World Netball Rankings

The World Netball Rankings are published by the World Netball to make it possible to compare the relative strengths of internationally active national netball teams. Initially, rankings were based on the results from the World Netball Championships, and released after the conclusion of each event, every four years. ^[1] A new ranking system was implemented on 11 February 2008, wherein teams are ranked based on international tests played in the last four years. Teams appear on the rankings list once they have played eight international test matches.

Australia and New Zealand have dominated the world rankings in previous years and they are the only two netball nations to have ever held the number one world ranking since its introduction in 2009. In 2018, England became the first team to be ranked in the top two outside of Australia and New Zealand, after winning gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. ^[2]

World rankings

World Netball Rankings (Top 20) As of 26 November 2024 [3]
Rank	Change	Team	Rating
1		Australia	204
2	1	New Zealand	192
3	1	Jamaica	189
4	2	England	188
5		South Africa	160
6		Uganda	128
7		Malawi	125
8		Tonga	124
9		Wales	121
10		Scotland	104
11	1	Trinidad and Tobago	92
12	1	Northern Ireland	92
13		Zimbabwe	83
14		Fiji	79
15		Zambia	76
16		Barbados	75
17		Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	73
18		Samoa	69
19		Namibia	62
20		Grenada	60

Calculation

All test matches played by a team in the last four years, including matches in the Netball World Cup and 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. ^[4]

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. ^[4]

• In matches between teams within 40 rating points of each other, winning a game earns a team 50 more points than their opponent's current rating, while losing a match earns a team 50 points less than their opponent's current rating.
• In matches between teams more than 40 rating points apart, an exception is applied where the rating of a team's opponent is treated as if it is exactly 40 points apart for the purpose of the calculation. That is, higher-rated team would have their opponent possess a rating of 40 points less than them, while the lower-rated team would have their opponent possess a rating of 40 above them.

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. ^[4]

• Matches played in the two most recent years before the time of calculation are weighted at 100%.
• Matches played three to four years before the time of calculation are weighted at 50%.

Notes and references

1. "New World Ranking System for Netball". Scoop . 12 February 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
2. "England Netball: Commonwealth champions second in world for first time since rankings began". BBC Sport . 2 July 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
3. "Current World Rankings". netball.sport. World Netball (WN). Retrieved 20 December 2024.
4. "Frequently Asked Questions". netball.sport. World Netball . Retrieved 23 December 2023.