DOHA – When Jansher Khan used to arrive in Doha for the then Qatar International during the 1990s, the Pakistani was feted as squash deity. Hundreds would flock to the airport and there was one year when a traditional Qatari ceremony saw him crowned.
There are tournaments with longer histories than the now Qatar Classic. But few have developed the reputation for making players feel like they matter. Even the media.
For 25 years, the tournament has combined squash with a level of hospitality – media and refs used to travel by business class, while there were press trips to the islands and gold-plated pens as gifts – that has become almost as much a part of its identity as the matches themselves.
Doha first appeared on the professional squash calendar in 1992, when the Qatar International was staged at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex the day after its opening. The event ran through 1997 before disappearing from the calendar.
Jansher won the Qatar International five times in a row in the 1990s, beginning with a five-game victory over Australia’s Chris Dittmar in the inaugural final. His first prize of $21,375 was described at the time as the richest outside the World Open.
Doha staged the 1998 World Championships as the PSA event was put on hold until 2001. The event hasn’t looked back. Over the years, the media has been exceptionally well catered for, including stays at the Sheraton Doha, revered as one of the world’s most iconic.
Meanwhile, Squash Magazine has described the tournament as one of the most special in pro squash history and reported that the event was deliberately being run on the model of Doha’s major tennis tournaments.
“We wanted to copy the tennis tournaments in terms of making this event the best it could be,” tournament director Tareq Darwish Zainal said. “It is about excellence off court matching the excellence on court.”
The details matter. BMW cars from the airport, while every player has an individual hotel room, with the top four seeds receiving their own suites at the Four Seasons Hotel. Qualifiers and others involved with the event were housed at the Shangri-La. Not a bad substitute.
The Khalifa complex also provided a service which returned players’ clothes clean and folded 12 hours after they had been dropped off.
The players, naturally, are quick to praise the event. Ali Farag said after reaching the quarter-finals in 2024 that the Qatar Classic was a favourite for him and other players because of its organisation and facilities.
He was here at the 2026 edition for a quick flying visit for some coaching, even if he admitted to Squash Mad that “I don’t miss the tour” with his fledgling business commitments and raising a family.
“The way the organisers treat the players doesn’t compare to anywhere in the world, so you’re super happy. I enjoy every moment here,” says Diego Elias, a reflection offered before he was dumped out in the first round in 2026.
The fact that the event is televised across the Middle East, and has been well covered by Qatari media in print and on TV as well as Gulf News, has raised the profile and made it a long-running institution for today’s players.
“When I was younger, I used to watch the Qatar Classic and see all the great names of our sport lifting that trophy and I could only imagine standing there one day,” Farag said. “To do it twice is an amazing feeling.”
In 1993, the tournament was described as the world’s second-richest squash event, with a £135,000 prize fund. The 2026 tournament carries $242,000 prize money for each of the men’s and women’s draws.
Squash Mad always meets fans (solo and in groups) who make the trip for a few days in Doha. Stay long enough and there is a chance to get up close and personal with the players. There is plenty of seating for the opening rounds until the final rounds when the locals create a bustling atmosphere.
Perhaps there should be more ways to entice fans from Australasia and beyond and create a package where they can mix with players, venture behind the scenes and experience life inside a PSA World Tour event. It is the perfect venue for that, for inclusivity and tourism, as the tournament looks set for another 25 years.