World Netball (WN) is pleased to announce that the format of the Netball World Cup 2027 (NWC2027), taking place from the 25th August to the 5th September 2027 in Sydney (Australia), is changing, including the introduction of Cup and Plate competitions.
In response to Member feedback from NWC2023 and consultations with key stakeholders, including broadcasters and sponsors, WN has been working closely with the NWC2027 Local Organising Committee to develop a tournament format and schedule that increases equity across all teams, operational excellence and commercial success, whilst keeping athlete welfare and fan experience at the heart of decision making.
The introduction of a Plate competition will enhance competitiveness, engagement and storytelling opportunities for the full duration of the tournament across all key stakeholder groups – players, fans, content partners and sponsors.
Further changes include all matches being played in one venue giving all players an equal opportunity to play in the biggest and best venue, whilst also elevating the fan experience, broadcast production and event presentation.
With player welfare at the forefront of decision making, the competition will also take place over 12 days, with equitable recovery time between matches for all teams.
Speaking on the changes, World Netball CEO, Fiona Harold said: “At World Netball we are currently reviewing everything we do and need to make bold decisions to sustain the game in the immediate term and have a material impact on growth in the long term.
“This is a first step in making change as we look to maximise our pinnacle event.
“It’s crucial that we adapt and evolve our products in today’s challenging and competitive commercial market, whilst at the same time protecting our athletes and their welfare in what is an increasingly demanding annual schedule.
“I am excited to continue sharing our plans over the coming weeks and months, and we look forward to taking everyone on this journey with us as we look to build a strong future for the game, particularly at a time when the future of the Commonwealth Games is going through a reset period and as we continue to consider our approach to securing Olympic Games inclusion.”
The qualification process for the NWC2027 will remain the same for this event, with the top five in the WN World Rankings as of 1st December 2025, plus the host (Australia), qualifying to be invited to compete at the event.
Five Regional Qualifiers will take place, between 1st January – 30th September 2026, to determine the remaining 10 teams, with the top two from each qualifier invited to compete in the NWC2027.
More information on the seeding process, pools and phases of the competition, along with competition branding will be announced in due course.
The evolved NWC2027 format and schedule also demonstrates that WN is responding to the dynamic environment we operate within. Adaptations for this tournament include:
1. TheintroductionofCupandPlatecompetitions
2. Allmatcheswillbeplayedinonevenueononecourt
3. A12-daycompetitionwithequitablerecoverytimebetweenmatches.
Full details of all changes are outlined below.
Qualification
Qualification for the NWC2027 will remain as it is currently, with the top five in the WN World Rankings as of 1st December 2025, plus the host country (Australia), qualifying to be invited to compete at the event.
Five Regional Qualifiers will take place to determine the remaining 10 teams, with the top two from each qualifier invited to compete in NWC2027.
Regional Qualifiers must be played between 1st January – 30th September 2026.
Format and Schedule
Please see below for more details on the changes to the NWC2027 format.
1. TheVenue
All matches at the NWC2027 will be played at one venue, on one court. This will allow for enhanced broadcast production, event presentation and fan experience to occur, whilst also giving all players an equal opportunity to play in the same venue.
Matches will be played in sessions of between two and four matches per session, with the total number of matches increasing from 60 to 64.
2. SeedingProcess
The initial seeding process will remain the same, with seeding determined by all the qualified teams’ WN World Ranking position as of 1st December 2026.
However, when placing teams into their initial pools, equitable seeding distribution of the top eight seeds will be applied, as opposed to advantage seeding. This means that the top eight will be allocated as follows based on their WN World Rankings as of the 1st December 2026: Pool A – 1st and 5th, Pool B – 2nd and 6th, Pool C-3rd and7th,andPoolD-4th and8th.
The teams seeded 9-12 and 13-16 will be drawn randomly to complete the four teams in each pool.
The change to equitable seeding will promote closely contested matches in initial pool play, while providing more opportunities for lower ranked teams to improve from their initial seeding and lift their overall final placing.
3. ThePoolStage(Phaseone)
Not much is changing in the initial pool stages, with each team playing three matches during this first phase.
One change is that as teams move forward, there will no longer be any results carried into the next phase of the competition.
4. TheCupandPlate(Phasestwo&three)
The teams that finish first and second from each pool in phase one will qualify to compete for the Cup, whilst third and fourth in each pool will qualify to compete for the Plate.
In each competition, during phase two, two new pools of four teams – one from each initial pool – will play in another round robin format, with each team playing three matches.
Following on from this, for both the Cup and Plate, in the third and final phase of the competition, each team will have their own respective cross-over semi-final, followed by a final placing or classification match. During this phase all matches will play to a result, with no drawn games permitted.
All teams will finish the competition with a final position from 1 to 16. The team winning the Cup will be 1, whilst the team in placing 9, will win the Plate.
This format is simpler to understand and explain, and the introduction of a Plate competition will enhance competitiveness, engagement and storytelling opportunities for the full duration of the tournament across all key stakeholder groups – players, fans, content partners, sponsors etc.
5. Restandrecoverytime
During phases one and two, all teams will have two non-playing days.
No team will play more than four consecutive matches, across the competition allowing for increased rest and recovery time. All teams will play 8 matches during the tournament.
Summary
WN looks forward to continued collaboration with the NWC2027 LOC and Netball Australia to deliver an unforgettable experience in 2027.
Further information on the Regional Qualifiers including an updated Event Manual will be shared in the coming months.
WN will continue to review its approach to the NWC format and scheduling for future events beyond NWC2027.
