Tran Quyet Chien was given special privileges.

One year ago, at Nguyen Du Stadium (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), Tran Quyet Chien's teammate Tran Duc Minh surprised 3-cushion carom fans by winning the championship.

The Hue-born player once shared: "The fans helped me compete more confidently, thereby winning the first World Cup billiards championship title in my career." According to the list announced by the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB), Vietnam has up to 30 players competing in this World Cup billiards. 5 Vietnamese players were given special permission to appear in the main round (round of 32). Specifically, Tran Quyet Chien (ranked 4th), Tran Thanh Luc (ranked 5th) and Bao Phuong Vinh (ranked 14th) are in the round of 32 because they are in the top 14 on the UMB rankings. Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Tri and Le Thanh Tien went straight to the round of 32 thanks to 2 priority slots for the host unit.

PHOTO: INDEPENDENCE

In the round of 32, Tran Quyet Chien is in Group D and will face Turkish player Berkay Karakurt. The remaining two players in Group D will be determined after the qualifying rounds end. Berkay Karakurt is currently ranked 13th on the UMB rankings, having made it deep into the World Cup stages many times, but cannot compare to Tran Quyet Chien in terms of class. If he plays at his best, it will not be difficult for the number 1 player in Vietnam to pass the round of 32 to advance to the knockout matches. At the World Cup billiards at home, Quyet Chien is expected to have a good performance, after 2 consecutive rounds of failing to reach the quarter-finals (World Cup Sharm el Sheikh - Egypt in December 2024 and World Cup Bogota - Colombia in March 2025).

Notably, the Ho Chi Minh City Billiards World Cup is where Quyet Chien's beautiful memories are kept, as this stage witnessed him winning the championship for the first time in 2018. This is also an important milestone, bringing Quyet Chien's career to a new page.

Tran Thanh Luc is in group E with Martin Horn (ranked 12th). Bao Phuong Vinh is in group C with Eddy Merckx (ranked 3rd) and Le Thanh Tien. Nguyen Van Tri is in group B with "child prodigy" Cho Myung-woo (ranked 2nd). The players who will compete from the last qualifying round include Chiem Hong Thai, Tran Duc Minh, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu. Dao Van Ly will compete from the third qualifying round. Nguyen Hoan Tat, Thon Viet Hoang Minh and Nguyen Chi Long will compete from the second qualifying round. The remaining players of Vietnam will compete from the first qualifying round, especially with the presence of commentator Le Phuoc Minh Dien, with a spot reserved for a sponsor.