The Egyptian, who won last week's Hong Kong Open, will be a big draw at the inaugural men's event, a part of the PSA's World Tour Platinum series.

"You know how much Egyptians love their squash, so the crowd is always immense here at home," he said.

"It's always great to feel the crowd behind you, roaring you on, lifting you up when you're down and filling you with confidence when you're up."

Elshorbagy will compete alongside compatriots Ali Farag and Tarek Momen, who are seeded second and third respectively. 

With the competition the biggest to be held in the Egyptian capital since the 2016 PSA World Championships, Farag has also spoken about the excitement of playing in Cairo.

"I am thrilled to be playing in my backyard," he said.

"It's literally 15 minutes away from where I live, so I couldn't have asked for a better set-up. 

"I am really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and going on with a normal routine day while playing such a big tournament."

Seed number four, Simon Rösner of Germany, will also be a strong contender after winning back-to-back Platinum titles at the US Open and Qatar Classic. 

The first day of action tomorrow at the Black Ball Sporting Club will see the opening round of matches, with the seeded players entering the competition in the second round on December 4.

All eyes will be on tomorrow's game between England's Josh Masters and France's Lucas Serme, a tie which will determine who plays Farag in his second round match. 

Elshorbagy will play Max Lee of Hong Kong in his opening game, while Momen meets Australia's Ryan Cuskelly. 

Play will then continue in a knock-out format until the final on December 9. 

The winner will receive a prize of $180,000 (£141,000/€159,000).

A women's Black Ball Open will take place in March.