Big squash tournaments sell out fast, and that is exactly what scammers and resale touts count on. The good news: a few simple checks get you a real ticket at a fair price and let you skip the markups. Here is where to buy for each major event, how to spot a fake, and how to pay less.
Major Squash Tournaments and Ticket Outlets
The most prestigious professional squash events include the PSA World Championships, the British Open, the Tournament of Champions, the U.S. Open, the Hong Kong Open, and the CIB Egyptian Open. For background on the professional circuit and event calendar, the PSA Squash Tour site is a useful starting point. Where each is held and how tickets are usually sold:
| Tournament | Location | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|
| PSA World Championships | Host city varies each year | Official event site for that edition (for example worldsquashchamps.com) or the host venue box office. Sale dates are announced by the PSA and WSF. |
| British Open | West Midlands, England (recent editions at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with earlier rounds at Solihull Arden Club) | Official site (britishopensquash.info) and the host venue box office. Ticketing queries can go to the PSA at ticketing@psasquashtour.com. |
| Tournament of Champions | Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, New York City | Official site (tocsquash.com). It is also free to watch from the surrounding passageway, with paid seating for the best view. For group sales or VIP packages, contact tickets@squashengine.com. |
| U.S. Open | Arlen Specter US Squash Center, Philadelphia | Official site (usopensquash.com). General admission, reserved back-wall seats, and patron packages are offered, along with group bookings. |
| Hong Kong Open | Hong Kong, China | The Squash Association of Hong Kong, China and the official tournament site (hksquashopen.com). Tickets are also sold at the association office. |
| CIB Egyptian Open | Giza, Egypt (including matches in front of the Great Pyramid) | Official site (cibegyptiansquashopen.net) and authorised agents. Check the official site each year, as ticketing arrangements (and free general entry for some sessions) can change. |
Other events such as the PSA World Tour Finals, Windy City Open, and El Gouna International also have official sites or PSA pages with ticket links. Always start from the official tournament or federation website for legitimate primary sales.
Trusted Official Ticket Outlets
Buy through official channels first, the tournament website, the host venue box office, or an organiser-designated agency, since these guarantee authenticity (as Ticketmaster advises, only official vendors or the box office are guaranteed genuine). Where to find official sales:
- Tournament websites: each event's Tickets section. If a site redirects to a known ticketing service that is usually intentional, but always check the URL is the event's real domain.
- National federations or venues: some events, such as the Hong Kong Open, sell through the national squash association or on-site offices.
- PSA and WSF announcements: the PSA World Tour site posts on-sale news with official links, and many events list a ticketing email for queries.
If you are travelling for an event, look for official travel packages that bundle tickets with a hotel.
Reputable Secondary Market Platforms
If official tickets are sold out, use well-known resale platforms that offer buyer protection and verified tickets, not random social-media sellers:
- Ticketmaster Verified Resale: where available, tickets are reissued with new barcodes, ensuring validity.
- StubHub: its FanProtect guarantee means valid tickets or your money back; SeatGeek and Vivid Seats are similar.
- Viagogo: legitimate but with high fees and some overpriced listings, so use cautiously and pay by credit card.
- Regional sites with a guarantee or escrow, such as Twickets in the UK (face-value resale) or TickPick in the US.
- Official fan exchanges: some organisers run or endorse a resale channel, so check the event site or socials.
If you must buy from an individual, use a protected payment (PayPal Goods and Services, a credit card, or a trusted escrow), never wire money, cash, or PayPal Friends and Family, and ask them to transfer the ticket through the official app so it lands in your own account. If a seller refuses an official transfer or protected payment, treat it as a red flag.
Common Ticket Scams in Sports (and Squash)
Scammers exploit fans' eagerness. Common scams:
- Fake websites and emails mimicking official pages, often with typo'd or different-domain URLs that take your money and provide fake tickets or nothing.
- Deals too good to be true: premium finals tickets far below face value for sold-out matches.
- Sob-story sellers inventing a medical, travel, or deployment emergency to create urgency.
- Counterfeit e-tickets: the same PDF or barcode sold to multiple buyers, so without an official transfer you cannot know it is still valid.
- Social-media imposters who message you after you post that you need tickets.
- Phony confirmation receipts: doctored screenshots that prove nothing.
- Fake VIP packages that do not exist or are not public; genuine ones sell only through official channels.
Red Flags When Buying Tickets
Watch for these warning signs, especially from third-party sellers:
- Prices unrealistically low for a sold-out final, or sky-high with huge fees, so compare platforms to learn the range.
- Seat sections or rows that do not exist on the venue chart, or a wrong date, time, or round.
- A seller demanding wire transfer, bank transfer, gift cards, or PayPal Friends and Family.
- Rushed, high-pressure communication meant to stop your due diligence.
- Refusal to provide verifiable proof or an official transfer.
- Unsolicited contact offering tickets, or a seller acting "on behalf of" someone else.
- A dodgy website: no HTTPS, poor grammar, no clear contact or support, or only odd payment methods.
- Pressure to move the deal off-platform, which loses the site's protections.
If multiple red flags appear, walk away; it is better to miss out than to lose money on a scam.
Tips for Getting the Best Ticket Deals
- Book early for early-bird pricing: the Singapore Open has offered around 25 percent off certain seating categories, with further discounts for children and students; subscribe to tournament newsletters to catch the windows.
- Multi-day passes often cost less per session than buying each day separately.
- Group discounts: the Tournament of Champions and U.S. Open both offer group rates, so buying with club members reduces the per-ticket price.
- Compare platforms for the same session on resale, including fees.
- Time it: earlier rounds are cheaper and still great action (the U.S. Open has offered free general admission on opening day), while semifinals and finals cost most.
- Last-minute tickets may drop if an event is not sold out, but ensure instant electronic delivery; organisers sometimes release extra or standing-room seats shortly before, so follow their socials.
- Avoid fees: factor in booking fees and currency exchange, and use a card with no foreign-transaction fee for overseas sites.
- Memberships: federation or club members may get pre-sale access or promo codes.
A cheap ticket is not a good deal if it turns out to be fake, so balance saving money with safety.
Verifying Ticket Authenticity
- Buy from official or verified sources: the simplest guarantee; StubHub-type platforms verify for you with a money-back guarantee.
- Inspect physical tickets for holograms, watermarks, and quality stock, and check for blurriness, off-centre text, or typos.
- Verify e-tickets by scanning the QR or barcode in the official app, which may show whether it is already used or transferred; a mobile ticket held in your own account beats an emailed PDF.
- Ask the venue or organiser to confirm a barcode, order ID, or seat.
- Use official transfer: accepting a ticket into your own account is strong validation.
- Cross-check names, dates, session, venue, and round, and confirm a set of tickets has unique (not identical) barcodes.
If a deal feels off, it usually is. Check with the official outlet before you pay, not at the gate when it is too late. Buy from the source, treat a too-good price as a warning, and you will spend the evening watching squash instead of arguing with a steward.
