World Cup of Pool 2014: Dates, Schedule, Live Stream and More

The World Cup of Pool gets underway on Tuesday, as 32 nations from around the globe face off for the sport’s most coveted prize.

The knockout tournament is always full of shocks and surprises, and with 2014’s instalment bringing the best players in the world together at the Mountbatten Centre, it’s all set to be another year of enthralling pool.

Here, we dive into the thick of the action and assess who could be lifting the famous trophy as the final 9 ball finds its way into the pocket on Sunday.

Dates: Tuesday, September 23 – Sunday, September 28

Venue: Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth, England

Live Stream: Pool.LiveSport.TV

Schedule

Thirty-two nations begin the World Cup of Pool on Tuesday with their respective dreams of glory still very much intact.

However, in the unforgiving format of a knockout competition, several nations’ dreams will be dashed early in Portsmouth.

Sixteen seeded nations will show down against 16 qualifiers in the first round across the opening three days of action in a race-to-seven format, before the serious business begins in the round of 16.

Here is the full tournament schedule:

Date	Match (Seed)
Tuesday, September 23 (Afternoon)	Greece (13) vs Indonesia; Italy (16) vs France; Austria (11) vs Portugal
Tuesday, September 23 (Evening)	Japan (12) vs Russia; Finland (8) vs Korea; Philippines (1) vs South America (TBA)
Wednesday, September 24 (Afternoon)	Poland (9) vs Australia; China (3) v European Qualifier; Chinese Taipei (6) vs Qatar
Wednesday, September 24 (Evening)	Holland (2) vs Sweden; USA (5) vs Croatia; England A (4) vs Spain
Thursday, September 25 (Afternoon)	Germany (7) v Malaysia; Canada (10) v TBC; Thailand (15) v Switzerland
Thursday, September 25 (Evening)	England B (14) vs India; Round 2 Philippines / South America vs Italy /France; Round 2 USA / Croatia vs Japan / Russia
Friday, September 26 (Afternoon)	Round 2 Finland / Korea vs Poland / Australia; Chinese Taipei / Qatar vs Austria v Portugal; Holland / Sweden vs Thailand / Switzerland
Friday, September 26 (Evening)	Round 2 Germany / Malaysia vs Canada / TBA; China / European Qualifier vs England B / India; England A /Spain vs Greece / Indonesia
Saturday, September 27 (Afternoon)	Quarter Final 1; Quarter Final 2
Saturday, September 27 (Evening)	Quarter Final 3; Quarter Final 4
Sunday, September 28 (Afternoon)	Semi Final 1; Semi Final 2
Sunday, September 28 (Evening)	The Final

All to play for in Portsmouth

The beauty of the World Cup of Pool is that absolutely anyone can win, and it makes for a drama-filled tournament.

While you’d always back the seeded nations to negotiate their way through the first round against lesser-known opposition, such is the depth of quality in emerging nations that you simply never know.

One of the first games of the tournament sees 13th seeds Greece take on Indonesia, and it’s a clash that perfectly sums up what the World Cup of Pool is all about.

Greece will be heavily fancied coming into the match, but the Indonesian duo of Irsal Nasution and Muhammad Zulfikri are in impressive form and could serve up an early shock.

Elsewhere, defending champions Lee Van Corteza and Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines open their tournament against Chile and shouldn’t have a problem disposing of the South Americans.

The Philippines will be heavily fancied to lift the trophy once again, but England A also have a big chance to reign supreme on home soil.

In Karl Boyes and Darren Appleton, the English boast two of the game’s best players, but they’ll need to be on top of their game against the Spanish on Wednesday.

Spain are notorious for their never-say-die attitude, and they’ll certainly be looking to spoil the English party in Round 1.

It’s definitely possible, and as Ted Lerner writes for Matchroom Pool, part of the tournament’s charm is its unpredictability:

"

I’ve covered most editions of the World Cup of Pool over the years and one constant is the unpredictability of the event; one or two teams always comes out of nowhere to shock a few favourites and go deep into the event.

Generally, though, the cream has a strong tendency to eventually rise to the top. I see that happening again this year.

"

Germany and the USA will also be in contention for the top prize, but as we’ve learned over the years, nothing can be taken for granted at the World Cup.

Let the potting begin!