The list of entries for the 2022 WSF Women’s World Team Squash Championships has been confirmed.
Between 10-16 December, 17 teams will head to Cairo’s Madinaty Sports Club to compete in the premier international squash tournament in the women’s game, which has not been held since 2018 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Women’s World Team Squash Championships is a biennial international tournament which sees four-player squads from each country battle it out in best-of-three-match clashes.
Hosts and defending champions Egypt will go in as strong favourites. Three of the four players who won the Dalian 2018 tournament still play at the highest level, with Nouran Gohar ranked World No.1, Nour El Sherbini ranked World No.2 and Nour El Tayeb ranked World No.6.
22-year-old Hania El Hammamy is expected to add to the reigning champions’ already considerable firepower, with the World No.3 beginning the 2022/23 PSA World Tour season with a win at the Platinum-level CIB Egyptian Open.
Joining Egypt as a fancied team will be England, beaten finalists in 2018 and winners of this year’s European Team Championship. Since the 2-0 defeat to Egypt in China, England have added a number of young and dangerous players to the squad, including Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Georgina Kennedy, who took the squash world by storm last year as she rose from World No.185 in May 2021 to World No.8 in July 2022.
Also tipped as a team to watch is the USA. Team USA’s best-ever finish was fifth in 2018, 2016, and 2014, but this year will have a number of the game’s top players to choose from, including World No.4 Amanda Sobhy, World No.11 Olivia Fiechter, World No.18 – and younger sister of Amanda – Sabrina Sobhy, and World No.20 Olivia Clyne.
In an exciting addition, Chinese Taipei and Ukraine will make their World Team Championship debut, while former World No.2 Camille Serme – who retired from the PSA World Tour in June 2022 – is set to make a competitive return to the sport for the France team.
Nour El Sherbini, who won the tournament in 2012, 2016 and 2018, said: “It’s amazing. The last time the World Championship was in Egypt, I was very young and still living in Alexandria. I came all the way to watch the finals and it was one of my best memories, coming over to watch our team winning the tournament!
“I’ve never played a World Teams in Egypt and I’m so excited for it!”
WSF President Zena Wooldridge, OBE, added: “It is very fitting for the WSF Women’s World Team Championships to close off what has been an action-packed 2022 WSF calendar. Championships so far this year have shown how eager and appreciative players and coaches are to be back following a 2-year interruption.
“The camaraderie between players and nations has been brilliant to witness. World Team Championships are a very special experience for players and due to the four year gap since this event was last played there will be an unusual number of debutantes, which brings a fresh dynamic to the teams and the competition, which is very exciting.
“Our thanks to the Egyptian Squash Federation, their supporters and sponsors for hosting this important Championship. I’d like to wish all the teams an enjoyable and successful Championship. We’re looking forward to a fabulous event in Cairo.”
Further tournament details, including team rosters and broadcast information, will be announced shortly.
For further information, head to worldsquash.org or follow the World Squash Federation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WORLDSQUASH.TV.
List of entries for the Women’s World Team Squash Championships 2022
Australia
Canada
Chinese Taipei
Egypt
England
Finland
France
Germany
Hong Kong, China
Japan
Malaysia
Scotland
South Africa
Switzerland
Ukraine
USA
Wales
