Players from 29 countries will contest the men's and women's individual championships, from July 7 to 12, which will be followed by the biennial Men's World Junior Team Championship.

The individual titles are expected to remain in Egyptian hands - with Marwan El Shorbagy (pictured top) seeded to retain the men's title and secure the same extraordinary "double" that his brother managed for a record fourth time for the El Shorbagy family name.

It was in India that Marwan's older brother Mohamed El Shorbagy clinched the crown for the second year in a row in 2009 - becoming only the second player in the event's history to win the title twice.

England's reigning world number one James Willstrop was the last non-Egyptian to win men's world junior title - 10 years ago.

Since then, Ramy Ashour in 2004 and 2006, Mohamed El Shorbagy in 2008 and 2009, Amr Khaled Khalifa in 2010 and defending champion Marwan El Shorbagy have kept it firmly in Egyptian hands.

El Shorbagy junior is expected to face Pakistan's Danish Atlas Khan in the semi-finals before the predicted all-Egyptian final against Mohamed Abouelghar, the number two seed.


Former champion Nour El Sherbini (pictured above) is the hot favourite to reclaim the women's title.

The 16-year-old from Alexandria became the sport's youngest ever world champion when she won this Under-19 title in 2009, aged just 13.

With a career-threatening knee injury now well behind her, El Sherbini marked her formidable promise on the world stage again only two months ago in London where she became the youngest player ever to reach the final of the prestigious British Open.

Runner-up last year, El Sherbini will be aiming to reach a record-equalling third world junior final in Doha this year - and then, with further possible appearances in the next two years' championships, has the potential to earn a total of four titles.

El Sherbini, now ranked seventh in the world, is expected to line up against England's European Junior champion Emily Whitlock, the number two seed, in the final.

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