The International Netball Federation (INF) released the World Rankings and Uganda has raised two places to number 14 in the world after there impressive showing at the recent World Cup qualifier in Gabarone, Bostwana.
The grading is based on matches played prior to 19th-September 2014 date.
As a result of their excellent performance in the recent World Cup Qualifier event, Uganda moved from 15th to 14th place, while Zambia moved four places, from 22nd to 18th.
Zambia and Uganda, who is now the 3rd raked African nation, are among the 16 teams that qualified to participate in next year’s Netball world event to be hosted in Sydney, Australia.
The others are Wales, Scotland, Fiji, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
The top six raked nations (hosts Australia, New Zealand, England, Jamaica, Malawi and South Africa) qualified automatically when the INF World Rankings were confirmed in July.
Zambia and Uganda, who defeated higher ranked African nations in Botswana last month, will be competing in only their second World Cup since the tournament began in 1963.
In Europe (according to INF), England is one of four nations (Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica) to have played in every World Cup.
Wales and Scotland also have a consistent record at the event, competing in 13 of the 14 editions of the tournament (missing the 1967 and 2011 Cups respectively).
In Asia, Sri Lanka upset higher ranked nations to join Singapore as the two qualifying nations last month.
Fiji, Samoa, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago have been preparing for Sydney 2015 after qualifying earlier in the year in events in the Cook Islands (Oceania Region) and Canada (Americas Region).
WORLD NETBALL RANKING LIST
1 New Zealand
2 Australia
3 England
4 Jamaica
5 Malawi
6 South Africa
7 Fiji
8 Wales
9 Barbados
10 Trinidad & Tobago
11 Northern Ireland
12 Scotland
13 Samoa
14 Uganda
15 St Lucia
16 Cook Islands
17 Tanzania
18 Papua New Guinea
19 Botswana
20 Singapore
21 Malaysia
22 Zambia
23 Canada
24 Zimbabwe
25 Sri Lanka
26 USA
27 Hong Kong
28 Namibia
29 Ireland
30 India
31 Bermuda
32 = Switzerland
32 = Lesotho
32 = Gibraltar
35 = Malta
35 = Israel