5 continents, 23 countries…squash out of this world

The curtain rises on the AJ Bell World Championship today with the best 64 players on the planet chasing the spoils in Manchester, England.

And never has the term global been more appropriate with an incredible 23 different countries from five separate continents providing players for the first-round shoot-out.

Egypt, led by world No.1 Ramy Ashour, leads the way with 16 players while England have 15 in the opening battles.

Players by Nationality:

Egypt                     16

England                15

Australia              4

France                  3

Malaysia              2

RSA                        2

Finland                 2

Hong Kong          2

USA                        2

Germany             2

Kuwait                  2

Netherlands      1

Scotland              1

New Zealand     1

Botswana            1

India                      1

Canada                 1

Colombia            1

Mexico                 1

Spain                     1

Pakistan               1

Switzerland        1

Denmark             1