Namibia’s national netball team, the Desert Jewels is making waves on the international stage, climbing three spots in the latest World Netball (WN) World Rankings to secure 15th position, their highest placement yet.

The latest rankings, released by WN and reflecting matches played between 1 June and 1 September, saw Namibia leap from 18th to 15th following a stellar performance at the inaugural UAE Netball Cup. The Namibians clinched the title with a commanding 62–53 victory over Singapore in the final.

Namibia’s rise marks the biggest jump in the top 20 and puts them in strong contention for an invite to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Commonwealth Sport (CS) will use this update to determine which 12 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs), alongside automatic qualifiers and hosts Scotland, will receive invitations.

Despite their loss in the UAE Netball Cup final, Singapore also benefited from the tournament, improving its ranking from 26th to 22nd.

Namibia’s ascent had a ripple effect, Zambia dropped to 16th, while Fiji slid to 18th. Further down the table, the UAE, Ireland, and the USA all saw drops, falling to 27th, 29th, and 40th, respectively.

The ECCB International Series, which concluded on 31 August, also influenced the rankings. St Lucia and the Cayman Islands each climbed five spots, St Lucia to 30th after winning four of six ranking matches, and Cayman Islands to 35th with three wins.

However, it wasn’t good news for all. Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica slipped in the rankings and now sit 24th, 45th, and 49th respectively. -lmupetami@nepc.com.na