Kodwa said he was happy with the tournament organisers' work and it was all systems go for the opening day.

On Wednesday, the pre-show started and we are satisfied that all 16 teams have arrived and there has not been an incident that has been reported, so the excitement across all nations about them being present in South Africa is indicative of the power of sport," Kodwa said.

Meanwhile, Western Cape minister of cultural affairs and sport Anroux Marais said the province was excited about hosting the tournament after all the hard preparation work. 

"We are more than ready, since 2019 we have rolled out legacy projects, with 40 netball courts across the province and as a province, we are proud to host the Netball World Cup and we are determined to make South Africa and the entire continent proud," Marais alluded.

While tournament director Priscilla Masisi added, "It has been a long journey to get here, but finally we are here and all the 16 teams are in the precinct, and match and training venues are ready, the teams started training last week when they arrived and we are excited that all the 5,000 tickets for the opening match have been sold.”

As the host nation, South Africa’s intentions of seriously competing for the coveted champions trophy have been clear from the moment it was announced that Africa would host the Netball World Cup for the first time.

The 16-team global spectacle will take place on African soil for the first time since the competition was established in 1963 and it kicks off on the 28th of July until the 6th of August 2023 with the Spar Proteas firstly playing against Wales on the 28th of July before facing Sri Lanka and Jamaica on the 29th and 30th of July respectively.