Squash Leagues and Associations: World Squash, PSA, US Squash, College and LA28

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Two weekends in the squash year show how big the sport has become. In February, more than 1,700 high school players fill 68 courts across the Philadelphia area for the national team championships. In March, college teams pack the glass court for the Potter Cup and Howe Cup finals. Behind them sit the pro tour, a rating that follows every club match, urban programs that send kids to college, and, in 2028, the Olympics. Here’s a simple map of the squash associations, tours and squash leagues that run the game, and where you or your kids fit in.

World Squash: the international federation

World Squash (the World Squash Federation, WSF) is the sport’s world governing body. It writes the singles and doubles rules, sets the specifications for courts, balls and rackets, keeps a list of certified protective eyewear, and works with continental federations and national bodies such as US Squash. Its rules recommend eyewear for every player and make it mandatory at its junior and doubles events. For squash’s Olympic debut, World Squash announced the LA28 qualification system in 2026.

The PSA World Tour: professional squash

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) runs the pro tour for both men and women and the world rankings. Its tournaments come in tiers:

Tier	What it is
World Championships	The biggest title in squash: a 128-player draw over about a week. The 2025-26 edition was held in Giza, Egypt, in May 2026.
World Tour Finals	The season finale: eight men and eight women, including the reigning world champion and Platinum winners.
Diamond and Platinum	The elite events; Platinum tournaments have 48-player draws.
Gold, Silver, Bronze	24-player draws at major venues around the world.
Copper and lower levels	Smaller events where many players earn their first ranking points.

Pro matches often use video review, and the PSA world rankings now matter for more than prize money: eight places per gender at the 2028 Olympics come from them.

US Squash and the US Squash rating

US Squash, founded in 1904 and based at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center on Drexel University’s campus in Philadelphia, is the national governing body for squash in the United States. It’s a nonprofit that runs junior, scholastic, college, adult and national team programs, the U.S. Championships, tournament accreditation, coaching and referee education, and the district associations. It’s a member of the World Squash Federation and the Pan American Squash Federation.

The US Squash rating (Universal Squash Rating, USR) is how American players find their level. It runs from about 1.5 for a beginner to 7.0 for a top professional. Every result entered in Club Locker (tournaments, leagues, box leagues, ladders and friendly matches) adjusts your rating, compared with what was expected given the two players’ ratings. Recent matches count more, and a player with lots of recent results has a more “reliable” rating that moves less after one match. You start a rating by recording at least one win and one loss. That makes it easy to find fair opponents, and some tournaments offer rating-based divisions.

Juniors also have national rankings, based on points from accredited tournaments; our junior squash page explains them. At US Squash accredited events, all players and coaches on court must wear protective eyewear meeting ASTM F3164 (the older F803 is still accepted).

High school squash

School squash is organized by schools, leagues and US Squash rather than state athletic associations. The U.S. High School Team Squash Championships each February is the national event. In 2026, US Squash described it as the world’s largest squash tournament: more than 1,700 players on 210 teams across fourteen divisions, on 68 courts at eight venues in the greater Philadelphia area, including the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.

College squash: the CSA

Squash isn’t one of the NCAA’s championship sports, so the College Squash Association (CSA), a subsidiary of US Squash, oversees intercollegiate varsity squash; its member schools also follow NCAA recruiting rules for their division. The CSA has men’s and women’s varsity divisions plus mixed and women’s club divisions. In its recruiting FAQ, the CSA counted 70 colleges with men’s teams and 48 with women’s teams in 2019-20, of which 36 men’s and 31 women’s teams were varsity.

• Team titles: the top men’s teams play for the Potter Cup and the top women’s teams for the Howe Cup at the CSA National Team Championships. In March 2026, Trinity beat Harvard 5–3 for its 18th national title, and Penn beat Princeton 5–4 for the Howe Cup.
• Recruiting: college coaches may begin contact on September 8 of 11th grade, and official visits are limited to one per college and five to NCAA Division I schools.
• Scholarships: the CSA says only a few teams can offer athletic scholarships; Ivy League and Division III schools can’t by rule.

Urban squash: SquashSmarts and the Squash and Education Alliance

Some of the most important squash programs in the US aren’t clubs at all. Urban squash programs combine squash coaching with tutoring, mentoring and college guidance for students from under-resourced communities, with a strong focus on getting students to college. The Squash and Education Alliance (SEA) connects 22 member programs with more than 3,200 year-round team members, in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, New York (Harlem and the Bronx), Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Oakland and San Diego. SEA supports them with scholarships, travel funding, tournaments, camps and training squads. SquashSmarts in Philadelphia, founded in 2000, is one of them. If you’d like your child to try squash and there’s no club nearby, an urban squash program may be the best door in.

The Olympics: squash’s LA28 debut

On October 16, 2023, the IOC Session approved squash, along with baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football and lacrosse (sixes), as extra sports for Los Angeles 2028, proposed by the LA28 organizers for their Games. It will be squash’s first time at the Olympics.

• Events: men’s singles and women’s singles, 16 players in each draw.
• Where and when: the Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios, July 15–24, 2028.
• Qualifying: five places per gender from the continental games (Asian, African, European, Pan American and Pacific Games), eight from the PSA world rankings, at least one host-country place for the USA (subject to conditions), one universality place, and a final 24-player qualifying tournament on June 6–10, 2028.
• Per country: most nations can send one player per gender; two or three nations may earn a second place if conditions are met.

Adult leagues and clubs

For most adults, squash means a club: box leagues where you play everyone in your group each month, ladders, round-robins, team leagues run by US Squash districts, and doubles. Your rating keeps matches close. A tip from the health side: leagues are weekly, but bodies need building up. Warm up properly, add strength work for ankles, knees and hips, and see our squash hub for the injuries to watch for.

Gear you’ll see at accredited events

Accredited events mean approved eyewear, and most good players use the double yellow ball. The Dunlop Vision goggles meet ASTM F803 and are World Squash approved, per the listing (about $20); the Dunlop Pro double yellow is about $48 for 12; and the Tecnifibre Carboflex X-TOP (V2) 120 is the lightest Carboflex, 120 grams (about $210). After a long day of matches, a TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 foam roller (about $40) is a nice thing to have in the bag. Prices are what we saw at Amazon in October 2026; check the current price.

Back to the squash hub, or see squash rules, junior squash and squash gear. For another racket sport’s map, see tennis leagues and associations.

Squash leagues and associations FAQs

What is the governing body for squash in the US?

US Squash, founded in 1904 and based in Philadelphia. It runs junior, high school, college (through the CSA), adult and national team squash, accredits tournaments and runs the US Squash rating.

How does the US Squash rating work?

Every match entered in Club Locker adjusts your Universal Squash Rating based on the result compared with what was expected. It runs from about 1.5 (beginner) to 7.0 (top pro), weights recent matches more, and starts once you record at least one win and one loss.

What is the PSA?

The Professional Squash Association, which runs the PSA World Tour and world rankings for men and women, from the World Championships and World Tour Finals down through Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and smaller events.

How do players qualify for squash at LA28?

Through five continental games, the PSA world rankings (eight per gender), a host-country place for the USA, a universality place and a final qualifying tournament in June 2028. Each draw has 16 players.

Is college squash part of the NCAA?

Not as an NCAA championship sport. The College Squash Association runs intercollegiate squash, while its member colleges follow the NCAA recruiting rules for their division. Coaches may start contact on September 8 of 11th grade.