Zimbabwe’s hopes of making a third consecutive Netball World Cup appearance have been ended after World Netball confirmed that Malawi and Namibia had secured the two available African invitations to the 2027 tournament in Sydney.
The decision came after the pool stage of the Africa Netball Cup and World Cup qualifier in Nairobi, leaving the Gems facing a placement match against Kenya instead of the winner-takes-all play-off they had expected to play for a place at the global showpiece.
World Netball and Africa Netball confirmed on Thursday that Malawi and Namibia had qualified to be invited to the Sydney 2027 Netball World Cup. The announcement followed the completion of the pool matches at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani, where the regional tournament is being staged from 19 to 26 September.
The African competition was meant to determine two further World Cup places. South Africa and Uganda, however, had already secured their places through their positions in the World Netball rankings as at 1 December 2025. Their participation in the qualifier therefore had a direct bearing on the teams competing for the remaining invitations.
Under the regulations, the top two teams from each pool advanced to the semi-finals. Once South Africa and Uganda reached that stage, the two other semi-finalists, Malawi and Namibia, became the teams entitled to the available World Cup invitations.
The semi-finals will see South Africa play Malawi, while Uganda face Namibia. Those fixtures replaced the play-offs that Zimbabwe had been preparing to contest. Under the format initially expected by the Gems, Malawi were due to meet Zimbabwe, while Namibia were set to face Kenya, with the winners claiming the final two African tickets.
That prospect gave Zimbabwe’s final pool match added significance. The Gems kept their hopes alive with a commanding 73-28 victory over Tanzania, recovering from a damaging 47-31 defeat by Namibia. The result was Zimbabwe’s biggest score of the tournament and came after an earlier win over Botswana and a loss to already-qualified South Africa.
Zimbabwe finished third in their pool behind South Africa and Namibia. Namibia went through the pool stage unbeaten, while Malawi also completed their group campaign without defeat. With the format later clarified by World Netball, the Gems’ strong finish against Tanzania could no longer put them into a direct qualification contest.
For Zimbabwe, the outcome was especially painful because the team had already turned its attention to the anticipated play-off. Qualification would have taken the Gems to a third successive World Cup after their breakthrough appearance in Liverpool in 2019 and their second showing in Cape Town in 2023.
Zimbabwe made their World Cup debut in Liverpool after qualifying through the African regional competition. They followed that achievement by earning a place at the 2023 tournament in South Africa. In the 2022 African qualifier, the Gems lost to Malawi in the semi-finals but recovered to beat Zambia in the third-place play-off, securing their ticket to Cape Town.
Their progress had established Zimbabwe as one of the leading netball nations on the continent. The failure to reach Sydney therefore represents a significant setback for a side that had hoped to extend its recent presence on the world stage.
Gems coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki said the team had prepared for the opportunity that the earlier interpretation of the competition format appeared to provide.
“We had prepared ourselves to fight for the ticket when the Africa Netball format presented that opportunity,” he said.
“We had planned accordingly and the girls understood what was at stake, so we were ready to redeem ourselves by fighting for the ticket only for us to be disappointed on the 11th hour.
“Our squad this time is very young and we had done much to work on their mental strength because this was more of a cup game so mind games would come into play.
“We had spoken about handling pressure, managing emotions and staying disciplined for 60 minutes but I guess it just was not meant to be.”
The coach must now turn his attention to Kenya, with the two teams scheduled to meet at 10am on Saturday in the fifth- and sixth-place play-off at Kasarani. Kenya also missed out on a World Cup place after finishing behind Malawi in their pool, but the hosts will be keen to close the tournament with a strong performance in front of their supporters.
Mutsauki said Zimbabwe could not allow the disappointment to define the remainder of the campaign, particularly with a young squad still gaining experience at international level.
“We cannot dwell on the disappointment,” he said.
“We have to pick ourselves up and finish strong. The match against Kenya is important for our ranking, for our confidence and for building this young team,” said Mutsauki.
The match will give Zimbabwe another opportunity to test players who are being introduced to the demands of senior international netball. It will also provide the Gems with a chance to finish the tournament on a positive note after the emphatic win over Tanzania restored some confidence.
Mutsauki said the team’s wider development remained important despite the loss of the World Cup opportunity.
“We are already looking beyond the setback . . . the remaining game should help the team lay a foundation for future assignments.”
The Sydney World Cup will be held from 25 August to 5 September 2027 and will feature 16 nations. Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, England, South Africa and Uganda had already been assured of places through the world-ranking route, while the remaining teams are being selected through regional qualifiers.
Malawi and Namibia’s progress means they will join South Africa and Uganda as Africa’s representatives in Sydney. For Zimbabwe, the immediate task is to recover from the abrupt change in circumstances, defeat Kenya and begin rebuilding a side that Mutsauki believes can still have a strong future.
The Gems will leave the qualifier without the World Cup ticket they had expected to fight for, but they will have a final chance to show the value of their young squad when they return to the court on Saturday.