World Masters Games 2027 Kansai: Squash in Kyoto

The World Masters Games 2027 will be held across Japan’s Kansai region from 14 to 30 May 2027, the first time the Games have come to Japan. Thirty-five sports and 59 disciplines are spread over Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara and the surrounding prefectures, and the organisers are planning for tens of thousands of athletes aged 30 and over.

Image: World Masters Games 2027 Kansai Organising Committee, wmg2027.jp

Squash is one of those 35 sports. It runs for eight days in Kyoto, with age categories from 35+ to 80+ and both Open and Recreational levels, under World Squash rules.

This guide covers the squash competition specifically: dates, venues, eligibility, entry and cost, and how the Games compare with the World Masters Squash Championships that most masters players know.

Key Facts

What the World Masters Games Are

The World Masters Games are the multi-sport equivalent of a masters world championship: an Olympics-style festival for adult athletes, held every four years and open to anyone over the minimum age, with no qualifying standard. Auckland hosted in 2017 and Chinese Taipei in 2025. Kansai was awarded the 2021 Games, lost them to the pandemic, and was given 2027 instead.

The scale is different from anything in squash alone. Sakai City, one of the host cities, describes a target of 20,000 international and 30,000 domestic participants. Squash will be a small part of that, but the athletes’ village atmosphere, the opening ceremony and the ability to bring a partner who competes in another sport are what draw people who would not travel for a squash-only event.

Squash in Kyoto

Dates. Thursday 20 May to Saturday 27 May 2027, in the middle of the Games window.

Venues. Two sites in Kyoto City: StandOut KYOTO and Kyoto Terrsa. Kyoto Terrsa is a public sports and events complex near Kyoto Station; StandOut KYOTO is a squash facility. Court counts and the split between venues will be in the competition handbook closer to the event.

Categories. Ten five-year bands from 35+ to 80+, for men and women, each with:

• Open: for players who have competed in national championships or open-level events.
• Recreational: for players who have competed at friendship or club level only.

Eligibility. You must be 35 or older on 19 May 2027, which means born before 19 May 1992, and hold a World Squash SPIN (Squash Personal Identification Number). Note that the Games’ general minimum age of 30 does not apply to squash.

Format. World Squash rules, singles draws by age band. Expect a consolation or plate draw so that first-round losers get more than one match, as at the World Masters Championships. Doubles has not been confirmed.

Entry and Cost

Entry is through the Games, not through World Squash, and the fee is a single Games fee rather than a per-sport charge.

The athlete fee covers up to five disciplines. From the sixth discipline, an additional 2,000 yen per discipline applies. In practice a squash player might add a half marathon or a swim for nothing extra.

Deadlines.

• Early entry opened on 14 January 2026 for previous participants, Games newsletter subscribers and people who were refunded when 2021 was cancelled.
• General entry opened on 2 March 2026 and closes on Sunday 28 February 2027.

Check the official entry guideline before paying. Figures here are from the organisers’ published terms at the time of writing and may be revised.

How It Compares with the World Masters Squash Championships

Masters players will want to know how this sits alongside World Squash’s own championship.

The Championships are the deeper squash field and the title that matters on a squash CV. The Games are the wider event: a fortnight in Japan, athletes from a hundred nationalities, and a competitive draw in your age band without the expectation of facing former internationals in round one. Plenty of players do both, and 2027 sits neatly between Perth 2026 and Johannesburg 2028.

Squash in Japan

Japan’s squash community is compact and well organised, centred on Tokyo and Osaka, and Kyoto is within an hour of Osaka by train. Our guide to squash in Japan covers the clubs, the national federation and how visitors can find a court and a game. A week in Kyoto in May also happens to be one of the better weeks of the year to be in the city.

For Players: How to Prepare

• Get a SPIN now if you do not have one. It is free and required.
• Enter before 28 February 2027. There is no late entry at a multi-sport Games.
• Book accommodation in Kyoto early. Fifty thousand athletes across the region, plus Kyoto’s normal May tourism, will fill the city.
• Play tracked events in the year before. Seedings rely on results, and a season of rated matches helps the draw committee place you.
• Consider a second sport. It costs nothing extra up to five disciplines.

For Organisers

A multi-sport Games hands each sport an entry list and a venue and expects a clean competition back. The squash organisers in Kyoto face the same problems as any age-group championship, compressed: ten bands, two levels, two genders, two venues, eight days.

• Draws published from one source, with results updated live so players at one venue know what is happening at the other.
• Results entered at the court, not collected and typed later.
• A schedule that survives on a phone, because the players are tourists as well as competitors and will be checking it from a train.

PlayPulse runs registration, multi-category draws, scheduling and live scoring for events from club level to national championships. If you are helping organise a masters event, in Japan or anywhere else, get in touch at info@playpulse.io.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is squash at the World Masters Games 2027?

Squash runs from Thursday 20 May to Saturday 27 May 2027 at StandOut KYOTO and Kyoto Terrsa in Kyoto City, inside the wider Games, which run from 14 to 30 May 2027 across Japan’s Kansai region.

Who can enter the squash competition?

Players aged 35 or over on 19 May 2027, so born before 19 May 1992, with a World Squash SPIN. Age bands run from 35+ to 80+ with Open and Recreational levels for men and women. The Games as a whole admit athletes from 30, but squash uses the World Squash minimum of 35.

How much does it cost and when do entries close?

The Games entry fee for athletes living outside Japan is 34,000 yen, which covers up to five disciplines; residents of Japan pay 15,000 yen. General entry opened on 2 March 2026 and closes on 28 February 2027. Confirm current figures in the official entry guideline.

Is this the same as the World Masters Squash Championships?

No. The World Masters Games are a multi-sport event run by the International Masters Games Association every four years, with squash as one of 35 sports. The World Masters Squash Championships are World Squash’s own biennial championship; the next is Johannesburg 2028.

Why was the Kansai event delayed from 2021?

Kansai was originally awarded the 2021 Games, which were postponed during the pandemic. Chinese Taipei hosted the 2025 edition and Kansai took the 2027 slot, making it the first World Masters Games in Japan.

Related Reading

• World Masters Squash Championships 2028: Johannesburg Hosts for a Third Time
• World Masters Squash Championships 2026: Everything You Need to Know
• Squash in Japan: Clubs and Tournaments
• Courtside: How a Free App Reached a Quarter of the World Squash Masters Field
• How to Run a Squash Tournament: A Complete Guide

Planning a squash tournament of your own? PlayPulse handles registration, draws, scheduling, live scoring, and ratings for events of any size. Get started or reach out at info@playpulse.io