Auckland to Host 2028 Squash World Championships, With Coll and King as Kiwi Medal Targets

Auckland will host the 2028 PSA Squash World Championships from 19-27 February, according to RNZ, marking the largest squash event ever staged in New Zealand.

The tournament arrives just four months before squash makes its Olympic debut at LA 2028, setting up a defining period for the sport locally and globally.

World No. 2 Paul Coll and five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Joelle King have been identified as New Zealand's primary medal prospects.

The New Zealand Herald reported that both players were a central reason Auckland pursued the hosting rights in the first place.

Why Auckland Landed the Bid

Squash New Zealand Poipātū Aotearoa chief executive Martin Dowson told the Herald that having Coll and King still active in 2028 was a key driver behind the bid.

He described the event as the biggest thing to happen to squash in New Zealand in his lifetime, pointing to the rare combination of a home World Championship and an Olympic debut in the same calendar year.

The seven-month bid process drew on community support through a fundraising lottery, where supporters paid $50 per ticket for prize packages linked to the Championships.

Dowson told RNZ the lottery was less about revenue and more about demonstrating grassroots enthusiasm to squash's world governing body.

Auckland deputy mayor Desley Simpson said the event is expected to contribute around $2.5 million to regional GDP and generate nearly 20,000 visitor nights. Competition will be held on a glass court at the New Zealand International Convention Centre in central Auckland.

A Club Tournament Runs Alongside the Elite Event

The World Championships will run concurrently with the inaugural World Club Championships, a new competition for club-level players. Close to 40 courts across Auckland clubs will host that event, all within 30 minutes of the NZICC glass court.

Club teams from around the country could be competing in the morning while the world's top pros take to the glass court that evening.

Coll's Form and King's Legacy

Coll arrives in strong shape. The Herald reported his recent results include victories at the British Open, the Australian Open, the New Zealand Open, and the London Classic at the start of September 2026. home Kiwi Olympic hopefuls

Former world champion Carol Owens, who represented both New Zealand and Australia during her career, told the Herald that Coll is New Zealand's best chance at a World Championship medal, with King close behind.

Owens said both players are also the country's biggest Olympic medal hopes and that the excitement around squash entering the Olympics for the first time is enormous for the local squash community.

Funding Cuts Create a Difficult Contrast

The celebration of the hosting announcement sits alongside a more difficult reality. RNZ reported that Squash New Zealand cannot afford to send athletes to the 2026 World Squash Team Championships in Korea in December. The women's team will not attend at all.

The men's squad will participate only after independently funding their campaign through exhibition matches and other initiatives.

That tension is hard to ignore. Some of the players being promoted as the face of the 2028 bid are the same ones left to self-fund their 2026 international commitments.