The 2025 World Championships kick off in Chicago on Friday once again backed by the sport’s biggest benefactor – the fourth time held in Windy City since 2019 – but amid continued low profile.
Barring recent news of the sport’s Olympic venue at Universal Studios ahead of its 2028 foray, squash chugs along with achingly poor media coverage. Which is a shame as there are stories abound as the latest installment of the sport’s showpiece arrives, this time at Chicago’s Lakeshore Sport & Fitness.
Not least with an Egyptian player outright favourite to win a 10th singles women’s title in a row and, on the men’s side, Ali Farag aiming to win his fifth world title, a feat last achieved by Jansher Khan in 1993.
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However, this year’s worlds – with more than $1.3m of total player compensation up for grabs – have been overshadowed by two published videos entitled ‘Mostafa Asal Cheating Analysis’ which has set squash alight with hundreds of thousands of views and more comments one can remember on any single incident in the sport.
The timely publication of the highly subjective videos will no doubt be a major talking point as the world No.1 and last year’s runner-up plots a path to a first world title.
Then there’s last year’s winner, Diego Elias, who has won once this season in Qatar, lost his cool at the ToC in January after controversial conduct strokes, unusually played the three-day Canadian Doubles Championship at the end of March, and withdrew from last month’s El Gouna through injury.
Elias says he’s playing the worlds “pressure-free” this year after last year’s breakthrough by a South American player and write him off at your peril.
So too Farag, the 33-year-old heading to the US in fine fettle after claiming three of four titles in 2025 and already a three-time worlds winner in Chicago.
With six of the men’s world top 10 players into their thirties, there is a feeling this year that world squash may see the emergence of tomorrow’s stars. Step forward the likes of England’s Jonah Bryant and Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria, both playing in the first round for the first time and the latter, at 17, the youngest in the competition.
Such is the bravado of the Egyptian talent that Zakaria has admitted of his chances: “If I was in the draw, I’d be scared”.
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Nour ElSherbini, the youngest and first ever Egyptian woman to win the world title, has been quiet of late, either nursing herself to full fitness after knee issues or laser focused on equalling Nicol David’s record eight titles, accrued between 2005 and 2014.
If the brilliant 29-year-old wins next week, she will have achieved the feat in the same 10-year timeframe.
World No.1 Nouran Gohar will be defending her title in Chicago. Such has been Sherbini and David’s dominance that the previous player to win back-to-back was Sarah Fitz-Gerald back in 2002.
Gohar withdrew from the Optasia Championships and, with four events, has played one more than Sherbini in 2025, winning three of them. She has been in a brace this season after being hampered by knee problems, following her time off court with plantar fascia. Gohar is, though, armoured with exceptional fight.
Hania El Hammamy, twice a winner on tour this year, is in the same top half of the draw as Gohar and an explosive semi-final is on the cards. Under the auspices of coach Laura Massaro can she finally reach the final after three last four berths?
Amina Orfi, 18 next month, may well stand in the way such has been her incredible rise up the rankings to No.5 and a season which saw her become the youngest player in history to win a PSA Gold-level event.
Orfi, who has picked up wins against every top 10 player barring Gohar, said: “I’ve had many upsets this season, so I have just started thinking about each match as its own tournament.”
This, however, will be the hardest of them all.