Tomorrow, Chennai’s Express Avenue Mall hosts the long-awaited SDAT WSF Squash World Cup, the relaunched international mixed team event.
Between 13-17 June, eight teams and 32 player will battle it out for the title of World Cup Champions.
Read on for everything you need to know about the event, including teams, streaming information, schedule and rules.
The Squash World Cup at a glance
The Squash World Cup is an international tournament in which national team squads represented by two men and two women play ties of four matches against each other.
The relaunched event, which is being sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Government and supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport in India, will be played in Chennai between 13-17 June 2023 on a stunning all glass show court inside the Express Avenue Mall.
The history of the Squash World Cup
The first edition of the Squash World Cup was played in 1996 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia and featured 16 teams.
In the first ever Squash World Cup final, top seeds Australia overcame rivals and No.2 seeds England 3-0, with Brett Martin, Michelle Martin and Rodney Eyles getting the better of Mark Chaloner, Suzanne Horner and Chris Walker.
Since then, the Squash World Cup has been played a further two times, with England crowned champions in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, in 1999 and Egypt lifting the trophy in 2011 in Chennai.
This year’s event has implemented a number of changes, including gender parity within teams and playing games to seven points for the first time in WSF history.
Which teams are playing in the 2023 Squash World Cup?
There are eight teams from four different continents playing in the Chennai Squash World Cup: Australia; Colombia; Egypt; Hong Kong, China; India; Japan; Malaysia; South Africa.
Click here for the squad lists for the 2023 Squash World Cup.
Where can I watch the 2023 Squash World Cup?
The 2023 Squash World Cup will be streamed live and free worldwide on WORLDSQUASH.TV and on the Olympic Channel, while viewers in India can watch on JioCinema.
To apply for tickets to watch the Squash World Cup at Express Avenue Mall, email office@indiasquash.com.
Rules of the 2023 Squash World Cup
- Competition Format: The World Cup will consist of two round robin pools, followed by a knockout stage
- Team Composition: Ties shall be contested by teams of two men and two women.
- Playing Order: Woman #2, Man #1, Woman #1, Man #2 OR Man #2, Woman #1, Man #1, Woman #2 by coin toss.
- Match Scoring: All matches will be played to a best of 5 games to 7 points. At 6-6, the game will still be played to 7 points.
- Tie Scoring: A team will be awarded points for winning a match as follows: Women #1 & Man #1 – 2 points; Woman #2 & Man #2 – 1 point. In the knockout stage, in the event of a draw the winning team will be decided by the greater positive difference between games won and lost in a Tie.
2023 Squash World Cup schedule
The pool stage will be played between 13-15 June, with ties being played each day at 10:30 (GMT+5:30), 13:00, 15:30, and 18:00.
On 16 June, semi finals will be played between the top two sides in each pool. At 15:30, the winner of Pool A will play the runner up in Pool B and at 18:00 the winner of Pool B will play the runner up in Pool A.
The final will take place at 14:00 on 17 June.
In addition, playoff ties will be played on 16 June (10:30 and 13:00) at Express Avenue and on 17 June (both at 10:30) at the Indian Squash Academy.
How can I follow the 2023 Squash World Cup?
Keep up to date with the latest from the Squash World Cup by following the World Squash Federation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. You can also follow the Squash Rackets Federation of India on the SRFI website and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
