Johannesburg – With less than a year to go until the Netball World Cup 2027 (NWC2027) in Sydney, Australia, the Vitality Roses will play world number five South Africa in London and Leicester next year.
Ranked third in World Netball, England will head into this series after taking on Jamaica at home and away in this autumn’s Vitality Netball Horizon Series.
The series completes an international calendar designed to provide opportunities to face multiple other top-ranked nations ahead of the NWC2027.
The opening weekend of the Vitality Netball International Series versus South Africa will be held at Wembley Arena in London on 6 and 7 February 2027.
After that, the series moves to Leicester’s Mattioli Arena for the final test match on 10 February 2027, giving fans across the country the opportunity to show their support for the Vitality Roses.
England’s most recent test series against South Africa in January 2026 saw the SPAR Proteas earn a 2-1 series win, building on an entertaining rivalry between the two countries that often comes to life on the Netball Super League (NSL) stage, with significant numbers of South African athletes playing in the league.
That rivalry continues to grow.
England’s pool-stage win over South Africa at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games not only earned them a place in the semi-finals but also heightened the rivalry.
The South Africans were left smarting after England denied them the opportunity to play for a medal.
In addition to what promises to be a high-intensity clash on court, fans can enjoy events in the arena celebrating England Netball’s 100th birthday, bringing a year of centenary celebrations to a close.
Fran Connolly, Chief Executive Officer at England Netball, said: “This international series against South Africa forms an important part of our preparations ahead of the Netball World Cup in Sydney next summer.
“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.”
Mami Diale, President of Netball South Africa, added: “Playing the Vitality Roses at a time like this is very important for us – this allows us to gauge our state of 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.”
