Squash Sets the Road to LA28 as the Sport Enters the Olympic Stage

For the first time in its long and global history, squash will be part of the Olympic programme when the Los Angeles 2028 Games get underway.

Now, the final piece of the puzzle has been put in place. World Squash has officially released the qualification pathway for LA28, defining how just 32 players 16 men and 16 women will make it to the sport’s Olympic debut. The system is both selective and unforgiving, reflecting the challenge of compressing a deep, world-wide professional circuit into a small Olympic field. With only two draws of 16 players each, qualification will be one of the most competitive Olympic races in any sport.

A 32-Player Olympic Field

At LA28, squash will feature one men’s singles and one women’s singles competition, each with 16 athletes. There will be no doubles or team events. Every spot is therefore extremely valuable.

World Squash has designed a five-pathway qualification model that blends world rankings, continental success, global representation and a final chance qualifier.

The five qualification routes are:

1. PSA World Rankings
2. Continental Games
3. Host Nation Entry
4. Universality Place
5. Final Qualification Tournament

Each of these plays a specific role in shaping the final Olympic field.

PSA Rankings Will Decide Half the Field

The largest chunk of Olympic places will come from the PSA World Rankings. Eight players in each draw half the Olympic field will qualify directly based on their PSA ranking on May 22, 2028. This means consistency over a long period on the professional tour will be the most important factor. Players cannot simply peak for one event; they must remain inside the global elite for multiple seasons leading into 2028.

However, there is a critical restriction: no country can have more than two players in any draw. So even if a nation has three or four players ranked inside the world’s top eight, only two will be allowed through via rankings. This rule will have the biggest impact on Egypt, the dominant force in world squash. At present, Egypt has seven men and eight women inside the world top 16, including four of the top five in the women’s game. Under Olympic rules, many of them will be locked out regardless of ranking.

Continental Games Become Gold Mines

Five Olympic places per gender will come from continental Games. These are effectively Olympic qualifiers disguised as regional championships.

The events are:

• Asian Games (Nagoya, October 2026)
• African Games (Cairo, January 2027)
• European Games (Istanbul, mid-2027)
• Pan American Games (Lima, mid-2027)
• Pacific Games (Tahiti, mid-2027)

Each Games will award one men’s and one women’s Olympic quota to its champion. These five spots per draw are completely independent of world rankings. For players from regions like Asia, Africa and the Americas, this is potentially the most realistic route to the Olympics. A single week of form at the right event could secure an Olympic place.

For India, this makes the Asian Games in Nagoya absolutely crucial. With only one Asian quota in each draw, it will likely come down to India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea and Japan fighting for one Olympic ticket per gender.

Host and Universality Places

The United States, as host nation, will receive one automatic place in each draw men and women regardless of ranking.

There will also be one universality place per draw. This is reserved for an athlete from an under-represented National Olympic Committee, helping to broaden global participation. It is typically used for players from emerging squash nations who would otherwise have no realistic path through rankings or continental events. These two entries reduce the number of places available via rankings and tournaments, further tightening the field.

The Last-Chance Qualifier

The final Olympic spot in each draw will come from a 24-player final qualification tournament, to be held in June 2028 about six weeks before the Games.

This tournament is designed as a last chance for players who missed out through rankings and continental routes. It will be a brutal knockout among some of the best players in the world, with only one man and one woman surviving. In practical terms, this means the final two Olympic spots will be among the hardest in sport to earn.

With only 16 places per gender and a two-player cap per country, LA28 will exclude many of the world’s best. In men’s squash, Egypt, England, and France could each have multiple top-10 players fighting for just two slots. In women’s squash, Egypt alone could leave out multiple world-class athletes despite total dominance.

This makes continental quotas even more important. For players from strong squash nations, failing to win a continental Games could mean relying on rankings and then losing out because of country limits.

For India, the qualification system is demanding but offers a clear pathway. The Asian Games will be the single most important Olympic qualifier for Indian players. Winning gold there guarantees an Olympic place, regardless of PSA ranking. At the same time, Indian players will need to push toward the world’s top eight to have a safety net via rankings.

With squash now officially on the Olympic stage, the race to LA28 has truly begun and it will be one of the fiercest qualification battles the sport has ever seen.