By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi’s First Lady, Gertrude Mutharika, has congratulated the Malawi National Netball Team, the Queens, after the team secured qualification for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
In a message posted on her official Facebook page and seen by MaraviPost, Mutharika expressed excitement over the Queens’ achievement, describing the qualification as another demonstration of what Malawi can accomplish through passion, dedication and commitment.
“Hearty congratulations to the Malawi National Netball team -the Queens, for qualifying for the 2027 World Cup games in Sydney, Australia,” Mutharika wrote.
She said the achievement should inspire Malawians, noting that the Queens’ qualification comes barely a month after the Malawi Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, also secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“This qualification reminds us all that with passion, dedication, and commitment, we can achieve anything on the world stage as a nation,” she said.
Mutharika added: “There could be no better time for me to be a proud mother than this moment.”
She has since urged the country to turn its attention towards preparations for the tournament in Sydney.
“Now that qualifiers are over, let’s shift our focus to preparing for the Sydney tournament,” she said.
Queens seal Sydney ticket in Nairobi
The Queens secured their place at the 2027 World Cup through the Africa Netball Cup and World Cup qualifying competition held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The tournament, staged at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, from September 19 to 26, brought together 10 African nations, with the women’s competition also serving as the continent’s qualification pathway for the Sydney World Cup.
Malawi opened its campaign strongly, defeating Zambia 72-38 before beating hosts Kenya 55-47. The Queens then lost 49-54 to Uganda in their final pool match but finished second in Pool 2 to reach the semi-finals.
World Netball and Africa Netball subsequently confirmed that Malawi and Namibia had qualified to be invited to the 2027 Netball World Cup after progressing to the semi-finals.
The qualification was possible because South Africa and Uganda had already secured World Cup places through their World Netball rankings as of December 1, 2025. With those two teams already qualified, Malawi and Namibia’s progression to the semi-finals earned them invitations to Sydney.
The semi-final line-up has Malawi facing South Africa, while Uganda takes on Namibia.
Eighth World Cup appearance
The Sydney qualification continues the Queens’ long-standing presence on the international stage.
Malawi made its World Cup debut in 1995 in Birmingham, England, where the team finished eighth. The Queens subsequently competed at the 1999 World Cup in Christchurch, finishing 11th.
After missing the 2003 tournament, Malawi returned in 2007 and recorded its best-ever World Cup finish, placing fifth in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Queens went on to finish sixth at the 2011 World Cup in Singapore, sixth again at the 2015 tournament in Sydney, and sixth at the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool.
At the most recent World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2023, Malawi finished seventh.
The 2027 edition in Sydney will therefore mark the Queens’ eighth appearance at the Netball World Cup and their return to Australia, where they finished sixth in 2015.
With qualification now secured, attention shifts towards preparations for Sydney as Malawi seeks to build on its strong history of competing among the world’s leading netball nations.
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