History of the Netball World Cup
The history of the Netball World Cup: its 1963 origins in Eastbourne, how it grew, and its place in international netball today.
The Netball World Cup is the sport's flagship international tournament, held every four years since its founding was agreed in 1960.
Founding the tournament
In 1960, representatives met in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), to establish an international governing body for the sport — originally named the International Federation of Women's Basketball and Netball Associations, and known today as World Netball. As part of that founding meeting, it was agreed that a World Netball Tournament would be held every four years.
The first tournament: Eastbourne, 1963
The inaugural World Netball Tournament was held outdoors at Chelsea College of Physical Education in Eastbourne, England, from 2 to 14 August 1963. Eleven national teams took part in a round-robin format, each playing ten matches. Australia won every one of their matches and are recognised as the inaugural champions, with New Zealand finishing second and hosts England third.
Growth since 1963
Held every four years since, the tournament has grown considerably in scale and competitiveness, expanding to more participating nations and professionalising alongside the sport more broadly. It has been known by several names over the decades, including the World Netball Championships, before settling on its current name, the Netball World Cup.
Australia and New Zealand's early dominance
The tournament's early decades were dominated by Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the strength of domestic competition structures in both countries — a rivalry that remains one of the most significant in international netball today.
Beyond the World Cup
Netball later expanded into other major multi-sport events, joining the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games — see history of netball for the broader story of the sport's international growth.
Source
Tournament details are drawn from published netball history archives, including World Netball's event history and Our Netball History. See our sources page for more, and our competitions section for current tournament format information separate from historical results.