Rachael Kaphaizi

The Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) has written Africa Netball and World Netball seeking clarification over changes to the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 qualification format during the on-going Africa Netball Cup in Nairobi, Kenya.

The development follows a decision to cancel the Africa Netball Cup semi-final between Malawi Queens and South Africa which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Under the revised fixtures South Africa and Uganda will proceed directly to the Africa Netball Cup final while Malawi will face Zimbabwe in a World Cup qualification playoff on Friday.

NAM, in a press release dated 24 September 2026, said the changes represent a significant departure from the competition structure under which participating teams entered the tournament.

The association said it entered the competition based on World Netball’s published qualification criteria, which stated that the top two teams at the conclusion of the Africa Regional Qualifier would receive World Cup invitations, with the next eligible teams benefiting where already qualified nations occupied qualifying positions.

NAM said its concern is not about Malawi’s qualification status but about the integrity, transparency and consistent application of the qualification rules.

“On 21 July 2026, Africa Netball advised Malawi that a meeting would be convened to discuss the proposed qualification arrangement and seek the views of participating countries.

“To the best of our knowledge, that meeting did not take place, and Member Associations waited to be engaged till the 18th of September 2024 where it was formally raised. We were therefore not given an opportunity to formally consider or adopt the proposed changes before the competition started.

“While the concerns were raised before the tournament, AN has unfortunately not provided a clear direction until the night of 23rd September, completely disregarding both the WN Rules and its own fixture,” reads part of the statement.

NAM has also requested confirmation on whether participating member associations were formally consulted and whether qualification earned under the published World Netball criteria will be recognised without an additional qualification fixture.

The association said it remains committed to the development of netball in Africa and to ensuring a fair, transparent and credible Africa Netball Cup.