THE world’s best cueists will once again battle it out for the crown jewel of the Nineball Tour as the World Pool Championship returns for 2025!
Fedor Gorst held off a sensational Eklent Kaci fightback to win last year’s incredible final 15-14.
Instagram @gorstyanichFedor Gorst won his second World Pool Championship last year[/caption]
GettyJayson Shaw is the top ranked Brit in the competition[/caption]
The Ghost seemed as if he was set to run away with the win after securing an early 3-0 lead, but a combo of misplaced shots and mistakes saw the match go into the final rack with a 13-13 score.
However, an accidental scratch dashed Kaci’s hopes of becoming world champion, which led to Gorst methodically clearing the table to earn his second title.
It also meant that Gorst etched his name in history as the youngest ever to win multiple World Pool Championship titles.
A win this year would put him level with Earl Strickland on three titles for the most ever.
But the Russian-born American resident will have to compete with a field looking better than ever.
Gorst’s biggest rivals, such as 2024 finalist Eklent Kaci, Spanish sensation Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Singaporean star Aloysius Yapp, American idol Shane van Boening and Scottish superstar Jayson Shaw, will all be among the 128 players in action.
This year there is an even bigger prize on offer, with the pot coming in at a record $1MILLION!
When is the World Pool Championship 2025?
The World Pool Championship 2025 will get underway on Monday, July 21.
It then concludes five days later – Saturday, July 26.
Green Halls in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to host this iconic tournament.
On day one of the competition, play will begin at 5pm BST (7pm local time).
For the rest of the week, play starts from 11am BST (1pm local)
What TV channel is the World Pool Championship 2025 on and can it be live streamed?
The World Pool Championship 2025 will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports in the UK.
UK viewers can also head to NOW TV or the Sky GO app to stream all the action.
For the US fans, you’ll need to tune in via DAZN which is also available in over 200 countries globally.
Alternatively, SunSport will live blog all the action as it happens.
What has been said?
The President of the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation Nayef Aljawini, admitted his excitement about this new partnership.
Nayef Aljawini said: “We’re delighted to launch this partnership, positioning Saudi Arabia at the center of the global billiards and snooker scene.
“It highlights the world’s trust in the Kingdom’s ability to host major events and opens up new opportunities to cultivate local talent and train the next generation of Saudi players.”
Gorst, who is going for a record-equalling third world title, said: “It’s hard to say what it would mean, but it would be special.
“One day, it’d be nice to tell my grandkids, ‘Hey, your grandpa was a three-time world champion.’
“To be mentioned alongside legends like Earl Strickland or even Efren Reyes – it would mean a lot.”
World Pool Championship 2025 schedule and results
There are 16 tables of play in the first couple of rounds with the field narrowing the later into the week it goes.
The competition is also a double elimination, meaning a loss in the early rounds is NOT an automatic exit from the tournament.
Players must lose twice in Stage 1 to be totally out of the competition.
An early round win means a player moves into the winners’ bracket and a loss puts them into the losers’ bracket.
The two brackets then combine in Stage 2 with players getting closer to the final.
Stage 1
July 21 – Round 1, race to 9 racks – from 7pm BST
July 22 – Round 1, race to 9 racks – from 11am BST
TBC – Round 2 (Winners), race to 9 racks
TBC – Round 2 (Losers), race to 9 racks
Stage 2
TBC
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