After an amazing week of squash, we’ve reached the final day of the WSF Women’s World Team Championship at the Madinaty Sporting Club in Cairo, Egypt.
Tonight’s final, between top seeds Egypt and No.2 seeds USA, will be played on Madinaty’s outdoor court, with Vanessa Atkinson and Simon Parke providing expert commentary.
Play begins at 20:00 (GMT+2) and will be streamed live and free on WORLDSQUASH.TV, the WSF’s new streaming platform, while fans can buy tickets here.
In addition, viewers in Egypt can watch the action live on ON Sport, with the PSA’s squash.tv and the Olympic Channel also streaming play.
WORLDSQUASH.TV will also be streaming the 12:00 5/8 place playoff final between France and Hong Kong, China.
Top seeds and defending champions Egypt have bulldozed their way through the competition this week. Until yesterday’s semi-final with Malaysia, they had not dropped a single game, with a brilliant team comprised of World No.1, Nouran Gohar, World No.2 Nour El Sherbini, World No.3 Hania El Hammamy and World No.6 Nour El Tayeb clicking well despite being fierce rivals on the professional circuit.
Gohar, who is expected to lead the team out today, may go in with a point to prove after she was given an uncomfortable time by the maverick talents of Aifa Azman yesterday.
Standing between Egypt and a fifth title is a USA team that has already made history twice in this championship. Prior to their trip to Madinaty, Team USA had never placed higher than fifth, but after convincing wins over Canada in the quarter-finals and seven-time champions England in the semi-finals, this is a squad full of belief.
Despite competing against Egypt, US No.1 Amanda Sobhy and her younger sister, US No.3 Sabrina Sobhy, may expect some support amongst a partisan home crowd, with the Sobhy sisters being born to an Egyptian father and an American mother.
USA have never beaten Egypt in a Women’s World Team Championship. The last meeting between the two nations came in the 2016 championship in Paris, France, where Nouran Gohar, Nour El Sherbini and Raneem El Welily overcame Olivia Clyne, Amanda Sobhy and Reeham Sedky in the quarter-final.
Will the returning Sobhy and Clyne have their revenge and deliver a first title for USA? Or will the pre-tournament favourites prove too strong?
Elsewhere, plate ties to determine the final places of teams who didn’t qualify from the pools conclude today at 12:00 (GMT+2), including the fifth-place playoff between France and Hong Kong, China, which will be streamed live and free on WORLDSQUASH.TV.
You can follow the progress of teams through the plate competition here.
Squad Information | Draws and Results
Keep up with the event by following the World Squash Federation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, WORLDSQUASH.TV, and the official tournament website.