The Spar Proteas will kickstart 2026 with a Spar Challenge three-test match series against Vitality Roses in January at Ellis Park Indoor Arena in Johannesburg.
The last time South Africa faced England at home was in 2023 during the Quad Series in Cape Town, before facing them again during the Netball World Cup in the same year at the same venue.
Head Coach Jenny van Dyk has already faced the Vitality Roses twice during the Netball Nations Cup in 2024, where she lost one 61 – 55 and won one 61 – 59.
Thriller in Johannesburg
“We are thrilled to host Vitality Roses for a test series on home soil this January. We look forward to welcoming fans to this competitive event,” Van Dyk said.
“The players are hard at work preparing for this challenge and there are a few players that we are looking at that may be brought into the squad come January. The series will also assist us as we begin to build a team for Commonwealth Games and beyond.”
The two nations will play each other between the 29th of January and 01st of February 2025 at Ellis Park Indoor Arena, with the English set to arrive in the country two weeks earlier.
Africa practice detour
As a build up to this series, the Proteas will travel to Lilongwe in Malawi to compete in the Africa Nations Cup from the 08th untill 14th December 2025.
They will head into the tournament as African Champions and will be looking to defend their title and use this as a confidence booster going into the new year.
Mpudi Maubane, Spar National PR, Communications and Sponsorships Manager said: “We are delighted to welcome England to our shores for the 2026 Spar Challenge in January next year.
“As headline sponsors of the Spar Proteas, we have always encouraged our national team to compete against the world’s top ranked netball nations to give themselves a chance of proving their worth and improving their world rankings.
With England being ranked four, only one spot in the world ahead of South Africa, we can expect a tightly contested three test series in Johannesburg which will give the local netball and sporting fans a chance of experiencing two of the best netball teams doing battle on home soil,” Maubane added.
