Predator Group, the industry leader in innovative pool billiards products, has announced the resurrection of the Predator World Teams Championship, to take place in Klagenfurt, Austria September 6-11, 2022.
The 24-team tournament will have a €136,000 prize fund and will be the first time the event will be staged since 2014 in Beijing, China. The Predator World Teams Championship will be played alongside the Predator Women’s World 10-Ball Championship, which has a €148,000 prize fund and will run September 6-10.
As host nation, Austria will submit two teams to the tournament. Each team will comprise two men and one woman.
“It has been eight years since the World Teams Championship was held and the WPA has great pleasure to announce Predator as the new event Organiser,” said WPA President Ian Anderson. “The event this year will be held in Klagenfurt, Austria. This continues Predator’s pursuit of promoting our sport which has been of great benefit to everyone, and the WPA is proud to be associated with them.”
The tournament will be held in the hometown of two previous WPA World Champions, brother and sister Albin and Jasmin Ouschan. Jasmin was WPA Women’s World 10-Ball Champion in 2010 and her Ouschan Academy will be a promotional partner on the organizing committee of the events in Klagenfurt. The Ouschan siblings will be partnered by Mario He on the Austrian ‘A’ team.
The Predator World Teams Championship and Women’s World 10-Ball Championship are two more new events in the ever-expanding portfolio of the United States-based billiards manufacturer, which revamped the dormant Men’s World 10-Ball Championship in 2019 when it partnered with amateur league operator CueSports International to stage the event as part of CSI’s annual Expo in Las Vegas.
Last year, Predator and CSI launched the U.S. Pro Billiards Series – a series of professional 10-ball events coinciding with CSI state championships and expanded their offering into Europe with the Austria Open. The company extended into the women’s game further this year with the creation of women’s U.S. Pro Billiard Series events, including April’s WPBA Alfa Las Vegas Open.
“We are so excited to be reviving the World Teams Championship,” said Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Group. “We want to give back across the professional game and this event is a brilliant opportunity to bring together male and female players and create an exciting event which everybody can benefit from.”
A final list of countries and players participating will be published on the Pro Billiard Series website as soon as all countries have been confirmed. Already committed are Philippines (Carlo Biado, Johann Chua, Rubilen Amit), Japan (Masato Yoshika, Tatsu Kuribayashi, Yuki Hiraguchi) and United Kingdom (Darren Appleton, Jayson Shaw, Kelly Fisher).
The tournament will play double elimination down to the last eight. Each match is a best of five sets. The five sets will comprise one doubles set and three singles sets, starting with a set between each team’s female players. If a match is tied at 2-2 after four sets, a shootout set will determine the winner.
The Predator Pro Billiard Series is a series of open, professional events held around the world to provide more opportunities for professional and aspiring pool players to compete in high-quality events, earn more income, sharpen their skills and play their way into the Predator World 10-Ball Championship held each year by Predator and the World Pool-Billiards Association. Follow @probilliardseries on Facebook, @probilliardseries on Instagram or @PBilliardSeries on Twitter to follow the next events.
