Tonga Tala wins opening netball qualifier against Cook Islands

The Tonga Tala netball team began their 2027 Netball World Cup Oceania qualifier campaign with an 81–55 victory over the Cook Islands at the Tonga High School Indoor Stadium. The win places Tonga in a strong position to compete for one of the two available qualification spots for the 2027 tournament in Sydney, Australia.

Salote Sisifa, chief executive of the Tonga Netball Association and president of Oceania Netball, expressed confidence in the team's ability to secure qualification while playing on home soil. The qualifying tournament features five Pacific nations: Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and the Cook Islands. While Sisifa noted that Samoa and Fiji are the highest-ranked challengers, she emphasized that rankings do not always reflect the competitive nature of the matches.

The opening match featured strong performances from Captain Veve, Palavi, and O’Tolose. The event was attended by members of the Tongan Royal Family, including Queen Nanasipauʻu and Crown Princess Sinaitakala.