The defending champion will begin her campaign against England's Rachael Chadwick next month, with organisers having released the competition draw.

El Sherbini earned her third world title last year, overcoming fellow Egyptian Nour El Tayeb in the final at Chicago's Union Station.

Her potential route to this year's final could include a meeting with New Zealand's Joelle King, as well as a possible semi-final showdown with France's Camille Serme, the world number three.

World number one Raneem El Welily features on the other side of the draw, with the Egyptian facing compatriot Sana Ibrahim in the first round.

Her prospective route to the final could include meetings with El Tayeb in the quarter-finals, as well as a last-four match against Nouran Gohar, another Egyptian star.

The World Championships are in Egypt for the first time since 2006, with the Great Pyramid of Giza providing the backdrop to competition.

The event will take place from October 24 to November 1.

The men's Egyptian Squash Open will be held alongside the Women's World Championship.

World number one Ali Farag heads the field, with the Egyptian star receiving a bye into the second round of the competition.

The world champion is on the same side of the draw as Germany's Simon Rosner and New Zealand's Paul Coll, the world number five and six, respectively.

Egypt's Tarek Momen is the highest ranked seed on the other half of the draw, with his compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad, Peru's Diego Elias and Colombia's Miguel Rodriguez posing potential obstacles on his path to the final.