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 andIreland.
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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:
1. Francisco Sánchez Ruiz – Spain
2. Fedor Gorst – USA
3. Shane Van Boening – USA
4. Ko Ping Chung – Chinese Taipei
5. Jayson Shaw – Great Britain
6. Albin Ouschan – Austria
7. Joshua Filler – Germany
8. David Alcaide – Spain
9. Aloysius Yapp – Singapore
10. Mario He – Austria
11. Wiktor Zielinski – Poland
12. Ko Pin Yi – Chinese Taipei
13. Eklent Kaci – Albania
14. Moritz Neuhausen – Germany
15. Max Lechner – Austria
16. Skyler Woodward – USA
17. Alex Kazakis – Greece
18. Mieszko Fortuński – Poland
19. Pijus Labutis – Lithuania
20. Niels Feijen – Netherlands
21. Jonas Souto – Spain
22. Robbie Capito – Hong Kong China
23. Sanjin Pehlivanovic – Bosnia and Herzegovina
24. Carlo Biado – Philippines
25. Naoyuki Oi – Japan
26. Michael Feliciano – Philippines
27. Aleksa Pecelj – Serbia
28. Tyler Styer – USA
29. Mohammad Soufi – Syria
30. John Morra – Canada
31. Duong Quoc Hoang – Vietnam
32. Konrad Juszczyszyn – Poland
33. Olivér Szolnoki – Hungary
34. Oscar Dominguez – USA
35. Chang Jung Lin – Chinese Taipei
36. Marc Bijsterbosch – Netherlands
37. Thorsten Hohmann – Germany
38. Anton Raga – Philippines
39. Wu Kun Lin – Chinese Taipei
40. Denis Grabe – Estonia
41. Dang Jin Hu – China
42. Abdullah Alyousef – Kuwait
43. Shane Wolford – USA
44. Ralf Souquet – Germany
45. Billy Jr Ussery – USA
46. James Aranas – Philippines
47. Jani Uski – Finland
48. Lee Vann Corteza – Philippines
49. Dimitri Jungo – Switzerland
50. Alex Pagulayan – Canada
51. Billy Thorpe – USA
52. Mickey Krause – Denmark
53. Roland Garcia – Philippines
54. Tobias Bongers – Germany
55. Imran Majid – Great Britain
56. Chris Melling – Great Britain
57. Dimitris Loukatos – Greece
58. Hsieh Chia Chen – Chinese Taipei
59. Chang Yu Lung – Chinese Taipei
60. Johann Chua – Philippines
61. Darren Appleton – Great Britain
62. Francesco Candela – Italy
63. Elliott Sanderson – Great Britain
64. Kyle Amoroto – Philippines
65. Besar Spahiu – Albania
66. Liu Ri Teng – Chinese Taipei
67. Emil André Gangfløt – Norway
68. Jeremy Sossei – USA
69. Jan van Lierop – Netherlands
70. Marco Teutscher – Netherlands
71. Omar alshaheen – Kuwait
72. João Grilo – Portugal
73. Mustafa Alnar – Northern Cyprus
74. Lo Ho Sum – Hong Kong China
75. Hunter Lombardo – USA
76. Sullivan Clark – New Zealand
77. Nguyen Anh Tuan – Vietnam
78. Georgi Georgiev – Bulgarian
79. Bernie Regalario – Philippines
80. Michael Schneider – Switzerland
81. Patric Gonzales – Philippines
82. Fitim Haradinaj – Kosovo
83. Jeffrey Ignacio – Philippines
84. Tim De Ruyter – Netherlands
85. ΝIkos Ekonomopoulos – Greece
86. Ajdin Piknjac – Bosnia and Herzegovina
87. Toh Lian Han – Singapore
88. Daniel Guttenberger – Austria
89. Jefrey Roda – Philippines
90. Karl Gnadeberg – Estonia
91. Masato Yoshioka – Japan
92. Fu Che Wei – Chinese Taipei
93. Riku Romppanen – Finland
94. Albert Manas – Philippines
95. Pham Phuong Nam – Vietnam
96. Kledio Kaci – Albania
97. Luong Duc Thien – Vietnam
98. Nicholas De Leon – USA
99. Kuo Po Cheng – Chinese Taipei
100. Ko Ping Han – Chinese Taipei