The 2025 Predator WPA Men’s 10-Ball World Championship will take place at the Military Zone 7 Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City from 17/9 to 28/9. This is the first time Vietnam has hosted a world pool championship.
The tournament brings together 96 top cueists from around the world, including big names like defending champion Carlo Biado, Fedor Gorst, Joshua Filler, Shane Van Boening, Eklent Kaci, Ko Pin Yi, and Ko Ping Chung.
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Duong Quoc Hoang speaks at the press conference for the 2025 Predator WPA Men’s 10-Ball World Championship on 16/9. Photo: Vu Huynh |
Duong Quoc Hoang speaks at the press conference for the 2025 Predator WPA Men’s 10-Ball World Championship on 16/9. Photo: Vu Huynh
Vietnam has two cueists competing in the final round: Duong Quoc Hoang and Pham Phuong Nam. Other Vietnamese cueists still have the opportunity to participate through the qualifying round.
“I am very excited and ready to conquer all challenges with the tournament being held in my home country,” Quoc Hoang stated at the pre-tournament press conference on 16/9. “Competing on home turf brings a certain amount of pressure from myself and the fans. But if I can overcome that pressure, it will be a huge motivation. I am in relatively good form to fight with all my might.”
Quoc Hoang, from Quang Ninh province, is Vietnam's top pool player, nicknamed "Hoang Sao". In 2024, he secured a historic victory for Vietnam in the final of the Scottish Open 9-ball pool. Later, the 38-year-old also won the 2024 Reyes Cup with the Asian team. Quoc Hoang is currently ranked 22nd in the world.
According to the organizers, Vietnam has been preparing for 15 months to host this world 10-ball championship. In the last three days alone, 70 personnel, including experts from the US and Vietnam, have been working continuously with a large amount of equipment carefully transported to install 22 competition tables and three practice tables at the Military Zone 7 Stadium.
Quoc Hoang was also surprised to learn that Vietnam would host such a large-scale tournament. “I find the organization very meticulous and grand. International cueists have shared with me their excitement for the tournament. Everyone is looking forward to coming to Vietnam because it is a hospitable country with many billiards clubs and a large fan base.”
The total prize money for the series of events is 425,000 USD (approximately 11.2 billion VND), of which the prize money for the 2025 men's 10-ball championship alone is 250,000 USD (nearly 7 billion VND). The world 10-ball champion will receive 70,000 USD (1.8 billion VND), while the runner-up will receive 40,000 USD. The two players tied for third place will each receive 17,500 USD.
All three tournaments are co-organized by Box Billiards, Predator, and the Ho Chi Minh City Billiards & Snooker Federation (HBSF).
| The main difference between 9-ball and 10-ball pool lies in the number of balls and how they are played. 9-ball pool uses balls numbered 1 to 9, where players aim to pocket the lowest numbered ball on the table. 10-ball pool uses balls numbered 1 to 10 and players must call their shots, specifying which ball goes into which pocket. 9-ball pool: : The player must hit the lowest numbered ball on the table into a pocket. : The player who legally pockets the 9-ball wins the rack. 10-ball pool: : The player must specify (call the pocket) which object ball will be pocketed into which pocket. : The player who legally pockets the called object ball into the called pocket wins the rack. |
Duc Dong
