The city will stage the competition between September 21 and 24 at the Racquet Club of St Louis and the Missouri Athletic Club.

Hardball squash, which originates in North America, is a different variant of the sport featuring a harder ball and different size courts.

Singles play features a smaller court but doubles matches take place on a much larger playing area.

The hard ball usually allows for a higher-tempo match.

The event in St Louis will be the 12th edition of the Championships, which is organised by the Squash Doubles Association (SDA) and Women's Squash Doubles Association (WSDA) Pro Tours under the auspices of the World Squash Federation.

England's John Russell and Clive Leach are expected to defend the men's title they won in 2015 in Chicago, while their compatriots Suzie Pierrepont and Carrie Hastings are the women's title holders.

Canada's Viktor Berg and Stephanie Hewitt are the defending mixed doubles champions.

"The SDA is very excited to be working with the World Squash Federation, the Racquet Club of St Louis, the Missouri Athletic Club and the WSDA to bring the World Hardball Doubles Squash Championship to the United States in September of this year," said SDA Board chair Kevin Luzak.

"The event will be the highlight of the 2017-18 calendar with the largest draws and one of the largest purses of the season for both the SDA and WSDA tours. 

"The St Louis team is already gearing up for what will undoubtedly be a blockbuster event at a fantastic venue."

A prize fund of $70,000 (£56,000/€66,000) is on offer at the tournament, with parity among the men's and women's draws.