History has been made in the new standings as England have moved above New Zealand and into the top two for the first time.

Australia and New Zealand have always occupied the top two spots but England claimed a stunning Commonwealth Games gold medal at Gold Coast 2018 in April.

New Zealand, who lost to England and Malawi in the group stage and then hosts Australia in the semi-finals, could not even claim the bronze medal.

They were beaten in the third-place play-off clash by Jamaica with an investigation into the country's poor performance now underway.

However, the Kiwis are still one of the five qualifiers for the World Cup in Liverpool in 2019 alongside hosts England who gained an automatic berth.

Top ranked country Australia, fourth ranked Jamaica, fifth ranked South Africa and sixth ranked Malawi have also confirmed their places.

Northern Ireland, Scotland, Samoa and Fiji have already booked their places through regional qualification tournaments.

England have lauded their new high position in the rankings and will be bidding for more glory in the World Cup on home soil.

"For years, Australia and New Zealand have dominated both the top of the rankings and major finals," said England Netball's chief executive Joanna Adams.

"To see England break into the top two is testament to the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of all the players and staff over the last few years.

"It also demonstrates how critical investment into our sport is and the move to introduce a full-time programme is paying dividends.

"Transitioning players to full time status was to accelerate the development of the England Roses' success and get even closer to the top two teams in the world.

"We now are one of the top two teams in the world.

"The momentum around and interest in England Netball at present is phenomenal.

"It's us, it's now."