NETBALL DELIVERS GAME-CHANGING MOMENT FOR WOMEN'S SPORT AT GLASGOW 2026

The Netball tournament at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games got the royal seal of approval as it delivered a landmark moment for women's sport. The competition has been the most-attended sport, spectator-wise, across the entire 10-sport Glasgow 2026 programme, making it the largest women's sporting event staged in Scotland this year.

The Prince and Princess of Wales - the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, as William and Katherine are known in Scotland - and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined Netball fans to watch the thrilling semi-final between Australia and Jamaica on Saturday.

The fun continued outside when the children high-fived Finnie, the Games' mascot, and the family met England's Mark Swan who won the first medal of the Games in the Para Powerlifting and Scottish gold medal-winning gymnast Reuben Ward.

Netball fans turned The Hydro into a cauldron of emotion across the nine days of competition, watching the best teams and players on the planet go head-to-head. In Saturday's semi-finals, World Netball (WN) ranked No.1 Australia were beaten by Jamaica (No.4) by one point in a thrilling game and WN world ranked No.2 New Zealand beat England.  

Sunday's Gold medal match between New Zealand and Jamaica is sold out. Australia and England play-off for Bronze, with the Hydro packed for what promises to be one of the defining atmospheres of Glasgow 2026.  Netball is not only the most attended sport of Glasgow 2026 but also the biggest multi-day women's sporting event in Scotland this year; a statement not just about this tournament, but about where women's sport is heading.

Among the stars of the show were Scotland's own Thistles, who came within touching distance of a huge upset against WN world ranked No.4 Jamaica — one of several noisy home nights for the hosts. Elsewhere, fans were treated to heavyweight clashes throughout the preliminary rounds: Australia v England, Australia v New Zealand, Jamaica v England, and South Africa v Uganda among them.

On court, this has been a showcase of the sport's finest talent with the best players in the world on show. Around the court, Glasgow 2026 created a buzz with a lively, fun sports presentation including DJs, event hosts, dance and performances, fan engagement and light ups creating an all-round sparkling experience for the fans.  

On social media, there had been 12.6m tournament post views on all platforms, including 6.6m TikTok views and more than 630k engagements by Saturday afternoon with a many more expected on finals day. Netball also hosted the Leading Women programme which invited senior women from sport, culture, business and community organisations to come together, experience the transforming power of sport and connect with like-minded leaders - while providing empowerment opportunities for women nearer the start of their careers.

Dame Liz Nicholl DBE, President of World Netball, said: "Glasgow 2026 has been a fantastic showcase of our sport, with the best players from around the world providing thrilling world-class action for the global netball family to watch.

"The fans at the Hydro have been the 8th player for the last eight days, and it's brilliant that the final day of the competition has sold out. Our players deserve this level of support."

Natalie Cunningham, Director of Sport at Glasgow 2026, said: "This is what we set out to prove — that when you put the world's best athletes into one of the world's leading entertainment venues, people show up. Netball has been one of the stories of these Games: nine great days ending with the Hydro bouncing on Sunday for the finals' day. That's not just a great tournament, it's the biggest women's sporting event Scotland has seen this year — and a real marker of where this sport, and women's sport more broadly, is heading.

"Glasgow 2026 was built to prove that a smaller footprint can deliver a bigger impact, putting fans closer to world-class sport than ever before."

Ann-Louise Morgan, Director of Sport at Commonwealth Sport, said: "Netball has long been one of the pinnacle events on our sport programme, and Glasgow 2026 has shown exactly why. The Hydro has been the perfect stage for it — brilliant atmosphere throughout, with fantastic crowds backing teams from right across the Commonwealth. 

"It's been a memorable tournament, bringing together some of the best teams in the world, and a powerful reminder of what this sport means for women and girls right across our movement."