South Africa and England set for three-match netball series

With less than a year to go until the Netball World Cup 2027 (NWC2027) in Sydney, Australia, England’s Vitality Roses will host the world number five, the SPAR Proteas of South Africa, in London and Leicester early next year.

Currently ranked third in the World Netball rankings, England will enter the series after taking on Jamaica in home and away fixtures in this autumn’s Vitality Netball Horizon Series. This completes an international calendar designed to give England opportunities to face several other top-ranked nations ahead of NWC2027.

The opening weekend of the Vitality Netball International Series against South Africa will take place at Wembley Arena in London on February 6 and 7, before moving to Leicester’s Mattioli Arena for the final test match on February 10.

England’s most recent test series against South Africa, held in Johannesburg in January 2026, saw the SPAR Proteas secure a surprise 2-1 series victory. This added to an entertaining rivalry between the two countries, which often plays out on the Netball Super League (NSL) stage, where significant numbers of South African players compete.

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That rivalry continues to grow. England’s pool-stage victory over South Africa at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games earned the Roses a place in the semi-finals while denying the Proteas a medal opportunity. The next clash between the SPAR Proteas and Vitality Roses promises to be another high-intensity encounter.

Mami Diale, president of Netball South Africa, said playing the Vitality Roses at this stage was important for South Africa, as it would allow the SPAR Proteas to assess their readiness ahead of the 2027 Netball World Cup.

“We have faced England a few times recently and it is always a spectacle. Playing teams that are ranked in the top five is very important because it allows us an opportunity to measure ourselves in terms of how far we are, what we need to work on and what we are doing right,” she said.

Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball, said the international series against South Africa formed an important part of the team’s preparations for the Netball World Cup in Sydney next summer.

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“We now have two opportunities to test ourselves against world-class nations, including fixtures at home and away, that will put us in the best position possible heading into the summer.

“This will be the last opportunity before the Netball World Cup for fans to watch live international netball on home soil, with matches taking place in both London and the Midlands. We’re looking forward to welcoming South Africa and feeling the support of a home crowd behind us as we take them on next year.”