A world class field has been confirmed for the 2026 New Zealand Squash Open, with the international tournament set to return to Christchurch in March.

The event has been scheduled for March 3 to 8 at the Isaac Theatre Royal, bringing elite squash back to one of the country’s most distinctive sporting venues.

Defending champion Paul Coll has been confirmed at the top of the men’s draw, which includes six of the world’s top 20 players. The Greymouth local, currently ranked world number 2, will face strong competition from world number 5 Joel Makin of Wales, along with emerging Egyptian talent Mohamad Zakaria and fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman.

New Zealand players Ollie Dunbar of Wellington and Elijah Thomas of Auckland were awarded wildcard entries. Dunbar arrived in strong form after winning the ESC New Year Open in Canada earlier this month.

The women’s draw includes four of the world’s top 20 athletes alongside New Zealand squash great Joelle King. King, a five time Commonwealth Games champion, was joined by Kiwi wildcards Ella Lash of Auckland and Kaitlyn Watts of Palmerston North.

World number 14 Nele Gilis Coll of Belgium has also been named in the draw, alongside her sister Tinne Gilis, who entered the tournament as the top seed.

Coll said returning to play in front of a home crowd remained special.

“I love the New Zealand Squash Open and for me it’s really special to get to compete at home. I’m pretty sure half of Greymouth came to support me last year,” Coll said.

“It’s another great field this year and there’s going to be some amazing squash on display so it’ll make for a great event.”

The overall draw included 24 men and 24 women from 23 nations across 5 continents.

Squash Events Canterbury spokesperson Scott Gardiner said the tournament offered a rare opportunity for local fans.

“This is an opportunity to see the best squash players in the world, right here in New Zealand,” Gardiner said.

“The competition will be world class and it’s pretty special to watch squash in such a beautiful theatre. Tickets are selling fast so we’re encouraging fans to get in now to avoid missing out.”

The 2025 tournament attracted record crowds and generated more than 2,000 visitor nights for Christchurch. Organisers said the 2026 event would again be classified as a Silver level tournament on the PSA Squash Tour and would form the centrepiece of the New Zealand Festival of Squash.

Alongside the Open, Christchurch will host the Oceania Masters and the New Zealand Junior Open across venues including Christchurch Squash Club, Burnside Squash Club, Richmond Club Squash Centre and Christchurch Football Squash Club.

Tickets for the 2026 New Zealand Squash Open were available through Ticketek.