The world’s top 12 netball nations are set to go head to head next summer at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in one of the most-anticipated events of the schedule.

The 23rd edition of the Games is expected to welcome 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories between July 23 and August 2, 2026.

With 215 gold medals up for grabs over 10 days and 133 sessions of sport, including more than 50 medal sessions, the city is set to come alive with exhilarating competition and unforgettable moments of sporting drama.

The netball competition will take place from Saturday, July 25 to Sunday, August 2 in the iconic Hydro, promising 38 matches in an electric atmosphere over nine days of incredible sport.

Glasgow 2026 is to feature the top 12 nations in the world, as determined by the World Netball Rankings on September 1, 2025, ensuring a high-calibre and fiercely competitive event.

The confirmed nations are Australia, England, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, and Wales.

Netball officially joined the Commonwealth Games programme in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur following its début as a demonstration sport in Auckland in 1990. Since then, it has become one of the most-anticipated team sports at the Games.

The Australian Diamonds — reigning Commonwealth and Netball World Cup champions — are to return to defend their title after a thrilling 55–51 victory over Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls in the Birmingham 2022 final.

As the most successful nation in Commonwealth Games Netball history, the Diamonds have claimed four gold medals and appeared in seven finals, firmly establishing their dominance on the international stage and one of the must-see teams in the tournament.

New Zealand’s gold medal win over Australia in 2010 remains one of the most legendary matches in Commonwealth Games history. The final stretched to an extraordinary 84 minutes and was decided in double extra time.

Eight years later, the Gold Coast 2018 final delivered another unforgettable moment, as the England Roses stunned the netball world by defeating Australia 52–51 with what became an iconic last-second goal. That dramatic victory not only marked England as the third-nation ever to win Commonwealth Netball gold, but also inspired a new generation of players and fans across the United Kingdom and beyond.

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls have consistently challenged the sport’s traditional powerhouses of Australia and New Zealand, having claimed three bronze medals in Manchester 2002, Glasgow 2014, and Gold Coast 2018, and narrowly missing out on a podium finish in 2006 after losing 52-53 to England in a dramatic bronze medal match.

Jamaica’s breakthrough came in 2022 when they reached the final for the first time.

Malawi impressed with fifth-place finishes in both Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014, and stunned at Gold Coast 2018 by defeating then-world number two, New Zealand, 57-53.

South Africa has been a consistent presence since netball became an official Games sport in 1998, with their best result coming in the inaugural tournament, where they finished fourth.

Uganda, debuting in the Gold Coast in 2018, climbed to a best-ever fifth place at Birmingham 2022 after a memorable win over South Africa in the classification match.

Tonga will make a historic début at Glasgow 2026, marking a major milestone for the Pacific nation. The Tonga Tala have since surged in the World Netball Rankings, reaching seventh in 2023 and now sitting ninth.

Trinidad and Tobago, known as the Calypso Girls, achieved their best Commonwealth finish with eighth place in 2010 and remain the only team outside Australia and New Zealand to have won a Netball World Cup, sharing the title in 1979.

All four UK home nations — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — are once again set to take to the Commonwealth Games court, continuing the legacy they began at Glasgow 2014. Then they made Games history by competing together for the first time. Their collective presence will ensure that the Hydro atmosphere is electric with thousands of fans set to travel to Glasgow from all four corners of the UK.

Australia Diamonds Captain Liz Watson is looking forward to Glasgow 2026.

“The Commonwealth Games are always really special for us. It’s such a privilege to wear the green and gold, and every Games has its own uniqueness. The feeling of winning gold in 2022 is unforgettable and we can’t wait to get to Glasgow to continue Australia’s legacy,” she said.

Natalie Cunningham, director of sport for Glasgow 2026, said: “To welcome the world’s top netball nations to Glasgow is a proud moment for the Games and for the sport. Netball is one of the must-see sports at any Commonwealth Games and has provided so many iconic and incredible sporting moments and memories. The atmosphere at netball competitions is always second to none, and we are really looking forward to welcoming the world’s best to the Hydro on 25 July next year.”

President of Netball Jamaica Karen Baugh added: “Jamaica has an exciting history of Commonwealth Games success and the Sunshine Girls are looking forward to continuing this legacy in 2026. We are happy that Glasgow stepped up to the plate to host the games and that netball has been included.”

Jamaica’s Latanya Wilson (left) and Te Paea Selby-Rickit of New Zealand vie for possession of the ball in the netball semi-final match during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on August 6, 2022. Photo: Naphtali Junior

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls celebrate after their semi-final win over New Zealand during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on August 6, 2022. Photo: Observer file

Jamaica’s Jodi -Ann Ward (left) battles New Zealand’s Whitney Souness in the netball semi-final match during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on August 6, 2022. Photo: Naphtali Junior

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls celebrate during competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Photo: Observer file

ROSEN BAUGH… Jamaica has an exciting history of Commonwealth Games success and the Sunshine Girls are looking forward to continuing this legacy in 2026 Photo: Collin Reid