The first World Championships for netball was held in in 1963, and was hosted by England. Australia has dominated the tournament, winning most of the events.
In 1979 there were three winners. Three teams finished on the same points: Australia, New Zealand and 'Trinidad and Tobago'. The rules at the time did not provide any other way of determining an outright winner, so the three teams shared the title. The rules were changed so that this would not occur again.
In 2007, Fiji was scheduled to host the tournament but was stripped of the right as a result of the December 2006 coup. Hosting rights were subsequently awarded to New Zealand.
The next tournament will be held in Suydney, Australia in 2027.