World Netball Rankings Explained

The World Netball Rankings are a ranking system for national netball teams. They were originally known as the IFNA World Rankings and previously known as the INF World Rankings. They are published by World Netball. They were first introduced in February 2008 and have been developed and maintained by the cricket statistician, David Kendix.[1] [2] [3] Australia and New Zealand have dominated the World Netball Rankings. Between 2008 and 2018 they were the only two teams to have ever held the number one and/or number two places. In July 2018, England became the first team to break their dominance when they were ranked number two.[3] [4] [5] [6] In July 2019, Jamaica were ranked number two for the first time.[3] [7]

History

Australia

Australia is regularly ranked number one in the World Netball Rankings. They have never dropped below number two.[3] [8]

New Zealand

New Zealand is regularly ranked number two in the World Netball Rankings. In January 2011, after winning the 2010 Commonwealth Games tournament, they replaced Australia at the top of the rankings for the first time. In 2013 they were again ranked number one.[3] [9] After finishing fourth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, New Zealand dropped, for the first time in their history, to third.[10] In July 2019, they dropped to fourth.[3] [7] However, after winning the 2019 Netball World Cup, they moved back up to second.[11]

England

Between 2008 and 2018, England was regularly ranked number three in the World Netball Rankings.[3] In May 2018, after winning gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, they initially remained at number three.[12] However in July 2018, they moved up to number two. This saw England became the first team to be ranked in the top two apart from Australia and New Zealand.[4] [5] [6] After finishing as runners up at the 2019 Netball Quad Series and defeating both Australia and New Zealand, England returned to the number two position.[13] In October 2024, England were ranked number two for a third time after defeating Australia in Australia during their 2024 series and then winning the 2024 Taini Jamison Trophy Series.[14] [15]

Jamaica

Between 2008 and 2018, Jamaica was regularly ranked number four in the World Netball Rankings.[3] However, in July 2019, they were ranked number two for the first time.[7] During the early 2020s they have regularly challenged England for the number three position.[16] [17]

Wales

Between 2008 and 2024, Wales averaged 9th in the World Netball Rankings.[3] In September 2017, they were listed 7th.[18] In March 2022, they qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games after being ranked 8th.[19] In March 2025 they were listed 6th for the first time.[3] [20] [21]

Qualification

Fast5 Netball World Series

The top six teams, based on the World Netball Rankings, are invited to play in the Fast5 Netball World Series.[22]

Commonwealth Games

Teams qualified for the 2018, 2022 and 2026 Commonwealth Games based on their World Netball Rankings.[23] [24] [25]

Netball World Cup

The top six ranked teams qualified automatically for the 2019[4] [5] [6] and 2023 Netball World Cups.[26] [27] [28]

Calculation

All test matches played by a team in the last four years, including matches in the Netball World Cup and Netball at the Commonwealth Games, are considered in the calculation. The ranking of teams is determined by comparing teams' ratings, which is the average points earned per match in the last four years.[29]

Points per match

Teams earn points for each match, with the specific amount determined based on the outcome of the match (win or loss) and the rating of their opponents.[29]

A team's rating always increases following a victory and decreases after a loss. However, winning against a higher-ranked team increases a team's rating more and losing against a lower-ranked team decreases a team's rating more.

Weighting

In the calculation of a team's rating, the points earned for each game are weighted based on the time the match was played.[29]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New World Ranking System for Netball. www.scoop.co.nz. 11 December 2023. 12 February 2008.
  2. Web site: World Rankings Hub – Overview. World Netball. 30 July 2025.
  3. Web site: World Rankings – History of Annual Updates 2008–2025. World Netball. 1 March 2025. 30 July 2025.
  4. Web site: England Netball: Commonwealth champions second in world for first time since rankings began. www.bbc.com. 23 December 2023. 2 July 2018.
  5. Web site: England Roses up to second in INF World Rankings. www.englandnetball.co.uk. 2 July 2018. 30 July 2025.
  6. Web site: England up to second in world rankings as automatic qualifiers for Netball World Cup 2019 are confirmed. www.skysports.com. 2 July 2018. 3 August 2025.
  7. Web site: Jamaica overtake England in latest International Netball Federation Rankings. www.skysports.com. 3 July 2019. 30 July 2025.
  8. Web site: Diamonds retain World Number One ranking. netball.com.au. 31 July 2025. 5 March 2024.
  9. Web site: Netball: Silver Ferns now world No. 1. www.nzherald.co.nz. 24 January 2011. 30 July 2025.
  10. Web site: Silver Ferns reclaim world number two ranking. www.silverferns.co.nz. 14 December 2018. 30 July 2025.
  11. Web site: Silver Ferns lift to second in world rankings. www.silverferns.co.nz. 4 September 2019. 30 July 2025.
  12. Web site: England Netball: Commonwealth Games gold medallists remain third in world rankings. www.bbc.com. 31 July 2025. 16 May 2018.
  13. Web site: Vitality Roses back up to second in INF World Rankings. www.englandnetball.co.uk. January 2019. 30 July 2025.
  14. Web site: Vitality Roses move up to second in World Netball World Rankings. www.englandnetball.co.uk. October 2024. 30 July 2025.
  15. Web site: Silver Ferns drop to third in world netball rankings. www.rnz.co.nz. 18 October 2024. 3 August 2025.
  16. Web site: Sunshine Girls Rise to Third in World Netball Rankings, England Drop to Fourth. sportsmax.tv. https://web.archive.org/web/20241227175335/https://sportsmax.tv/other-sports/netball/sunshine-girls-rise-to-third-in-world-netball-rankings-england-drop-to-fourth. 27 December 2024. 19 December 2024. 4 August 2025.
  17. Web site: Sunshine Girls strengthen hold on third in latest World Netball Rankings. sportsmax.tv. https://web.archive.org/web/20250323102624/https://sportsmax.tv/other-sports/netball/sunshine-girls-strengthen-hold-on-third-in-latest-world-netball-rankings. 23 March 2025. 6 March 2025. 4 August 2025.
  18. Web site: Wales rises to highest ever place in INF World Rankings. walesnetball.com. 29 September 2017. 26 September 2025.
  19. Web site: Wales Among Final 6 to Qualify for Commonwealth Games. walesnetball.com. 4 March 2022. 26 September 2025.
  20. Web site: Welsh Feathers Break into World Netball's Top Six for the First Time. walesnetball.com. 6 March 2025. 28 September 2025.
  21. Web site: Sixth in world is 'incredible' for Welsh Feathers. www.bbc.co.uk. 6 March 2025. 28 September 2025.
  22. Web site: Christchurch to stage return of international FAST5 netball. fast5netball.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20221205021512/https://fast5netball.com/fast5/news/christchurch-to-stage-return-of-international-fast5-netball.html. 7 February 2025. 10 October 2022. 5 December 2022.
  23. News: Commonwealth Games: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland secure places . www.skysports.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20220304214625/https://www.skysports.com/netball/news/12415/12557267/commonwealth-games-scotland-wales-and-northern-ireland-secure-places. 4 March 2022. 4 March 2022. 5 March 2022.
  24. Web site: Women Netball Commonwealth Games Golden Goast, Australia 2018. www.todor66.com. 5 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200112170328/http://www.todor66.com/others/Netball/Commonwealth/Women_2018.html. 12 January 2020.
  25. Web site: World’s Top 12 Nations Confirmed for Netball at Glasgow 2026. World Netball. 6 November 2025. 19 December 2025.
  26. Web site: Latest World Rankings. www.oceanianetball.com. 15 August 2022. 30 July 2025.
  27. Web site: England's Vitality Roses invited to compete at Netball World Cup but drop ranking place. www.skysports.com. 15 August 2022. 30 July 2025.
  28. Web site: England Netball: Roses drop to fourth in world rankings. www.bbc.co.uk. 15 August 2022. 30 July 2025.
  29. Web site: World Rankings Hub – Frequently Asked Questions. World Netball. 23 December 2023.

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