European Open to be staged in Hohmann's hometown of Fulda, Germany

Matchroom Pool is pleased to confirm the inaugural European Open Pool Championship will take place in Thorsten Hohmann’s hometown of Fulda, Germany at the Hotel Esperanto Fulda from August 9-14 2022 with player entries open next Tuesday, 21 June, and spectator tickets available to purchase from Monday 27^th June.

The European Open Pool Championship is the latest event to be added to the Nineball World Ranking schedule with 256 of the world’s best set to head to Germany, scheduled live on Sky Sports. The tournament will be played out in the same way as May’s first-ever UK Open and the US Open Pool Championship. It will see players fight through a seeded double elimination stage led by the top 32 on the Nineball World Rankings. Only the last 16 will make it through to the straight knockout stage.

Hohmann: “It’s always been a dream for me to have a tournament in my home, Fulda. It’s in the heart of Germany. It’s accessible and it’s a beautiful town. It will be perfect for us. The venue. The players and fans will like it. I am just one of many talents to come out of Fulda. We have at least five European champions. We have a big history. Bringing the world to Fulda is great for Pool in Germany and Fulda.”

“On one hand, I want it to be a success, so I don’t want to play. I just want to be a part of organising it and getting promotion there and getting the residents of Fulda to support the event and for them to experience it on this level with a production level never seen before in Germany. On the other hand, I want to do well and play well.”

Leon Scholz of Team Esperanto said “We as the Hotel Esperanto are pleased to host Matchroom Pool’s inaugural European Open Pool Championship and welcome the players and their fans in Fulda – the hometown of hall of famer Thorsten Hohmann. We are looking forward to an exciting tournament featuring 256 of the best pool players in the world as well as numerous fans who will follow the event live here at Hotel Esperanto or on TV.”

Emily Frazer, Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director said: “2022 has been a mighty year for Pool, with our development of the Nineball World Rankings; seedings and ranking events have been a solid progression for the Pool, thrusting a lot of excitement and hope amongst the top professional players. Expanding the volume of hours of Pool shown live on Sky Sports is a major boost for the European Open as we aim to promote the game to a wider audience. Heading to Fulda, the hometown of the superstar Thorsten Hohmann sets the scene for this first-time event; with us taking the plunge to push our events further around the globe. I can’t wait to see what numbers turn out for this, either way, expect fireworks in traditional Matchroom fashion!”

Key Dates

• Tuesday, 21 June – Player Entries open at 3 pm UK time
• Monday, 27 June – Spectator tickets on sale

The tournament will carry vital Major Ranking event status for the Live Nineball World Rankings as well as a $200,000 prize fund. Player entries will cost only $250.

The event will be available live around the world, split across the Double Elimination and Single Elimination stages of the tournament allowing for global coverage. Matchroom.Live and Matchroom Pool social media channels will produce the streamed double elimination stage with Sky Sports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live televising the Last 16 onwards as well as other broadcasters worldwide including SportKlub, Sportscast and more. See where you can watch here.

Sign up for alerts for the European Open Pool Championship here.