The top seed has been drawn against compatriot Mazen Hesham in the first round, it has been announced today, and will play defending champion Ramy Ashour, another Egyptian, in the quarter-finals if seedings go to plan.

World number five Ashour will face a qualifier to get his tournament underway after beating Elshorbagy, a two-time World Championship runner-up, 3-2 in last year's final.

Elshorbagy will be the man to beat as he has won four consecutive World Series titles to give him a strong lead at the top of the PSA Road to Dubai standings.

Egypt's Omar Mossad, the world number four, has a difficult clash with Australia's Cameron Pilley in round one.

On the other side of the draw, France's world champion Gregory Gaultier and England's world number three Nick Matthew are scheduled to meet in the semi-finals.

The Englishman will open against Marwan Elshorbagy in the first round while Gaultier will play Matthews' compatriot Tom Richards.

"The El Gouna International has firmly established itself as one of the most exciting and awe-inspiring tournaments on the PSA World Tour calendar," said tournament promoter Amr Mansi.

"An abundance of talent, including 19 of the world’s top 20 players, is set to engage in some unforgettable matches across six days of truly world-class action as the event, now entering its fifth year, continues to go from strength-to-strength."

The tournament will be held between April 24 and April 29.