MATCHROOM CONFIRMS BUMPER 2022 NINEBALL SCHEDULE
Jan 10, 2022
Matchroom is delighted to present the 2022 Nineball schedule sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association with for the first time ever the inclusion of tournaments promoted by some of the most established and professional event organisers in Diamond Billiards, Pat Fleming, the EuroTour, and more.
Seeding for tournaments in 2022 will be based off the Matchroom Nineball World Rankings as decided by the Rankings Committee who will continue to monitor the status throughout 2022 to ensure they fairly reflect performance.
The 2023 rankings will take shape from the first tournament on the 2022 schedule with Diamond Billiards’ Derby City Classic, Nineball event in Kentucky, USA on January 26. After the conclusion of the Nineball tournament, the 2023 rankings will start to take shape and be available to see at www.matchroompool.com
Matchroom’s first tournament of the season will be the newly named Premier League Pool from February 13, to February 20 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. Premier League Pool will be a non-ranking event where 16 players will compete in a league format with a prize fund of $100,000 with a guaranteed payout for last place of $2,500 and the winner taking home $20,000. It will see the top 12 players on the Matchroom Nineball World Rankings plus four wild cards invited.
The EuroTour will have five events on the schedule starting with the Lasko Open (February 26-28) in Lasko, Slovenia.
The first Blue Ribbon (an event with over $300,000 in prize money) tournament of the season follows with the World Pool Championship from April 5-9 with World No.1 Albin Ouschan out to defend his title in a fierce field of 128.
After the World Pool Championship, the EuroTour visits Treviso for the first of two Treviso Open tournaments from April 29 to May 2.
Alexander Kazakis will head to Gibraltar for the World Pool Masters (May 5-8) as the defending champion with the top 20 players on the Matchroom Nineball Pool World Rankings, along with four wildcards invited. Tight pockets, an elite field, and a bruising single-elimination format means only a player at the very top of their game can walk away with the World Pool Masters title.
The first-ever UK Open Pool (May 17-22) will follow with a bumper field of 256 out to claim the inaugural crown and a slice of the $200,000 prize pot. With an entry fee of only $250, it offers the perfect opportunity for a breakout star to make their mark and stake their claim on the Nineball World Rankings. Entries will open for the UK Open on Friday, January 14 at 2 pm UK time.
The World Cup of Pool (June 13-18) is one of Pool’s most unique events and Germany will be out to defend their title at the Brentwood Centre in Essex, England.
There’s a EuroTour doubleheader in June and August with trips to Salzburg, Austria and Petrich, Bulgaria on June 24-27 and August 6-8 respectively.
The US Open Pool Championship will return to the Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City from October 10, to October 15 with reigning champion World No. 2 Carlo Biado looking to take home one of the biggest titles on the schedule once again.
At the conclusion of the US Open Pool Championship, both Team USA and Team Europe will know their first three players for the Mosconi Cup with both teams taking the top two players off the 2023 rankings along with a wildcard each.
Pat Fleming’s International Open Nineball tournament (30-5 November) will feature for the first time where Ouschan will look to replicate what was an incredible year in 2021.
Another new event promoted by Matchroom will take place in Germany with the European Open (November 15-20) with an open field of 256 set to battle for the first-place prize of $30,000.
At the end of the European Open, the 2023 rankings will be known with the final two players for both Europe and the USA’s Mosconi Cup rosters to be announced with one further player coming off the rankings for each side and one further wild card by both respective captains.
The final EuroTour to feature on the calendar will be in Treviso (25-27 November).
The 2022 Mosconi Cup (November 30-5) promises to be one of the spectacles of the year as the USA look to bounce back on home soil at Bally’s Resort, Las Vegas after just missing out 11-7 at Alexandra Palace in 2021.
All tournaments on the schedule where needed will be seeded based on the 2022 Nineball World Rankings. See the Nineball Information Pack here with all the information you need to know about each event including entry criteria’s and more.
See more as Matchroom launches the Nineball Pool World Rankings here.