Day two, not day one, people. Tonga will be the Diamonds’ first test, but it’s the fixture against England that Australian netball fans have already marked on the calendar, an encore of the golden-goal devastation that denied Australia gold on home soil at the Gold Coast in 2018. The title will be decided at the Hydro after nine days of netball and Australia is eager to settle an old score straight away in Glasgow.

Top seed, world number one, and the side every other Pool A nation is chasing: that’s the position Australia sits in as the draw is confirmed. With the full Australian squad locked in weeks ago, the only question left is exactly when the Diamonds take the court, and what time that means back home.

Commonwealth Games 2026 Netball Schedule

Thirty-eight games. Nine days. Netball is staged from Saturday 25 July – Sunday 2 August at the Hydro, Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus, and all fixtures listed below will include both the local Glasgow kick off (BST) and the corresponding Australian Eastern Standard Time, given that Australia is located in the middle of Winter during this period and they aren’t observing daylight saving.

(Source: Glasgow 2026) (Source: World Netball)

The group stage will be finished and dusted by July 30. What comes next is the business end: classification matches for fifth to twelfth, then semifinal, then medal. Here’s how the back half of the tournament lines up.

(Source: Glasgow 2026)

Perth, be aware: you’re two hours behind the AEST above, Adelaide is an hour and a half behind. Neither gap poses much issue when the tournament gets to the pointy end. Time for the final is 8:00 pm in Perth/8:30 pm in Adelaide on August 2, a real prime time slot compared to the (mostly) tired starts of the group stage earlier in the week.

Australia’s Pool A Draw and Path Through the Group Stage

No team in Pool A has a higher ranking than Australia currently is, and that is exactly why the Diamonds’ draw with England, South Africa, Malawi and Tonga is so crucial. Northern Ireland complete the group, with New Zealand, Jamaica, Wales, Uganda, Scotland and Trinidad & Tobago competing in Pool B. Just the top two from each pool go direct to the semis, so no room for error

(Source: Netball Australia)

There’s a reason July 26 is circled. England have never in fact won a Commonwealth gold medal match against Australia, but that Gold Coast group stage upset in 2018, decided by a Helen Housby goal with no time left on the clock, still stings plenty to make this the biggest fixture of the entire group phase.

The remaining group games, against Malawi, South Africa and Northern Ireland, don’t offer the same convenient viewing hours. All three fall between the early hours of the Australian morning, which means diehards are looking at alarms and coffee rather than a lazy evening on the couch.

What the Netball Schedule Means for Australian Fans

Topping Pool A does more than look good on paper. It’s the difference between a semifinal against a manageable Pool B side and a collision with New Zealand or Jamaica a round earlier than anyone would like. Beat England on July 26, and Australia goes a long way toward locking that advantage in before the tournament even reaches its business end.

There’s also the small matter of actually staying awake for it. A few things worth sorting out before the opening whistle:

• Malawi, South Africa and Northern Ireland all fall between 1:00am and 6:00am AEST, so this is a highlights-and-coffee tournament for anyone not chasing every live minute.
• The gold medal match, by contrast, kicks off at a civilised 10:00pm AEST on August 2, easily the friendliest slot of the whole nine days.
• Sportstralia’s Commonwealth Games 2026 live streaming and TV guide breaks down exactly which Australian broadcaster is carrying each session, free-to-air and streaming alike.
• Heading to Glasgow yourself? The Commonwealth Games 2026 tickets guide covers Hydro seating, pricing and how to book.

Glasgow 2026’s Director of Sport, Natalie Cunningham, has flagged just how stacked this field is, singling out Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and England as the nations most likely to be standing at the end of it. That’s precisely why the England and South Africa results matter so much before Australia even reaches the knockout rounds.

(Source: Glasgow 2026)

Australia’s England Rematch Headlines a Nine-Day Netball Tournament

Nine days, top billing, and unfinished business with England: that’s the shape of Australia’s Commonwealth Games netball campaign. The Diamonds open against Tonga, face their sternest group test on July 26, and could still be playing come August 2 with gold on the line. Patience is the price of admission for Australian fans, since the toughest group games land overnight, but the draw is kind and the finals timeslot is one worth staying up for.