The Netball Proteas will host England for the SPAR Challenge three-Test match series in January at the Ellis Park Indoor Arena in Johannesburg.
The dates are yet to be confirmed but Netball South Africa said the matches will take place between January 29 and February 1.
The last time South Africa faced England at home was during the Quad Series in Cape Town and World Cup in 2023.
Head coach Jenny van Dyk has already faced the Vitality Roses twice since she replaced Norma Plummer and it was during the Netball Nations Cup in 2024.
“We are thrilled to host Vitality Roses for a Test series on home soil this January,” said Van Dyk.
“We look forward to welcoming fans to this competitive event. 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
— Head coach Jenny van Dyk
“The series will also assist us as we begin to build a team for the Commonwealth Games and beyond,” added Van Dyk.
As a build-up to the series, the Proteas will travel to Lilongwe in Malawi to compete in the Africa Nations Cup from December 8 to 14.
The SPAR Proteas head into this tournament as African Champions and would want to defend their title and use this as a confidence booster going into the new year.
“It took us a while to get here and happy that we have been able to close this and confirm that we will be hosting England on home soil.
“It is always good to play nations that are ranked above us and this is important because we really would like to improve our world rankings and move up the ladder,” said Netball South Africa president Mami Diale.
“SPAR 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,” said SPAR national PR, communications and sponsorships manager Mpudi Maubane.
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