Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy, respectively world number one and two, have been drawn together at this month's PSA World Tour Finals in Egypt ©PSA

Egypt’s Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy - respectively the men’s world number one and two - have been drawn together in Group A of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour Finals at Cairo’s Mall of Arabia between June 22 and 27.

The pair have been drawn together after Farag finished top of the men’s Road to Egypt standings, while ElShorbagy came sixth.

Egypt’s world champion Tarek Momen and PSA World Tour Finals debutant Mostafa Asal are the other players drawn alongside them in Group A.

Farag has held the world number one spot for eight successive months since taking over from ElShorbagy in November 2020.

But after winning the El Gouna International title in May, the Bristol-based 30-year-old looks in the kind of form to reclaim his top position in July’s PSA rankings.

To do that ElShorbagy, who has spent a total of 49 months as world number one, must win the tournament with Farag going out at the group stage with a maximum of one victory.

If Farag secures two wins or more, he will stay at number one no matter what ElShorbagy does.

The pair are set to meet on matchday two.

Meanwhile the in-form Fares Dessouky - who finished second in the Road to Egypt standings - heads up Group B ahead of New Zealand’s Paul Coll, defending champion Marwan ElShorbagy and Welshman Joel Makin.

Nour El Sherbini and Nouran Gohar of Egypt, respectively world number one and two, have been drawn together in the PSA World Tour Finals group stage later this month ©PSA
Nour El Sherbini and Nouran Gohar of Egypt, respectively world number one and two, have been drawn together in the PSA World Tour Finals group stage later this month ©PSA

Group A of the women’s event will also see the world’s top two players go head-to-head as world number one Nour El Sherbini takes on world number two Nouran Gohar in a repeat of last month’s El Gouna International final, which El Sherbini won.

They are joined by world number four Camille Serme from France and Egypt's world number nine Salma Hany.

Group B will see defending champion and home player Hania El Hammamy, Amanda Sobhy of the United States, England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and New Zealand’s Joelle King do battle in a bid to reach the semi-finals.

To qualify for the World Tour Finals players either had to secure a top-eight finish on the Road to Egypt Standings - for which points were on offer at all PSA World Tour events throughout the 2020-2021 season - or win a PSA World Tour Platinum trophy.

A $370,000 (£265,000/€310,000) prize fund will be split equally across both the women’s and men’s events as players compete in a best-of-three-games group stage between June 22 and 25.

The top two from each group qualify for the semi-finals.