Namibia's national netball team, the Desert Jewels, have moved one step closer to qualifying for the 2027 Netball World Cup after securing their third consecutive win at the Africa Cup in Nairobi. The team defeated Tanzania 62-36, with a strong performance that saw them take the lead from the start and maintain it throughout the game. This win has qualified them for the semi-finals of the tournament.
The Desert Jewels started strong, leading 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and 29-17 at half-time. They continued to dominate in the second half, increasing their lead to 44-26 by the third quarter before completing a comprehensive 62-36 win. This victory follows their previous wins against Botswana 54-32 and Zimbabwe 47-31. As a result, Namibia temporarily topped pool 1, but South Africa later reclaimed the lead after beating Botswana 72-32.
National coach Julene Meyer expressed her satisfaction with the team's performance but emphasized the importance of focusing on the present moment. "Obviously, I'm very happy about the performance of the team thus far. I think we took each match game for game and that's the important thing in this tournament," she said. Meyer stressed that looking ahead to the qualification spot for the 2027 World Cup would be "irresponsible and reckless."
Namibia's final group match is against South Africa, the African champions, but regardless of the result, they have already qualified for the semi-finals. South Africa started the tournament with a convincing 90-22 win against Tanzania and a hard-fought 58-41 victory over Zimbabwe. The team has a strong head-to-head record against Namibia, having won 66-38 in their last world cup qualifier in Pretoria in 2022.
Coach Meyer remains focused on the upcoming match against South Africa, stating that the team will approach it with the same strategy they have used so far. "I'm happy with the consistency and the improvements we've made so far, and we will go at South Africa with the same approach we've been using – focusing on the task at hand, just taking it day by day," she said.
In the semi-finals, Namibia will face one of the top teams in pool 2, either Uganda or Malawi. However, if Uganda or South Africa win their semi-finals, a separate competition will be held to determine the other two nations that qualify for the 2027 Netball World Cup. In this scenario, Namibia may face Kenya in the new set of semi-finals.
Coach Meyer remains optimistic about the team's chances, stating that they will focus on giving their best performance regardless of their opponent in the semi-finals. "We are scheduled to play either against Uganda or Malawi in the semifinals on Thursday, and I can't really say beyond that how it will play out," she said. "Should we play Kenya, we will focus on that solely and give them our ultimate best."
Key points
- Namibia's Desert Jewels qualify for Africa Cup semi-finals with third successive win
- Team to face one of Uganda or Malawi in semi-finals
- Namibia one step closer to qualifying for 2027 Netball World Cup
