Road to 2030: South Korea’s Billiards National Team Selection for Asian Games Begins

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The Korea Billiards Federation announced on April 17 that it will hold the 2026 Korea Billiards National Team Trials as part of preparations for the 2030 Doha Asian Games, marking billiards’ return to the Games after a 20-year absence.

The federation said the trials will launch a formal national team selection and development system and lay the groundwork for a medium- to long-term team operation framework.

The first trials will run April 18–22 at the National Sports Center in Goseong, South Gyeongsang, followed by the final trials April 28–29 at Jamsil DN Coliseum in Seoul. Four disciplines—Carom 3-Cushion, Pocket 9-Ball, Snooker and English Billiards—are included, with a total of 18 national team berths at stake.

Under the plan, the federation will pick three players each in women’s Carom 3-Cushion, men’s Pocket 9-Ball, Snooker and English Billiards, totaling 12. For men’s Carom 3-Cushion and women’s Pocket 9-Ball, the final three-player lineups will include two qualifiers from the trials plus one seeded player based on world rankings.

Selections will be decided through a round-based format. Carom 3-Cushion and Pocket 9-Ball will use a three-stage process, while Snooker and English Billiards will feature two stages to evaluate competitiveness step by step.

Snooker competition opens on April 18, followed by Carom 3-Cushion, Pocket 9-Ball and English Billiards. Final rosters for Carom 3-Cushion and Pocket 9-Ball will be confirmed at the Seoul final trials.

Players who earn spots will join the national program and receive structured support, including centralized training camps, mental coaching and support for international tournament assignments. The federation also plans to develop tiered squads—talent pool, youth and reserve teams—to steadily boost South Korea’s international competitiveness in billiards.

More than a one-off selection event, these trials mark the launch of a comprehensive national-team development effort aimed at Doha 2030. The Korea Billiards Federation said it will refine discipline-specific selection procedures and expand exchanges with leading billiards nations, including Qatar and European powerhouses, to accelerate international competitiveness.

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