For the first time ever at a Netball World Cup, there will be two prizes on offer next year in Sydney.
At the start of the tournament, all 16 nations begin in the pool stage, but the path they take next depends on where they finish after day 4. The Cup will crown the World Champions, while the Plate gives teams another title to chase and fans more chances to support their country.
One court, 12 days of excitement, 64 matches!
Watch the quick explainer below:
WHAT DOES CUP AND PLATE MEAN?
The Cup is the top-tier prize awarded to the World Champions.
The Plate is awarded to the ninth placegetter at the end of the tournament.
CUP VS PLATE AT A GLANCE
The Cup is the top-tier prize awarded to the World Champions.
The Plate decided places nine to 16 and awards a separate title to the ninth-place winner.
Bonus matches! All teams keep competing after the pool stage.
WHO COMPETES FOR WHAT?
Your country has qualified for Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 – so what happens next?
Every nation plays in the pool stage, which consists of four pools with four teams in each.
The top two teams from each pool will go through to the Cup competition to battle it out for the World Championship crown.
The teams placed third and fourth in each group after the pool stage will go through to the Plate competition – this will determine the spots on the ladder from nine to 16, with the ninth placegetter at the end of the tournament victorious.
WHY HAVE TWO COMPETITIONS?
Having two competitions within the NWC2027 means more netball and more opportunity for fans to see their team compete against global opposition in Sydney.
The Cup pathway will see the top-ranked teams battle it out to be crowned World Champions.
The Plate pathway gives teams who would have previously finish the tournament early a new opportunity to compete on the global stage for a title and means their fans can continue watching them throughout the tournament.
More competition, more matches, more netball!
THE DIFFERENT STAGES:
So your favourite country has been invited to compete in the World Cup and is ready for glory! What happens next?
POOL STAGE – DAYS 1-4
It all starts with four pools, consisting of four teams each. Each team will play the other teams in their pool once.
Based on those games, the top two teams in each pool move on to the Cup competition, while the third and fourth placed teams move to the Plate competition.
Once the pool stage is over, no results are carried over into either the Cup or Plate competition - meaning each team goes into the qualifying stage with a clean slate.
Game on!
QUALIFYING STAGE – DAYS 5-8
Things really start heating up with a spot in a semi-final on offer. In both the Cup and Plate competitions, there will be two new groups consisting of four teams.
Each nation plays the three team in their group once.
The top two teams from each group make it through to the semis. The bottom two in each group will then playoff for their finishing place in the classification matches.
FINALS – DAYS 9-12
The business end of the tournament!
Every team now plays two final games to determine their final placing in either the Cup or Plate competition.
Nations ranked first or second in their Cup group will go straight into the semi-finals. The winners then head to the big one – the Gold Medal match – while the defeated teams will play for the Bronze Medal.
For those in the Plate competition, the first and second ranked nations in their pools also play in a semi-final, with the winners to fight it out for the Plate.
For all other teams, these finals matches will determine their position on the ladder at the end of the competition.
A reminder – the ninth placegetter at the end of the tournament is the Plate winner – while the winner of the Gold Medal match gets the ultimate honour – the winner of the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027!
BOOK YOUR TICKETS
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View more information about tickets and passes on Ticketek.
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