The men's event was first held in 1976 in London, England and the women's was inaugurated in 1976 in Brisbane, Australia.

The British Open had for many years been generally considered to be the sport's effective world championship, and this continued to be the case until the World Open (now called World Championship) was established.

[1] [2] The women's World Championship was held once every two years until the early 1990s, when it became an annual event.

The men's event has been held every year since 1976, except for a two-year gap in 2000 and 2001 when it was not held due primarily to difficulties in securing sponsorship.

In recent years, the men's World Championship has been part of the PSA World Series.