After an exhilarating week of squash in Tauranga, New Zealand, just two teams remain as old rivals Egypt and England clash for a fifth final in a row at the WSF Men’s World Team Championship.
The tie takes place at 15:00 (GMT+13) on the stunning show court at the Mercury Baypark Arena as the two teams compete for the honour of being crowned World Champions.
All the action from the final will be streamed for free on WORLDSQUASH.TV, with viewing options also available on the Olympic Channel, SQUASHTV and Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand only).
Order of play: Final – WSF Men’s World Team Championship
Going into today’s tie, England have the stronger head-to-head record, with the No.2 seeds winning nine of their 14 encounters with the North African side since 1981.
Egypt, though, have had the better of recent encounters, winning three of the last five ties, with 2019’s final in Washington DC – a 2-0 victory for the Egyptians – the last meeting between the pair.
Since 2019, there have been a flurry of changes to both national teams, with Egyptian first string Ali Farag and English fourth string Adrian Waller the only members of the current team who played in the 2019 tournament.
With playing order today 2-1-3, Mostafa Asal and Marwan ElShorbagy are expected to lead their sides.
22-year-old Asal, already a former World No.1 and current World No.4, is regarded by many in the game as one of squash’s brightest and, at his best, most exciting talents.
World No.8 ElShorbagy, meanwhile, has been as high as World No.3 and, before switching to England earlier this year, was a 2017 WSF Men’s World Team Champion with Egypt.
In the second match, first strings Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy will clash for the 30th time – and 16th in a final – of their careers.
The head-to-head record could hardly be closer, with ElShorbagy, who like his brother Marwan is a former representative of Egypt, winning 15 of their previous matches to Farag’s 14.
Farag, though, will no doubt draw confidence from his impressive recent record, with the 31-year-old winning six of the last seven meetings.
Should both teams claim a win in the opening two matches, a third match will be played, with third strings Mazen Hesham – promoted from fourth string due to the injury to Karim Abdel Gawad on the eve of the tournament – and Patrick Rooney to play the decider.
In their two meetings so far, Hesham has emerged the victor, with the mercurial shotmaker claiming a 2-0 win in the second round of the 2022 Canary Wharf Classic, followed by a 3-0 win in the quarter-final of the Malaysian Open later that year.
Rooney, though, will not be taken lightly by Hesham, with the Englishman looking sharp in his three wins so far at the championship.
Teams have until two hours before start of play to substitute a player with a reserve. Should there be any late withdrawals from the Egypt team, Youssef Soliman will be promoted to third string, while Adrian Waller will be promoted to third string should England make any late changes.
Also taking place today are playoff ties. At 11:00, five ties take place at the Devoy Squash and Fitness Centre before hosts New Zealand bid farewell to the home fans with their final appearance of the championship at 12:00, as they take on Canada in the 13-14 playoff at the Mercury Arena.
Action from both venues (with the exception of Devoy Court 3) will be streamed for free on WORLDSQUASH.TV, with action from the Mercury Arena also available on the Olympic Channel, SQUASHTV and Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand only).
Click here to view the squads for the 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship.
Click here to view all the results and draws for the 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship.
