Daily Times

The final squads have been announced for the 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship, scheduled to be held in Tauranga, New Zealand from December 11 to 17.

A total of 24 teams would compete in the biennial championship, with Cook Islands, Philippines, Samoa and Tahiti set to make their event debuts, according to a press release.

As expected, defending champions Egypt have selected a star-studded lineup, with World No.1 Ali Farag – a two-time World Team Champion and four-time Individual World Champion – joined by former World No.1 and current World No.3 Mostafa Asal, former World No.1 and current World No.6 Karim Abdel Gawad, and World No.7 Mazen Hesham. Hosts New Zealand, meanwhile, would be led by former World No.1 and current World No.4 Paul Coll, supported by brothers Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe, and Elijah Thomas. Australia, the most successful side in event history with eight titles, name four debutants in Nick Calvert, Rhys Dowling, Dylan Molinaro and Joseph White as they seek to upset the odds and win a first title in 20 years. With Egypt expected to be the top seeds when the tournament seedings were announced later this week, England and France have named strong sides that look the most likely to challenge the defending champions. Five-time winners England, beaten finalists in 2019, would be represented by former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy, his brother and World No.8 Marwan ElShorbagy, World No.25 Patrick Rooney and World No.31 Adrian Waller. France, meanwhile, would call upon a well-balanced team of World No.11 Victor Crouin, World No.15 Baptiste Masotti, World No.26 Auguste Dussourd and World No.30 Gregoire Marche. 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship Squads- Australia: Nick Calvert, Rhys Dowling, Dylan Molinaro, Joseph White; Canada: David Baillargeon, Salah Eltorgman, Liam Marrison, Brett Schille; Cook Islands: Manu Priest, Joshua Simeon, Brian Tapurau, Dylan Russell; Czechia: Viktor Byrtus, Daniel Mekbib, Jakub Solnicky, Martin Svec; Egypt: Mostafa Asal, Ali Farag, Karim Abdel Gawad, Mazen Hesham; England: Marwan ElShorbagy, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Patrick Rooney, Adrian Waller; France: Victor Crouin, Auguste Dussourd, Gregoire Marche, Baptiste Masotti; Germany: Raphael Kandra, Yannick Omlor, Valentin Rapp, Simon Rosner; Hong Kong-China: Tsz Kwan Lau, Henry Leung, Donald Tang, Chi Him Wong; Ireland: Sam Buckley, Sean Conroy, Michael Creaven, Oisin Logan; Japan: Yuta Ando, Yujin Ikeda, Naoki Sone, Shota Yasunari; Malaysia: Ameeshenraj Chandaran, Addeen Idrakie, Sanjay Jeeva, Hafiz Zhafri; Netherlands: Rowan Damming, Sam Gerrits, Hjalmer Mols, Thijs Roukens; New Zealand: Lwamba Chileshe, Temwa Chileshe, Paul Coll, Elijah Thomas; Nigeria: Onaopemipo Adegoke, Babatunde Ajagbe, Gabriel Olufunmilayo, Kehinde Samuel; Philippines: Reymark Begornia, Robert Garcia, David Pelino, Jonathan Reyes; Republic of Korea: Donghyun Ji, Hyeon Beom Kang, Dongjun Lee, Dongmin Lee; Samoa: Leo Apa Fatialofa, Donald Marfleet, Onesemo Old; Scotland: Alan Clyne, Greg Lobban, Alasdair Prott, Rory Stewart; South Africa: Jean-Pierre Brits, Damian Groenewald, Dewald van Niekerk, Tristen Worth; Switzerland: Robin Gadola, Nicolas Mueller, Dimitri Steinmann, Yannick Wilhelmi; Tahiti: Laurent Loudier, Adrien Maury, Kevin Pons, Kamal Soussi; USA: Timmy Brownell, Andrew Douglas, Shahjahan Khan, Spencer Lovejoy; Wales: Emyr Evans, Joel Makin, Elliot Morris, Owain Taylor.