These are the premier events between national bowls organisations affiliated to World Bowls Ltd.

World Championship

First held in Australia in 1966, the World Bowls

Bowls

Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...

 Championships for men and women are held every 4 years. From 2008 the men's and women's events are held together. Qualifying national bowls organisations (usually countries) are represented by sides of 5 players, who play once as a single and a four, then again as a pair and a triple. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in each of the 4 disciplines, and there is also a trophy for the best overall 5-player side — the Leonard Trophy for men and the Taylor Trophy for women.

The next World Bowls Championships will be held in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

, Australia from 24 November – 9 December 2012.

Men's Titles

Year	Venue	Singles Champion	Fours Champions *
1966	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
1972	Worthing Worthing Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
1976	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
1980	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
1984	Aberdeen Aberdeen Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of .... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
1988	Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
1992	Worthing Worthing Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
1996	Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
2000	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
2004	Ayr Ayr Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
2008	Christchurch Christchurch Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of... , New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

Year	Pairs Champions *	Triples Champions *	Leonard Trophy
1966			Australia
1972			Scotland
1976			South Africa
1980			England
1984	**		Scotland
1988			England
1992			Scotland
1996			Scotland
2000			Australia
2004			Scotland
2008			New Zealand

* Team order is Skip to Lead

** was taken ill during the pool stages and had to withdraw from the championships. As the USA did not have an available substitute the organisers allowed , a reserve with the Scottish team, to take his place for the rest of the tournament.

Women's Titles

Year	Venue	Singles Champion	Fours Champions *
1969	Sydney, Australia
1973	Wellington, New Zealand
1977	Worthing, England
1981	Toronto, Canada		**
1985	Melbourne, Australia
1988	Auckland, New Zealand
1992	Ayr, Scotland
1996	Leamington Spa, England
2000	Moama, Australia
2004	Leamington Spa, England
2008	Christchurch, New Zealand

Year	Pairs Champions *	Triples Champions *	Taylor Trophy
1969			South Africa
1973			New Zealand
1977			Australia
1981			England
1985			Australia
1988			England
1992			Scotland
1996			South Africa
2000			England
2004			England
2008			Australia

* Team order is Skip to Lead.

** may have played as a replacement in the 1981 Fours final.

Summary

Country	Men	Women	Total
New Zealand	7	9	16
Australia	4	9	13
Kingdom of England	9	3	12
Republic of Ireland	5	7	12
Kingdom of Scotland	6	4	10
South Africa	4	6	10
	2	2	4
Wales	2	2	4
United States	2	0	2
Canada	1	0	1
Israel	1	0	1
Malaysia	1	0	1
Norfolk Island	0	1	1
Papua New Guinea	0	1	1

World Champion of Champions Singles

• Contested annually between bowlers who have won their respective national singles title.
• The next competition will be held at Athena Beach Hotel, Cyprus
  Cyprus
  Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
  
  in October 2012.

  Year	Venue	Women	Men
  2003	Moama, Australia
  2004	Warilla, Australia
  2005	Christchurch, New Zealand
  2006	Christchurch, New Zealand
  2007	Warilla, Australia
  2008	Aberdeen, Scotland
  2009	Ayr, Scotland
  2010	Norfolk Island
  2011	Hong Kong, China

World Cup Singles

• Contested annually between bowlers from national bowls organisations. The senior event is played indoors, while in recent years the junior event (for under–25 players) has been played outdoors.

  Year	Venue	World Cup		World Junior Cup
  		Women	Men	Women	Men
  2005	Hong Kong
  2006	Warilla, Australia
  2007	Warilla, Australia
  2008	Warilla, Australia
  2009	Warilla, Australia
  2010	Warilla, Australia
  2011	Warilla, Australia