Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | July 15, 2026 â The 2026 Asian Pool Championships, a World Pool Association (WPA)-sanctioned event organized by the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports (ACBS), concluded today with Luong Duc Thien of Vietnam capturing the A+Plus Men’s 9-Ball Asian Pool Championship title in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Ho Xuan Huong Gymnasium.
In a high-quality championship final, Luong defeated Wu Kun Lin of Chinese Taipei 11-7, producing a composed and tactically disciplined performance to secure Vietnam’s continental crown. The victory completed a memorable championship for the home nation and marked one of the biggest achievements of Luong’s career.
The final remained closely contested throughout the opening stages before Luong steadily took control with confident shot-making, intelligent safety play, and clinical finishing. In the decisive stages of the match, a tense safety exchange created the opportunity Luong needed, and he capitalized with an outstanding clearance from the 5-ball to seal the championship and spark celebrations among the home supporters.
With the victory, Luong Duc Thien was awarded the Gold Medal and crowned the 2026 Asian Men’s 9-Ball Champion, adding his name to the list of Asia’s elite cue sports athletes while earning valuable WPA World Ranking points and the championship title.
The conclusion of the Men’s 9-Ball Championship also marked the successful completion of the 2026 Asian Pool Championships, which brought together players from 25 countries and regions to compete across four disciplines for a combined US$107,200 prize fund.
Earlier in the championship, Ko Pin Chung of Chinese Taipei claimed the ANDY Men’s 10-Ball Asian Pool Championship with an impressive 11-5 victory over Mohammad Soufi of Syria, while Huang Qingning of China captured the HOW Women’s 9-Ball Asian Pool Championship, defeating Chen Chia Hua of Chinese Taipei 11-10 in a thrilling deciding-rack final. Lin Chang Yen of Chinese Taipei completed the list of champions by winning the EBR Juniors’ 9-Ball Asian Pool Championship, overcoming Caden Lau of Hong Kong, China 9-6.
As a WPA-sanctioned continental championship, the event once again showcased the exceptional standard of Asian cue sports while providing athletes with an important platform to compete for prestigious titles and international ranking points. Throughout the tournament, fans around the world followed the action through WPALive, the championship’s official streaming partner, with eight of the sixteen competition tables broadcast live on WPALive.tv. The platform’s MultiView feature enabled viewers to watch multiple live matches simultaneously, complementing additional coverage provided by the ACBS TV YouTube Channel and ACBS social media platforms.
The successful staging of the championship reflects the continued collaboration between the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports, the Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation, tournament partners, officials, volunteers, and the World Pool Association in delivering one of the continent’s premier cue sports events.
With four new Asian champions crowned and another outstanding edition of the championships complete, the focus now shifts to the remainder of the 2026 international calendar as Asia’s finest players continue their pursuit of success on the global stage.
2026 Asian Pool Championships â Champions
- đ A+Plus Men’s 9-Ball Asian Pool Championship: Luong Duc Thien (Vietnam)
- đ ANDY Men’s 10-Ball Asian Pool Championship: Ko Pin Chung (Chinese Taipei)
- đ HOW Women’s 9-Ball Asian Pool Championship: Huang Qingning (China)
- đ EBR Junior’s 9-Ball Asian Pool Championship: Lin Chang Yen (Chinese Taipei)
