The Top Ranking Nations Of The INF Netball World Cup

The International Netball Federation (INF) has been organizing the INF World Netball Championship every four years since 1963. The event arose out of a 1960 meeting among representatives from the West Indies, England, Australia, South Africa, and Australia. Formal rules were agreed to at this initial meeting as well. The inaugural World Netball Championship was organized in England in 1963, and 13 more tournaments have unfolded since then. Australia and New Zealand have established dominance in the sport.

Australia

Australia has emerged as the winner in eleven of the netball tournaments to earn respect as the most successful of the netball teams that participate in international netball. The nation is represented by the Australia National Netball Team which also goes by the name Australian Netball Diamonds. The team was established in 1938, and it beat New Zealand 40 - 11 in the first international netball game. The team's largest win was in the 1991 netball championships hosted in Sydney where it beat Singapore 113 to 12. Players for the Diamonds are normally chosen from the country's ANZ Championship franchises.

New Zealand

New Zealand emerged as the winner in 1967, 1979, 1987, and 2003. The country has been in second place eight times. The country's national netball team is mostly known by the name Silver Ferns which is inspired by the Silver Tree Fern, an iconic emblem for multiple New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns first came together in 1938 as a representative team for New Zealand to tour across Australia. The team regularly engages teams from Jamaica, England, and Australia, and it is ranked 2nd in the IFNA World Rankings.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago earned the title in 1979 and was 2nd place in 1987 and 3rd place in 1983. The country is represented by the Calypso Girls team which played its first international netball tournament in 1963. The team was particularly dominant in international netball in the mid-1970s to the 1980s, but it has since become less competitive. The Calypso Girls is now ranked 9th in the INF Rankings.

England

England is yet to win the INF Netball title, but it was in 2nd place in 1975 and 3rd place five times. The country’s national netball team was ranked in third place in the INF World Rankings 2016, when the international season came to an end. The team, commonly called the Roses, has participated in every international netball tournaments since they were inaugurated in 1963. The team recently participated in the Australian-held 2015 Netball World Cup where they emerged third.

Upcoming Countries in International Netball

The two Commonwealth nations of Jamaica and South Africa are also a notable force in international netball.

South Africa is ranked in 5th place in the INF World Rankings, and its national team is nicknamed the SPAR Proteas. The team's sponsorship comes from SPAR while Netball South Africa are the managers.

Jamaica is represented by its national netball team nicknamed the Sunshine Girls. Netball in Jamaica attracts the majority of the nation's schools. Jamaica's team earned 3rd place in 1991, 2003, and 2007.