As global attention turns to Cairo, Egypt is preparing to welcome the 2025 World Squash Junior Championships, a marquee event in the sport’s youth calendar. Beginning 21 July, the tournament will gather top under-19 players from around the world, with individual matches slated through 26 July, followed by the team competition from 27 July to 1 August.
This year’s tournament marks a milestone for Egypt, as the country hosts the Boys’ World Junior Squash Championship for the first time since 1996, and welcomes back the Girls’ Championship after a 22-year absence, last held on home soil in 2003.
On 7 July, the event’s players, seedings, and draws were announced. Thirteen Egyptians will compete alongside 234 top under-19 players from dozens of countries, including China, New Zealand, England, France, the USA, Germany, India, Brazil, and more.
The tournament takes place at New Cairo’s Black Ball Sporting Club, home to 16 glass-backed courts, the largest squash court complex in Egypt, equipped for international broadcast and audience seating. It begins with singles matches, featuring a 128-player knockout format and a triple plate consolation system to ensure all competitors get multiple matches. Later, the event shifts to high-stakes team competition among nations.
Egypt’s selection follows a series of significant accomplishments in junior competition. During the previous year’s championships held in Houston, Egyptian players Mohamed Zakaria and Amina Orfi emerged as the champions in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively. Their victories contributed to Egypt securing both the individual and team titles in the men’s and women’s divisions, achieving complete dominance across the board.
Orfi’s win, already a three-time world champion and currently ranked No.5 in the women’s senior world rankings, extended the country’s women’s tally to 16. Zakaria, who made history as the youngest ever men’s junior champion last summer, secured Egypt’s 15th men’s title.
Egyptian hopes will rest heavily on top seeds and defending champions Orfi and Zakaria. Their primary challengers, India’s Anahat Singh, France’s Lauren Baltayan, and Korea’s Jooyoung Na, each bring a distinct and competitive edge to the tournament.
Officials are candid about the tournament’s strategic importance. Under the leadership of President Amina El-Trabelsi, the Egyptian Squash Federation views the event as an opportunity to motivate future generations and strengthen Egypt’s position as a central place for world-class squash talent.
“Bringing this championship back to Egypt after decades reaffirms our dedication to youth development and international excellence,” El-Trabelsi said in an official statement. “Our young athletes continue to inspire, and we are honored to host the world on our courts.”
Anticipation surrounding this championship is heightened by squash’s upcoming debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28). Athlete performances and visibility at the 2025 World Squash Junior Championships are directly tied to preparations for the sport’s first Olympic introduction. With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirming a restricted draw of only 16 players per gender for LA28, the road to qualification promises to be intensely competitive and highly selective.
With Olympic berths to be determined through world rankings and select continental championships, strong showings at the World Junior Championships offer rising players a chance to earn valuable ranking points and critical international match experience. These performances serve as a stepping stone to senior-level PSA events, which will directly impact Olympic qualification.
As the junior circuit grows more consequential, the 2025 World Junior Championships will unfold under heightened stakes and sharper focus than in years past.
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