With less than a year to go until the Netball World Cup 2027 (NWC2027) in Sydney, Australia, the England’s Vitality Roses will host world number five the SPAR Proteas of South Africa in London and Leicester early next year.

Currently ranked third in the World Netball world rankings, England will head into this series after taking on Jamaica at home and away in this autumn's Vitality Netball Horizon Series, completing an international calendar designed to provide opportunities to face multiple other top-ranked nations ahead of the NWC2027.

The opening weekend of the Vitality Netball International Series versus South Africa will be held at Wembley Arena in London on 6 and 7 February, before moving to Leicester's Mattioli Arena for the final test match on 10 February 2027.

England’s most recent test series against South Africa in Johannesburg in January 2026 saw the SPAR Proteas earn a shock 2-1 series win, building on an entertaining rivalry between the two countries that often comes to life on the Netball Super League (NSL) stage, with significant numbers of South African athletes playing in the league. That rivalry continues to grow, with England's pool-stage win over South Africa at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games earning them a place in the semi-finals and denying South Africa the opportunity to play for a medal. The SPAR Proteas vs Vitality Roses promises to be a high-intensity clash on court.

Mami Diale, President of Netball South Africa added: "Playing the Vitality Roses at a time like this is very important for us – this allows our SPAR Proteas to gauge their state of readiness ahead of the 2027 Netball World Cup. We have faced England a few times recently and it is always a spectacle. Playing teams that are ranked in the top five is very important because it allows us an opportunity to measure ourselves in terms of how far we are, what we need to work on and what we are doing right."

Fran Connolly, Chief Executive Officer at England Netball said: “This international series against South Africa forms an important part of our preparations ahead of the Netball World Cup in Sydney next summer. We now have two opportunities to test ourselves against world-class nations, including fixtures at home and away, that will put us in the best position possible heading into the summer.

"This will be the last opportunity before the Netball World Cup for fans to watch live international netball on home soil, with matches taking place in both London and the Midlands. We're looking forward to welcoming South Africa and feeling the support of a home crowd behind us as we take them on next year."