Two-time MVP Skyler Woodward will make his ninth-consecutive Mosconi Cup appearance at Alexandra Palace, from December 6-9th in London live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, after securing the first automatic qualification spot for Team USA through the World Nineball Tour Rankings.
The 30 year old was instrumental in leading the Americans to back-to-back Mosconi Cup titles in 2018 and 2019, and following a run of strong form in 2023 – reaching the semi-finals of both the UK Open and Spanish Open Pool Championships respectively – he’ll be aiming to recapture Pool’s most prestigious title under returning captain Jeremy Jones.
The first cut-off point for automatic selection for the 30th Anniversary Mosconi Cup arrived at the European Open Pool Championship, with Francisco Sanchez Ruiz confirmed ahead of the tournament as Team Europe’s first selection.
With Woodward defeated in the last 32 by fellow American Tyler Styer, Shane Van Boening would have qualified with a place in the final. In beating the South Dakota Kid in the semi-finals en route to the title, David Alcaide confirmed Woodward’s spot at the Ally Pally spectacle.
“It feels great to be on the team any year, but to be there for the 30th Anniversary year, it feels pretty amazing,” said Woodward. “I feel like I’m playing great, breaking better and better at every event. I feel like I’ve got to keep growing, hopefully get a title under my belt.
“Last year I played really well and I feel I like I could’ve won the last match too and put us in a good position, tied up at 8-8 going into the last day, but I missed a ball and David capitalised on it.
“We know we’ve had chances. In the last two Mosconi Cups, we’ve had the lead twice and let it slip away. We just have to keep pushing and getting the wins to get there.
“I feel like a veteran on the team. Last year I had the second-most amount of appearances on the US side, so I feel like one of the veterans now. The younger guys are stepping up in America and things are starting to look up. I’ll talk to them and help them to understand what to expect to try have everybody in the best form.
“There’s nothing like the Mosconi Cup, period. To be at Ally Pally is going to be crazy. It would mean the world to get the title. We need to push and grow from everything we’ve learnt this year.”
The stakes have never been higher for the Mosconi Cup with the prize fund ramped up by 30% with all members of the winning side set to take home $40,000 and runner-ups taking $20,000 each.
Last year, the crowd in Las Vegas set the barometer for the atmosphere with levels expected to ramp up even further thanks to Matchroom’s plans to create a 360 arena in London for the first time as the USA look to win on European waters for the first time since 2018.
There are limited tickets available from £50 per day with a whole host of options available including VIP and following success in the USA, both Gold Sofas and VIP Sofas tickets offering fans the experience of a lifetime from behind the Team Europe and USA benches. VIP ticket holders will get access to the Mosconi Cup VIP lounge before play where they will be treated to a two-course buffet dinner along with unlimited drinks for four hours. Once in the arena, VIP holders will get a premium feel with a padded seat for the extra comfort.