Gangwon Province to host its first 3-cushion billiards World Cup in Yanggu

Gangwon Province will host the 3-cushion billiards World Cup — the sport's premier international competition — for the first time.

The Korea Billiards Federation (K-Billiards) announced Friday that it will hold the 2026 Yanggu World 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup from Nov. 2 to 8 at the Yanggu Comprehensive Sports Town in Yanggu-gun, Gangwon Province.

It will be the first time the World 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup has been held in Gangwon Province. Previous domestic editions were staged in Suwon, Guri, Cheongju and Seoul, with last year's event held in Gwangju. Yanggu's addition as a new host city this year extends the tournament's domestic footprint into the Gangwon region.

A total of 149 players are set to compete, including world No. 1 Cho Myung-woo (Seoul Metropolitan Government), world No. 2 Eddy Merckx (Belgium), world No. 4 Marco Zanetti (Italy), world No. 7 Dick Jaspers (the Netherlands) and world No. 14 Hur Jung-han (South Gyeongsang Province Billiards Federation).

Several major domestic billiards events will also take place at the same venue around the time of the World Cup. The 21st Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President's Cup 2026 National Billiards Championship runs from Nov. 6 to 11. Particularly, the World Cup and the national championship overlap from Nov. 6 to 8, allowing spectators to watch both an international and a national competition simultaneously at the Yanggu Comprehensive Sports Town.

The venue will also host the 2026 K-Billiards Division League Youth Championship — determining the top youth and junior players in the division league — from Oct. 12 to 13, followed by the 2026 K-Billiards Division League Club Team Championship, which crowns the best team in the division league, from Oct. 14 to 15.