England to host South Africa in three-Test netball series ahead of World Cup

England's women's netball team, the Vitality Roses, will play a three-Test series against South Africa in February as part of their preparation for the 2027 Netball World Cup. The tournament will take place in Australia in late August and early September. All matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

England are currently third in the world rankings, while South Africa are fifth. The first two games will be played on February 6 and 7 at Wembley Arena in London, and the series will finish on February 10 at Mattioli Arena in Leicester.

Recent meetings

In the final pool game of this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, England beat South Africa 58-54 and reached the semi-finals, with South Africa missing out. In the teams' previous Test series in January 2026, South Africa won 2-1, taking the deciding match 65-50 in Johannesburg.

Before facing South Africa, England will play Jamaica home and away in the autumn. Anna Stembridge was recently appointed permanent England head coach, having served as interim coach after the departure of Jess Thirlby.

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Fran Connolly, chief executive of England Netball, said the series is an important part of the team's preparations for the World Cup and offers a chance to test themselves against world-class nations. She added that the team is looking forward to welcoming South Africa and feeling the support of a home crowd.

Mami Diale, president of Netball South Africa, said playing England allows her side to gauge its readiness for the World Cup. She said facing teams ranked in the top five helps the team measure how far it has come, what needs work and what it is doing well.