Netball at next summer’s Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games starts with a bang for Scottish fans, with Team Scotland drawn in the first game of the tournament against World no. 2 ranked New Zealand. 

12 of the world’s best teams are set to go head-to-head over nine days from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 2 August 2026 at the iconic Hydro at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), with the official match schedule announced today. 

Full schedule on the Glasgow 2026 website

The 12 competing nations have been divided into two pools (World Netball World Rankings as of 1st September 2025 in brackets): 

Pool A: Australia (1), England (4), South Africa (5), Malawi (8), Tonga (9), Northern Ireland (12) 

Pool B: New Zealand (2), Jamaica (3), Wales (6), Uganda (7), Scotland (10), Trinidad & Tobago (11) 

A packed first day of competition on 25 July, sees all home nations in action with the opening game of Scotland v New Zealand at 09:00 (BST) followed by England v Northen Ireland at 14:00 (BST) and Wales v Uganda at 16:00 (BST). 

Fans from around the world will be treated to a not-to-be-missed clash between historic rivals Australia and England at 11:00 (BST) on 26 July, with England hoping to replicate their historic victory over Australia at Gold Coast 2018, which was sealed by Helen Housby’s iconic, last-second goal.  

Emily Nicholl, Scottish Thistles Co-Captain said “Now that the schedule has been finalised, it brings a whole new level of excitement with it. The countdown to the Games is well and truly on! To have the honour of playing in the opening game is massive for Scotland and I can’t begin to imagine how special it will be to hear Flower of Scotland being belted out by thousands of fans. This is a massive opportunity for Netball and we can’t wait to run out at the Hydro, to the world-renowned Scottish roar and show how exhilarating the sport is.” 

World Netball President, Dame Liz Nicholl DBE said: “It is fantastic to see the full schedule for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games now live. The Commonwealth Games is always a highlight in the international netball calendar for the players, officials, and netball family, and with these unmissable matchups between the 12 teams now confirmed, I have no doubt that Glasgow 2026 will live up to all expectations. From the very first whistle, when our hosts Scotland take to court against New Zealand, please make sure you show your support for our world class athletes both in the Hydro and online, around the world.”