 
There’ll be four pools, with four teams in each, and every team plays three matches against the others in their pool. 

The only change is that once teams move into Phases Two and Three, they’ll start fresh. 

No results will be carried over meaning it’s a clean slate. 
 
Where does the Cup and Plate come in? 
 
Phase Two and Three, are where the changes really come into play. 
 
After Phase One, the top two teams from each pool move on to fight it out for the Cup, while the teams in third and fourth will battle it out for the Plate. 

In Phase Two, both the Cup and Plate comps get split into two new pools of four (one from each initial pool). It’s another round robin with three games each.  

Then comes Phase Three, each team will have a crossover semi-final followed by final placing or classification games to lock in where everyone finishes. 

There will be no draws throughout Phase Three. 
 
At the end of it, teams will be ranked from 1 to 16. 

The Netball World Cup champs? That’s the team who finishes first. 

And the Plate winner? They’ll be the team that takes out ninth place overall. 

Why is the competition longer? 
 
Extending the comp to 12 days is all about giving every team equitable recovery time with player wellbeing being the top priority in making the call.