The best squash players in the world are set to compete in Auckland in 2028, with Squash New Zealand Poipātū Aotearoa announcing it has secured hosting rights for the 2027-28 PSA Squash World Championships between February 19-27, 2028.
The PSA World Championships will be the biggest squash event ever held in New Zealand, and will take place just five months before the sport makes its Olympic debut at the LA 2028 Games.
The tournament will be contested on a glass court at the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Central Auckland, giving spectators a fantastic view as the world’s best go head to head.
The tournament will run concurrently with the inaugural World Club Championships, a new competition which will allow club players from around the world to compete in their own tournament, alongside the World Championships.
Together the two events are expected to be the largest squash event ever held. Nearly 40 courts across Auckland clubs will be in use, all within 30 minutes of the championship glass court at the NZICC.
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “I am thrilled that Auckland will host the PSA World Championships. The tournament will bring the world’s very best squash players to one of the most spectacular sporting cities on the planet.
“New Zealand has done incredible things in the world of squash in recent years, bringing the Nations Cup, the World Teams and, most notably, the New Zealand Open to the people of Aotearoa. We’re extremely excited to bring the World Championships to Auckland in 2028 and we can’t wait to watch the action unfold.”
Squash makes its Olympic debut at LA28 with 16 men and 16 women in each singles draw. Eight of those places per draw come from the PSA World Rankings as of May 22, 2028 – allocated by ranking, but capped at two athletes per National Olympic Committee – putting Auckland squarely inside the qualifying window.
Squash New Zealand Poipātū Aotearoa Chief Executive Martin Dowson said: “This is the biggest thing to happen to squash in New Zealand in my lifetime. We are a small country with a deep squash history.
“To bring the World Championships here, in the year squash finally reaches the Olympics, is going to be extremely special. What will make it even more special is the World Club Championships running at the same time. You will have a club team from Whangārei playing in the morning and the world number one on the glass court that night.”
Paul Coll, the first New Zealand male to reach World No. 1, said he’s thrilled to have the opportunity to compete at a home World Championships:
“I’ve spent most of my career playing in front of crowds on the other side of the world. To have the World Championships in New Zealand, in the same year squash finally gets to the Olympics, is unreal.
“I want as many Kiwis as possible in that arena while I give it everything I have to become World Champion at home.”
