Q Tour Global Play-Off | Draw & Preview
The draw has been made for the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) Q Tour Global Play-Off, where 24 players will compete for three two-year World Snooker Tour cards.
The prestigious event will be held alongside the EBSA European Championships in Bosnia & Herzegovina from 13-15 March 2024.
The 2023/24 WPBSA Q Tour season saw the tour go global for the first time by incorporating series’ in the Middle East, Americas and Asia-Pacific region alongside the UK/Europe series which has been held since 2021/22. Cueists from across the globe have been competing all year to earn a coveted spot in the Global Play-Off.
View the full qualification criteria. (Please note that due to the Asia-Pacific qualifiers being unable to attend the event for personal reasons, these places have been awarded to the next highest-ranked from the UK/Europe series).
The 24 players have been split into three sections of eight and the player coming through each section successfully will earn their place on the World Snooker Tour from the 2024/25 season.
Play-Off 1
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 Frames)
- Liam Davies (Wales) vs. Peter Devlin (England)
- Hamim Hussain (England) vs. Rory McLeod (Jamaica)
- Duane Jones (Wales) vs. Vito Puopolo (Canada)
- Florian Nuessle (Austria) vs. Craig Steadman (England)
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 Frames)
- L Davies/Devlin vs. Hussain/McLeod
- Jones/Puopolo vs. Nuessle/Steadman
Final (Best of 19 Frames)
- Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2
Liam Davies, the top ranked player in the play-off from the UK/Europe series, is the top seed in the first section as he kicks off his event his with a difficult encounter against former professional Peter Devlin, who secured his place in the play-off as a benefactor of withdrawals from the Asia-Pacific series.
Veteran former professionals Rory McLeod and Craig Steadman are among the other big names to feature in a high-quality section.
McLeod, who famously defeated Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre in 2017, faces 22-year-old Hamim Hussain the first round while Steadman meets Austrian national champion Florian Nuessle in the opening best-of-nine frame contest.
The line up is completed by Welsh former professional Duane Jones, who begins his campaign against Americas event one winner Vito Puopolo, who has previously competed in the 2023 World Seniors Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
Play-Off 2
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 Frames)
- Peter Lines (England) vs. Tyler Rees (Wales)
- Chris Totten (Scotland) vs. Iulian Boiko (Ukraine)
- Barry Pinches (England) vs. Steven Hallworth (England)
- Amir Sarkhosh (Iran) vs. Harvey Chandler (England)
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 Frames)
- Lines/Rees vs. Totten/Boiko
- Pinches/Hallworth vs. Sarkhosh/Chandler
Final (Best of 19 Frames)
- Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2
The second section of the draw sees six former professionals aiming to regain their main tour status in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
There are two first round meetings between cueists who have previous plied their trade on the main tour, with Scotland’s Chris Totten and Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko facing off while the veteran Barry Pinches kicks off his campaign against the recent English Amateur champion Steven Hallworth
Elsewhere, the recent UK/Europe event seven winner Peter Lines takes on 25-year old Welshman Tyler Rees and double Middle East event champion Amir Sarkhosh faces Harvey Chandler as the Iranian looks to secure professional status for the first time in his career.
Play-Off 3
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 Frames)
- Umut Dikme (Germany) vs. Ryan Davies (England)
- Mohamed Shehab (United Arab Emirates) vs. Daniel Womersley (England)
- Alfie Davies (Wales) vs. Yu Kiu Chang (Hong Kong China)
- Hasanain Khalid Alsultani (USA) vs. Antoni Kowalski (Poland)
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 Frames)
- Dikme/R Davies vs. Shehab/Womersley
- A Davies/Yu vs. Alsultani/Kowalski
Final (Best of 19 Frames)
- Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2
Four Q Tour event winners from across the globe battle it out in the third section of the play-off draw.
There is a meeting of champions in the opening round as Americas event two winner Hasanain Khalid Alsultani and UK/Europe event four winner Antoni Kowalski meet in a best-of-nine frame contest.
Mohamed Shehab, winner of the third event in the Middle East, will face recent WSF Championship semi-finalist Daniel Womersley in an intriguing opening round tie while Alfie Davies, the son of former professional Anthony Davies, kicks off his event against Hong Kong China’s Yu Kiu Chang as he aims to follow in his father’s footsteps and earn professional status.
Another fascinating opening round contest sees German Umut Dikme, the UK/Europe event three winner, face English Under-21 champion Ryan Davies.
You can follow all the action from the WPBSA Q Tour Global Play-Off via WPBSA SnookerScores.
