JOHANNESBURG – South Africa was on Thursday announced as the hosts for the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town.
The 16-team World Cup will be held over 10 days and will feature 60 matches.
It is a historic first for the sport and the country with the tournament coming to South Africa and Africa for the first time.
South Africa beat four-time world champions New Zealand for the hosting rights for the quadrennial showpiece.
South Africa is the first country to have hosted the Soccer World Cup, the Cricket World Cup and the Rugby World Cup and will now add the netball showpiece to the list.
📢 @Netball_SA have today been announced as hosts for the Netball World Cup 2023 🏆👏🎉🎉🎉
The event will be held in Cape Town, South Africa🇿🇦
For more information see here ⬇️ https://t.co/LW3rVaxYBR pic.twitter.com/FoV3vqAiB4
— INF (@IntNetball) March 7, 2019
The two countries made bid presentations in Singapore late last year where the International Netball Federation (INF) effectively had to decide to bring the World Cup to Africa for the first time or award it to the Kiwis for the fourth time.
Although New Zealand has hosted three previous Netball World Cup tournaments, 2023 is the centenary year of netball in that country.
The tournament is expected to attract 120 000 visitors to Cape Town for the tournament which is projected to inject in excess of R2.5 billion to the country's economy.
It’s official! The WORLD will be coming to #Mzansi #CapeTown in 2023! #HandsUp2023 #NWC2023 #WeAreAllIn pic.twitter.com/MDnwX43NmK
— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) March 7, 2019
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