The makeup of the Pools for the round robin stage of the 2024 WSF World Teams has been announced.
There are eight men’s pools where defending champions Egypt will face Spain and Japan while second seeds England will be up against Canada and Nigeria. France, Switzerland, Malaysia Colombia, USA and hosts Hong Kong top pools D to H.
The top two in each progressing to the Last Sixteen knockout phase.
The women’s event comprises six Pools with Egypt also the defending champions and top seeds. Egypt will face Japan, Spain and China in the group phase while second seeds USA will be up against Scotland, Germany and Italy. Belgium, England, Malaysia and Hong Kong are top seeds in Pools C to F.
Here too the top two teams will progress to the knockout stage, with the winners of Group A to D granted a bye into the quarter-finals.
Player Lists for all countries
Men’s Pools
| GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C | GROUP D |
|---|---|---|---|
| [1] Egypt | [2] England | [3] France | [4] Switzerland |
| Spain | Canada | Czechia | Australia |
| Japan | Nigeria | Korea | South Africa |
| GROUP E | GROUP F | GROUP G | GROUP H |
| [5] Malaysia | [6] Colombia | [7] USA | [8] Hong Kong |
| Scotland | India | Germany | Pakistan |
| Philippines | Ireland | China | Peru |
| Kuwait | Italy |
Women’s Pools
| GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C |
|---|---|---|
| [1] Egypt | [2] USA | [3] Belgium |
| Japan | Scotland | India |
| Spain | Germany | Colombia |
| China | Italy | |
| GROUP D | GROUP E | GROUP F |
| [4] England | [5] Malaysia | [6] Hong Kong |
| Canada | France | Australia |
| Switzerland | Ireland | South Africa |
| Korea | Macau | Finland |
Player Lists for all countries
WSF Story
A record 195 of the world’s best squash players will descend upon Hong Kong, China, to contest the 2024 WSF World Squash Team Championships, following the passing of the player registration deadline.
The championships, which will see the men’s and women’s events taking place concurrently for the first time in squash history, are set to be played at Hong Kong Football Club from 9-15 December.
23 teams will contest the women’s event and 26 the men’s, with all National Federations naming four-player squads for the women’s event and all but debutants Peru, who have been drawn in Pool H alongside Italy, Pakistan and hosts Hong Kong, China, naming four-player squads to the men’s.
Peru’s decision to send just three players means a heavy workload for their No.1 and reigning individual world champion Diego Elias, with the 27-year-old set to play every pool stage match and likely to feature heavily afterwards, too.
Joining Elias at Hong Kong Football Club will be some of squash’s biggest names. Reigning champions Egypt, in Pool A with Spain and Japan, have made just one change to the side that captured the title last year in Tauranga, New Zealand: former world champion and current World No.8 Karim Abdel Gawad joins a star-studded lineup of World No.1 Ali Farag, World No.2 Mostafa Asal and World No.5 Mazen Hesham.
Hoping to spoil Egypt’s party will be five-time champions England, who lost out in the final last year and have been drawn into Pool B along with Canada and Nigeria. They, too, have made changes: Alexandria-born brothers Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy will continue to lead the team and will be supported by new additions Nathan Lake and Curtis Malik, who have replaced Patrick Rooney and Adrian Waller.
Hosts Hong Kong, China will be represented by well-balanced teams in both events, with each squad the same as those who finished runners up at both the men’s and women’s ASF Asian Team Championships in June of this year.
In the men’s event, Hong Kong Football Club’s own Tsz Kwan Lau set to be supported by Henry Leung, Ming Hong Tang and Chi Him Wong.
The women’s team, meanwhile, will be represented by home favourite Tomato Ho, Sin Yuk Chan, Ka Yi Lee and Tsz Wing Tong in Pool F with Australia, South Africa and Finland.
Defending champions Egypt have raised eyebrows with their squad selection this year. Amina Orfi, who is still just 17 years of age and this year became the first ever player to win three consecutive WSF World Junior Championship titles, will make her senior team debut.
The World No.9 has joined up with the squad to replace reigning individual world champion Nouran Gohar, who will undergo surgery on a broken nose.
Orfi will come in at four for Egypt, who have won the last three editions of the event, supporting World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, World No.3 Hania El Hammamy and World No.8 Rowan Elaraby, with the team also drawn against Japan and Spain.
USA, who made history by reaching the final for the first time at the last edition in 2022 in Madinaty, Egypt, have also dipped into their wealth of upcoming junior talent this year after an injury to a starting player.
Caroline Fouts, who won a bronze medal on home soil at this year’s World Junior Championship, will join up with World No.4 Olivia Weaver, former World No.3 Amanda Sobhy – who is approaching her best form again after a lengthy spell out with an Achilles injury – and rising talent Marina Stefanoni.
They will face Scotland, Germany and China in Pool B.
Appearing for the first time in the women’s championship will be Macau, China, with Hong Kong’s neighbour to be represented by Gigi Yeung, Wai Leng Yeung, Kwai Chi Liu and Leng Lam Leong in Group E, where they will play Ireland, France and Malaysia.
