Turkey to Host Q Tour Global Playoff
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has announced that this season’s WPBSA Q Tour Global Playoff will be held at the Pine Beach Belek Hotel, Antalya, Turkey from 11-13 March 2025.
To be contested alongside the European Championships organised by the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA), the Playoff will see three players earn a two-year World Snooker Tour card from the start of the 2025/26 season.
Last year’s expanded event saw Welshman Duane Jones, the UAE’s Mohamed Shehab and Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh all prevail to earn their professional status.
The Field
The event will be contested by 24 players who will need to win three matches to secure a professional tour card.
This will include a minimum of 16 players from the Q Tour Europe Series, with Zhao Xintong, Andres Petrov and Dylan Emery already guaranteed to qualify as event winners so far this season – unless one of them were to claim the automatic tour card for finishing in top spot.
They will be joined by up to eight players from regional Q Tour events held around the world including Q Tours in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle East Regions, with outstanding performers based upon regional ranking lists set to qualify for the Global Playoff.
For the first time, there will also be one player to qualify from the China Billiards and Snooker Association’s CBSA Tour, which is recognised as a pathway to the Global Playoff for the first time.
The Format
The three-day event will comprise three sections of eight players, to play quarter-finals, semi-finals and ultimately final qualification matches. These will be played under long formats of best of 9, 11 and ultimately 19 frame matches respectively, to provide the ultimate test for aspiring professionals.
The Playoff will also carry a prize fund of almost £20,000, with each of the 24 players guaranteed to earn prize money from the event.
“Record Entries”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “Following last season’s hugely successful Q Tour Global Playoff we are pleased to confirm our continued cooperation with the European Billiards and Snooker Association to stage the 2025 event in Turkey next spring.
“The inaugural Global Playoff saw some unforgettable snooker played over long format matches and three deserving winners emerge to secure their places on the World Snooker Tour.
“The WPBSA Q Tour continues to grow year on year with record entries received already during the 2024/25 season as we provide a crucial platform for amateur players around the globe to achieve their dreams in our sport.
“I would like to extend my thanks to Maxime Cassis and his team for their fabulous support and I know that they will make the event an occasion to remember for everyone involved.
“I wish all of the players competing at Q Tour events around the world every success and I hope to see them in Turkey!”
Maxime Cassis, EBSA President said: “We are once again proud to cooperate with the WPBSA to host the Q Tour Global Playoff, which will once again see three amateur players qualify for the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2025/26 season.
“Last year’s event was a huge success, and I have no doubt that Turkey will provide a stunning location for a festival of snooker which will see five players turn professional, with the Q Tour winners to join our European champion and European Under-21 champion in securing their WST places.”
