The World Nineball Tour are delighted to confirm the top 100 ranked players qualified to play in the crown jewel of WNT, the World Pool Championship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
The thrilling final of the 2024 UK Open Pool Championship cemented the top 100 WNT ranked professionals gearing up for the World Pool Championship in the Green Halls, Jeddah between 3-8 June, in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation (SABSF) and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport.
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz maintains his status as No.1 on the rankings, and is joined by other stars including Shane Van Boening, Fedor Gorst, and Albin Ouschan in a pursuit to claim another World Pool Championship title next month.
Ruiz said: “I am so happy to retain my No.1 ranking, especially as we head into this year’s World Pool Championship in Saudi Arabia next month. My goal is not only to maintain my top position on the World Nineball Tour but also to defend my World Pool Championship title. I am determined to showcase my best game and emerge victorious once again on the world stage.”
The landmark event will see a field of 128 elite cueists battling it out in a double-elimination format for the record-breaking prize fund of $1,000,000, and a top prize of $250,000 – both the highest ever on the World Nineball Tour.
In addition to the top 100, the remaining 28 players will be made up of wildcard entries, 13 of whom will represent the host nation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Full details of the players representing Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries will be announced soon.
Matchroom Multi Sport CEO Emily Frazer said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has hosted the world’s premier sporting spectacles of late and we are thrilled to be staging the prestigious World Pool Championships in Jeddah. Now the world’s top 100 are all signed up, this tournament truly will live up to the hype. The fans are in for a real treat and you will not want to miss it.
“We are hugely grateful to both the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport for their incredible vision and invaluable support in making this elite event a reality.”
The World Pool Championship joins an incredible year-round schedule of international sports in Saudi Arabia, where investment across all sports is inspiring the population to embrace active and healthy lifestyles as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 cultural transformation.
From its investments in grassroots infrastructure to hosting international events – including motorsport, football, tennis, and boxing – the country’s Ministry of Sport has helped inspire an 800% increase in organised sports groups and a 300% increase in weekly sports participation among the local population.
Saudi Arabia Billiard & Snooker Federation President Dr. Nasser Saab Al-Shammari added: “We could not be more excited to host the World Pool Championship, an incredible international event steeped in history and prestige with a huge global following. Welcoming the world’s greatest players for the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the World Nineball Tour is an occasion that will certainly be embraced and enjoyed by a Saudi population whose affiliation with this sport dates back many decades. The opportunity to work alongside both Matchroom Sport and our Ministry of Sport in staging this spectacle is a genuine privilege.”
The top 100 World Nineball Tour players:
- Francisco Sánchez Ruiz – Spain
- Fedor Gorst – USA
- Shane Van Boening – USA
- Ko Ping Chung – Chinese Taipei
- Jayson Shaw – Great Britain
- Albin Ouschan – Austria
- Joshua Filler – Germany
- David Alcaide – Spain
- Aloysius Yapp – Singapore
- Mario He – Austria
- Wiktor Zielinski – Poland
- Ko Pin Yi – Chinese Taipei
- Eklent Kaci – Albania
- Moritz Neuhausen – Germany
- Max Lechner – Austria
- Skyler Woodward – USA
- Alex Kazakis – Greece
- Mieszko Fortuński – Poland
- Pijus Labutis – Lithuania
- Niels Feijen – Netherlands
- Jonas Souto – Spain
- Robbie Capito – Hong Kong China
- Sanjin Pehlivanovic – Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Carlo Biado – Philippines
- Naoyuki Oi – Japan
- Michael Feliciano – Philippines
- Aleksa Pecelj – Serbia
- Tyler Styer – USA
- Mohammad Soufi – Syria
- John Morra – Canada
- Duong Quoc Hoang – Vietnam
- Konrad Juszczyszyn – Poland
- Olivér Szolnoki – Hungary
- Oscar Dominguez – USA
- Chang Jung Lin – Chinese Taipei
- Marc Bijsterbosch – Netherlands
- Thorsten Hohmann – Germany
- Anton Raga – Philippines
- Wu Kun Lin – Chinese Taipei
- Denis Grabe – Estonia
- Dang Jin Hu – China
- Abdullah Alyousef – Kuwait
- Shane Wolford – USA
- Ralf Souquet – Germany
- Billy Jr Ussery – USA
- James Aranas – Philippines
- Jani Uski – Finland
- Lee Vann Corteza – Philippines
- Dimitri Jungo – Switzerland
- Alex Pagulayan – Canada
- Billy Thorpe – USA
- Mickey Krause – Denmark
- Roland Garcia – Philippines
- Tobias Bongers – Germany
- Imran Majid – Great Britain
- Chris Melling – Great Britain
- Dimitris Loukatos – Greece
- Hsieh Chia Chen – Chinese Taipei
- Chang Yu Lung – Chinese Taipei
- Johann Chua – Philippines
- Darren Appleton – Great Britain
- Francesco Candela – Italy
- Elliott Sanderson – Great Britain
- Kyle Amoroto – Philippines
- Besar Spahiu – Albania
- Liu Ri Teng – Chinese Taipei
- Emil André Gangfløt – Norway
- Jeremy Sossei – USA
- Jan van Lierop – Netherlands
- Marco Teutscher – Netherlands
- Omar alshaheen – Kuwait
- João Grilo – Portugal
- Mustafa Alnar – Northern Cyprus
- Lo Ho Sum – Hong Kong China
- Hunter Lombardo – USA
- Sullivan Clark – New Zealand
- Nguyen Anh Tuan – Vietnam
- Georgi Georgiev – Bulgarian
- Bernie Regalario – Philippines
- Michael Schneider – Switzerland
- Patric Gonzales – Philippines
- Fitim Haradinaj – Kosovo
- Jeffrey Ignacio – Philippines
- Tim De Ruyter – Netherlands
- ΝIkos Ekonomopoulos – Greece
- Ajdin Piknjac – Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Toh Lian Han – Singapore
- Daniel Guttenberger – Austria
- Jefrey Roda – Philippines
- Karl Gnadeberg – Estonia
- Masato Yoshioka – Japan
- Fu Che Wei – Chinese Taipei
- Riku Romppanen – Finland
- Albert Manas – Philippines
- Pham Phuong Nam – Vietnam
- Kledio Kaci – Albania
- Luong Duc Thien – Vietnam
- Nicholas De Leon – USA
- Kuo Po Cheng – Chinese Taipei
- Ko Ping Han – Chinese Taipei
