2008 World Cup of Pool

2008 World Cup of Pool 7 11 October 2008 Rotterdam Netherlands Matchroom Sport Single-elimination tournament $250,000 $30,000 per player United States (Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening) England (Daryl Peach and Mark Gray) 11–7 2007 2009 The 2008 World Cup of Pool (officially the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool) was a professional nine-ball pool tournament. It was the third edition of the World Cup of Pool, a pairs tournament for players representing national teams. The event was held again in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, from October 7–11, 2008 and organised by Matchroom Sport. There were 32 teams competing in a single-elimination tournament. The winners received $30,000 each from a total prize fund of $250,000. The defending champions were Li Hewen and Fu Jianbo representing China, who had won the previous year's event with a 11–10 victory over Mika Immonen and Markus Juva of Finland in the final. The Chinese pair were knocked out in the semi-finals by the English team. The United States team of Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening defeated the England team of Mark Gray and Daryl Peach 117 in the final to win the event. Format thumb|right|175px|nine-ball rack The 2008 World Cup of Pool (officially the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool) was a pairs nine-ball tournament held at the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The tournament was played between 7 and 12 October 2008 as scotch doubles, with players taking shots alternately.https://www.azbilliards.com/2008-partypoker-net-world-cup-of-pool/ 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool Aug 13, 2008 Jan 24, 2026 AZBilliards October 3, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241003110332/https://www.azbilliards.com/2008-partypoker-net-world-cup-of-pool/ live The tournament featured a single-elimination bracket consisting of 32 teams representing nations.Dutch hopeful of home glory at PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=870 August 25, 2008 24 January 2026 Pro9.co.uk 5 December 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251205174655/http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=870 livehttps://www.azbilliards.com/tournament/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/ PartyPoker World Cup of Pool 2008 - Outland Rotterdam - October 7 - 12th, 2008 - Results January 24, 2026 AZBilliards November 18, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251118180437/http://www.azbilliards.com/tournament/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/ live Matches in the opening two rounds were played as a race-to-eight racks, the quarter-finals and semi-finals as a race-to-nine, and the final as a race-to-11 racks. Players were allowed 40 seconds per shot,Format http://worldcupofpool.com/Format.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090209005637/http://worldcupofpool.com/Format.htm 9 February 2009 25 January 2026 Worldcupofpool.com and the event used the winner break breaks system.The US team wins World Cup of Pool http://www.billiardpulse.com/2008/10/us-team-wins-world-cup-of-pool.html 13 October 2008 Billiard Pulse Hermund Ardal 25 January 2026 10 August 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250810102559/http://www.billiardpulse.com/2008/10/us-team-wins-world-cup-of-pool.html live It was the third World Cup of Pool event, sponsored by Partypoker and hosted by Matchroom Sport.https://www.azbilliards.com/tournament/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/ PartyPoker World Cup of Pool 2008 - Outland Rotterdam - October 7 - 12th, 2008 January 24, 2026 AZBilliards November 18, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251118180437/http://www.azbilliards.com/tournament/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/ live The defending champions were Li Hewen and Fu Jianbo representing China, who had won the previous year's event with a 11–10 victory over Mika Immonen and Markus Juva of Finland in the final.2007-09-30 China Take World Cup in Thriller https://www.azbilliards.com/china-take-world-cup-in-thriller/ 2026-01-24 AZBilliards The 32 sides were split into two, 16 seeded, 16 unseeded. Broadcasting The event was broadcast worldwide, split into 31 one-hour episodes.Dutch duo complete World Cup of Pool line-up http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=39 https://web.archive.org/web/20081005123307/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=39 5 October 2008 September 22, 2008 25 January 2026 Worldcupofpool.com Commentary in English was by Phil Yates and Jim Wych.Video details http://worldcupofpool.com/Video.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090208121601/http://worldcupofpool.com/Video.htm 8 February 2009 25 January 2026 Worldcupofpool Below is a list of broadcasters by territory: Region Channel Australia Fox Sports China CCTV-5 Germany DSF Hong Kong i-CABLE Sports Iceland Screen One India NEO Sports Indonesia MEASAT Japan J Sky Sports Malaysia MEASAT Middle East Ten Sports / Showtime New Zealand Sky Network Philippines Solar Entertainment Romania Telesport Russia Seven TV Singapore StarHub TV Taiwan Videoland Ukraine MMS United Kingdom BSkyB United States Fox Prize fund The total prize fund for the 2008 event was $250,000, consistent with the previous year's tournament. The winning team received $60,000, which was split between the two players.Dutch hopeful of home glory at PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=870 Pro9.co.uk 15 September 2008 24 January 2026 5 December 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251205174655/http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=870 live The breakdown of prize money is shown below:Prize fund http://worldcupofpool.com/Prize-Fund.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090209004856/http://worldcupofpool.com/Prize-Fund.htm 9 February 2009 25 January 2026 WorldCupofPool.com Stage Prize money (Total) Winner $60,000 Runner-up $30,000 Semi-finalists $16,000 Quarter-finalists $10,000 Last 16 $5,000 Last 32 $3,000 Total $250,000 Teams The field consisted of 32 teams. As the host nation, the Netherlands were represented by two teams (Netherlands A and Netherlands B). The second Netherlands team (Roy Gerards and Gijs van Helmond) won an eight-team tournament to secure the position against other Dutch teams. Australia (Stuart Lawler and John Wims) Austria (Martin Kempter and Jasmin Ouschan) Belgium (Serge Das and Noel Bruynooghe) Canada (Edwin Montal and Tyler Edey) China (Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen) Croatia (Philipp Stojanovic and Ivica Putnik) Denmark (Kasper Kristoffersen and Martin Larsen) England (Daryl Peach and Mark Gray) Finland (Mika Immonen and Markus Juva) France (Stephan Cohen and Vincent Facquet) Germany (Thomas Engert and Ralf Souquet) Hong Kong (Kenny Kwok and Lee Chenman) Iceland (Bjorgvin Hallgrimsson and Kristján Helgason) India (Alok Kumar and Sumit Talwar) Italy (Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore) Japan (Naoyuki Ōi and Satoshi Kawabata) South Korea Korea (Kim Woong-dae and Jeong Young-hwa) Malaysia (Ibrahim Bin Amir and Lee Poh Soon) Malta (Tony Drago and Alex Borg) Netherlands A (Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg) Netherlands B (Roy Gerards and Gijs van Helmond) Peru (Jhon Lopez and Juan Vega) Philippines (Francisco Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo) Poland (Radosław Babica and Mateusz Śniegocki) Qatar (Bashar Hussain and Fahad Ahmed Al Mohammadi) Russia (Konstantin Stepanov and Ruslan Chinakhov) Spain (David Alcaide and Carlos Cabello) Switzerland (Marco Tschudi and Dimitri Jungo) Chinese Taipei (Wu Jia-qing and Wang Hung-hsiang) Thailand (Dechawat Poomjaeng and Nitiwat Kanjanasri) United States (Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening) Vietnam (Lương Chí Dũng and Thanh Nam Nguyen) Tournament summary Early rounds MC2008 M15 056 - Niels Feijen.JPG image of Niels Feijen 110 Third seeds (pictured) Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg were defeated in the first round by Serge Das and Noel Bruynooghe of Belgium 8–3. Nick van den Berg.JPG The first round was played as a race-to-8 rack racks. The third-seeded Dutch pairing of Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg were eliminated by the Belgian duo of Serge Das and Noel Bruynooghe 8–3.2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool - Day 1 Results https://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=894 Pro9.co.uk 7 October 2008 24 January 2026 15 August 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250815031727/http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=894 live Both Netherlands players were ranked in the top five in Europe at the time.Dutch destroyed as Belgium spring a surprise http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=47 https://web.archive.org/web/20081204050849/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=47 4 December 2008 Worldcupofpool.com 25 January 2026 Netherlands B, consisting of Roy Gerards and Gijs van Helmond, advanced with an 8–5 win over Chinese Taipei, who were represented by former world champion Wu Jia-qing and Wang Hung-hsiang.https://www.azbilliards.com/holland-b-ousts-early-favorite-taiwan/ Holland B Ousts Early Favorite Taiwan Oct 8, 2008 Jan 31, 20262008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool - Day 2 Results https://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=895 Pro9.co.uk October 9, 2008 25 January 2026 8 December 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251208095658/http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=895 live The defending champions from China, Li Hewen and Fu Jianbo were tied 55 with India's Alok Kumar and Sumit Talwar, but won three of the next four racks to win 86.https://www.azbilliards.com/defending-champs-china-advance-at-world-cup-of-pool/ Defending Champs China Advance At World Cup of Pool Oct 7, 2008 Jan 31, 2026Chinese duo back to defend their PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool title http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=2540 Pro9.co.uk 6 October 2008 23 January 2026 15 August 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250815025208/http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=2540 live The second seed, the Philippines team, Dennis Orcollo and Francisco Bustamante, won 8–2 against Denmark. The English team of Daryl Peach and Mark Gray led 50 and eventually won 84 over the Maltese team.England looking sharp and into the last 16 http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=46 https://web.archive.org/web/20081210200739/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=46 10 December 2008 25 January 2026 Worldcupofpool.comhttps://www.azbilliards.com/dutch-lose-world-cup-of-pool-battle-of-lowlands/ Dutch Lose World Cup of Pool Battle of Lowlands Oct 7, 2008 Jan 31, 2026 The previous year's finalist, the Finnish side Mika Immonen and Markus Juva lost in the opening round 48 to Korea. They recovered from 04 down to trail 45, but lost the next three racks, including a golden break in the last.2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool - Day 1 Results http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=894 Pro9.co.uk 25 January 2026 15 August 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250815031727/http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=894 liveKorea stun 2007 World Cup runners-up Finland http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=44 https://web.archive.org/web/20081210200719/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=44 10 December 2008 Worldcupofpool.com 25 January 2026 An unwell Vincent Facquet and Stephan Cohen lost to the Canadian team 58.French faux pas hand Canada victory http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=48 https://web.archive.org/web/20081010145441/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=48 10 October 2008 Worldcupofpool.com 25 January 2026 In addition to Finland, Chinese Taipei and the Netherland A sides, two other seeded teams were defeated in the first round. The 14th seed, the Vietnamese side of Lương Chí Dũng and Thanh Nam Nguyen won just one rack as they were defeated 18 by Austria.Classy Austrians floor Vietnam http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=50 https://web.archive.org/web/20081010145457/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=50 10 October 2008 25 January 2026 Worldcupofpool.com The 11th seed, the Spanish team of David Alcaide and Carlos Cabello led 72 against the Croatian team. They had to pot only two more balls to win the match. However, they missed the pot on the 8-ball and the Croatians won the next 6 racks to win 87.Spain throw it away as Croatia complete fightback http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=54 https://web.archive.org/web/20081010145517/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=54 10 October 2008 25 January 2026 worldcupofpool.comhttps://www.azbilliards.com/usa-and-germany-struggle-through-world-cup-round-two/ USA and Germany Struggle Through World Cup Round Two Oct 10, 2008 Jan 31, 2026 The round of 16 was played on 9 October 2008 also as a race-to-8 racks. The defending champions China were playing the Switzerland side of Marco Tschudi and Dimitri Jungo. With the scores tied at 66, Tschudi feathered the cue ball causing a foul. China won the rack before Switzerland tied the score at 77. For the match, Switzerland made a dry break and frustrated Tschudi punched the table. China ran the rest of the rack to win and take a 87 victory.http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=58 China scrape a win and into the quarter-finals https://web.archive.org/web/20081210154949/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=58 10 December 2008 26 January 2026 worldcupofpool.com Austria and Belgium were two unseeded teams, and were tied at 66. In rack 13, Serge Das missed a pot on the 2-ball which allowed Austria to win the rack, and ran the next rack to win 86.https://web.archive.org/web/20081210154954/http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=59 http://www.worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=59 Unseeded Austria march into the quarter-finals 10 December 2008 Worldcupofpool.com 26 January 2026 The ninth seeded Italian team of Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore completed an 80 whitewash victory over Korea. This was only the fourth whitewash at the World Cup of Pool.https://web.archive.org/web/20090209005316/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=60 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=60 Easy for Italy as they whitewash poor Korea 9 February 2009 Worldcupofpool.com 26 January 2026 The German team were behind 56, but won the next three racks to defeat Poland.2008 World Cup of Pool - the Official Site http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=61 https://web.archive.org/web/20090209005316/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=61 Nervous Germany relieved after Polish test 9 February 2009 The US team led 72 over the Canadian team of Edwin Montal and Tyler Edey, but lost the next three racks before winning 85.https://web.archive.org/web/20090209005316/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=61 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=61 USA keep World Cup hopes alive in Holland 10 December 2008 Worldcupofpool.com 26 January 2026 9 February 2009 Japan's Satoshi Kawabata and Naoyuki Ōi led 40 over the Dutch B side, but were brought back to 54, before eventually winning 85.https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182050/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=64 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=64 Dutch hopes ended at the hands of Japan 14 February 2009 Worldcupofpool.com 30 January 2026https://www.azbilliards.com/philippines-oust-disappointing-russia-at-world-cup/ Philippines Oust Disappointing Russia at World Cup Oct 11, 2008 Jan 31, 2026 Later-rounds (quarter-finals—final) MC2008 M10 015 - Shane van Boening.JPG MC2008 M05 019 - Rodney Morris.JPG The American team of Shane Van Boening (left) and Rodney Morris (right) won the event for the first time. 160 The quarter-finals were played as a race-to-9 racks. The Chinese first seeds led 51 and won 92 against the Italian side.https://www.azbilliards.com/england-beats-germany-for-world-cup-semi-spot/ England Beats Germany for World Cup Semi Spot Oct 11, 2008 Jan 31, 2026 In the tenth rack, Petroni looked close to tears after committing a few errors during the match.https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182101/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=66 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=66 Italy's World Cup of Pool run ends in tears Worldcupofpool.com 31 January 2026 14 February 2009 England led Germany 64 but were tied at 66, England won the next two racks to go to the hill. In rack 15, the break-off was deemed to be illegal by referee Michaela Tabb, allowing Germany to win the rack. However, England won rack 16 to win 97.https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182107/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=67 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=67 England produce a superb performance worldcupofpool.com 31 January 2026 14 February 2009 After the match, the pair commented that "only a tournament win is good enough" with Gray adding "we said before that if we could beat Germany then we would fancy our chances of going all the way and nothing has changed".https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182112/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=68 Peach: Anything less than the trophy is a failure http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=68 worldcupofpool.com 31 January 2026 14 February 2009 Austria and the United States team were tied at 77. In rack 15, Austria failed to make a ball on the break allowing the US team to win the rack and go onto the hill, and they won the match after running the next rack.https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182117/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=69 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=69 Morris and van Boening edge tough match Worldcupofpool.com 31 January 2026 14 February 2009https://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=899https://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=900 The Filipino team of Dennis Orcollo and Francisco Bustamante lost just two racks as they defeated Naoyuki Oi and Satoshi Kawabata of Japan 92. Their third match of the tournament, they had lost only seven racks, winning 25.https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182122/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=70 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=70 Philippines closing in on more World Cup glory worldcupofpool.com 31 January 2026 14 February 2009 The semi-finals were also played as a race-to-9 racks. The England team overcame the defending champions China 95. Gray commented "We had watched a bit of China and they are very attacking players and go for their shots but had not been under any pressure. We knew if we put them under pressure we would win."https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182139/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=71 live 14 February 2009 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=71 Peach and Gray inflict first defeat on Chinese duo worldcupofpool.com 3 February 2026 The US team were tied at 22 with the Filipino team, but won the next five racks. They eventually won the match 96. This was the second time in three years that the United States team had reached the final.https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182144/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=72 live 14 February 2009 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=72 USA meet England in the 2008 World Cup final worldcupofpool.com 3 February 2026 The final was played between the English and United States teams as a race-to-11 racks.http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=73 https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182202/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=73 14 February 2009 worldcupofpool.com USA win the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool The English team recovered from 02 down to trail by one at 34 but then lost the next four frames. The English side left the arena in rack 10 being accused of gamesmanship. The English side won the next two racks before completing a dry break to trail 59. England won the next two racks before the American team won rack 17 to go onto the hill, before running the 18th rack to win the match 117. Van Boening commented that he did not know Morris well before the tournament, but Morris commented that "it's more special for me to see Shane win and I was trying hard not to let him down."https://web.archive.org/web/20090214182240/http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=74 live 2009-02-14 http://worldcupofpool.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=74 USA delight at their first ever World Cup success worldcupofpool.comTeam USA wins World Cup of Pool azbilliards.com 7 January 2019 https://www.azbilliards.com/news/stories/4874-team-usa-wins-world-cup-of-pool/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170705134205/http://www.azbilliards.com/news/stories/4874-team-usa-wins-world-cup-of-pool/ 2017-07-05 livehttp://www.billiardpulse.com/2008/10/us-team-wins-world-cup-of-pool.html The US team wins World Cup of Pool Feb 7, 2026 Tournament bracket Below are the results from the event. Teams in bold denote match winners. Numbers to the left of teams represents the team's seedings.PartyPoker World Cup of Pool 2008 azbilliards.com 24 January 2026 https://www.azbilliards.com/tours_and_events/177-world-cup-of-pool/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/results/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170705144825/http://www.azbilliards.com/tours_and_events/177-world-cup-of-pool/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/results/ 2017-07-05 live Round of 32Race to 8 Round of 16Race to 8 Quarter-finalsRace to 9 Semi-finalsRace to 9 FinalRace to 11   India 6 1 China 8   Hong Kong 5 16 Switzerland 8   Peru 4 9 Italy 8   South Korea 8 8 Finland 4   Malta 4 5 England 8   France 5 12 Canada 8   Thailand 3 13 Poland 8   Qatar 3 4 Germany 8   Belgium 8 3 Netherlands 3   Austria 8 14 Vietnam 1   Croatia 8 11 Spain 7   Iceland 4 6 United States 8   Netherlands 8 7 Chinese Taipei 5   Australia 5 10 Japan 8   Malaysia 4 15 Russia 8   Denmark 2 2 Philippines 8 1 China 8 16 Switzerland 7 9 Italy 8   South Korea 0 5 England 8 12 Canada 4 13 Poland 6 4 Germany 8   Belgium 6   Austria 8   Croatia 5 6 United States 8   Netherlands 5 10 Japan 8 15 Russia 3 2 Philippines 8 1 China 9 9 Italy 2 5 England 9 4 Germany 7   Austria 7 6 United States 9 10 Japan 2 2 Philippines 9 1 China 5 5 England 9 6 United States 9 2 Philippines 6 5 England 7 6 United States 11 References External links https://www.azbilliards.com/tours_and_events/177-world-cup-of-pool/2424-partypoker-world-cup-of-pool-2008/ 2008 Category:2008 in cue sports Category:2008 in Dutch sport Category:International sports competitions hosted by the Netherlands Category:Sports competitions in Rotterdam Category:21st century in Rotterdam Category:Cue sports in the Netherlands Category:October 2008 sports events in Europe