World Cup of Pool
The World Cup of Pool is an annual international single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball pool competition. The Philippines holds the record in tournament wins, winning the event on four occasions. In 2023, they became the first country to win the cup by entering the event unseeded.[1][2]
| Sport | Nine-ball pool |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Inaugural season | 2006 |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Philippines (4th title)James Aranas / Johann Chua (2023) |
| Tournament format | Doubles team, Single-elimination |
History
The tournament is held annually, at various locations, and was first held in 2006 in Newport, Wales.[3] The tournament is hosted by Matchroom Pool.
Format
There are usually 32 participating teams, representing 31 nations (the host nation is represented by two teams, A and B) composed of two players each. The participating nations do not have to go through a qualifying tournament in order to join, as they are selected by the organizers. Sixteen teams are seeded; they will face the unseeded teams at the first round.
The individual matches are scotch doubles with alternating break, which are races to seven racks for Round 1 and 2, nine racks for the quarterfinals and semifinals, and eleven for the final. The rules used are World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World Standardized Rules for nine-ball, modified for scotch doubles play (players on a team alternate shots; no one shoots twice in a row, unless being asked to play again after pushing out).[4]
Results
Statistics
Performances by nation
| # | Country | Winners | Runners-up | Semi-finalists | Top 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philippines | 4 (2006, 2009, 2013, 2023) | 2 (2010, 2019) | 2 (2008, 2009) | 8 |
| 2 |  China | 3 (2007, 2010, 2018) | — | 5 (2008, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2023) | 8 |
| 3 |  Germany | 2 (2011, 2021) | 2 (2009, 2023) | 2 (2006, 2010) | 6 |
| 4 |  Austria | 2 (2017, 2019) | 1 (2018) | 2 (2014, 2023) | 5 |
| 5 |  Great Britain^ | 1 (2014) | 3 (2008, 2015, 2021) | 1 (2015) | 5 |
| 6 |  United States | 1 (2008) | 2 (2006, 2017) | 2 (2012, 2022) | 5 |
| 7 |  Finland | 1 (2012) | 1 (2007) | 2 (2013, 2014) | 4 |
| 8 |  Chinese Taipei | 1 (2015) | — | 7 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2022) | 8 |
| 9 |  Spain |
1 (2022) | — | 1 (2019) | 2 |
| 10 |  Netherlands | — | 2 (2013, 2014) | 1 (2019) | 3 |
| 11 |  Thailand | — | 1 (2011) | — | 1 |
 Poland | — | 1 (2012) | — | 1 | |
 Singapore | — | 1 (2022) | — | 1 | |
| 12 |  Japan | — | — | 2 (2007, 2015) | 2 |
| 13 |  Vietnam | — | — | 1 (2006) | 1 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | — | — | 1 (2007) | 1 | |
 Korea | — | — | 1 (2011) | 1 | |
 Estonia | — | — | 1 (2021) | 1 | |
 Slovakia | — | — | 1 (2021) | 1 | |
| Total | 16 | 16 | 32 | 64 | |
^ = Results include England from 2006 to 2023
Performance by Continent
| # | Continent | Winners | Runners-up | Semi-finalists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia | 8 | 4 | 18 | 30 |
| 2 | Europe | 7 | 10 | 11 | 28 |
| 3 | North America | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | South America | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | Africa | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | Oceania | - | - | - | - |
References
- Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (July 3, 2023). "PH makes history as duo wins World Cup of Pool title". Philippine news agency. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- Pool, Matchroom (2023-07-02). "THE PHILIPPINES CREATE WORLD CUP OF POOL HISTORY". Matchroom Pool. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- "World Cup of Pool - Matchroom Pool". Matchroom Pool. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
- "World Cup of Pool". Matchroom Pool. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
External links
- World Cup of Pool – Official site
- WPA Pool Calendar Archived 2015-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
- AzBilliards.com
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