The World Snooker Federation (WSF), alongside the Albanian Snooker Federation, has today announced that the 2024 WSF Championships will be held in Golem, Albania.
The Championships will once again include two prestigious open tournaments that will offer direct qualification to the World Snooker Tour for each winner and will run from 29 January to 11 February 2024.
Organised by the WSF and supported by snooker’s world governing body the WPBSA, the WSF Championships represent the biggest event on the amateur snooker calendar globally, with a significant entry expected for this fifth staging of the competition.
The 14-day event will be held at the Grand Blue Fafa Resort and will once again include the open WSF Championship (3-11 February 2024), won last season by 19-year-old Ma Hailong of China, following a 5-0 victory against England’s Stan Moody in the final.
The competition will begin with the return of the WSF Junior Championship (29 January – 2 February 2023), which saw Moody claim his place on the World Snooker Tour following a 5-1 success against compatriot Liam Pullen.
Both tournaments will once again be open to players of all nationalities and genders, with the winner of each to earn a two-year professional Tour card from the start of the 2024/25 season. There will also be additional opportunities for elite performers at the event to compete at further World Snooker Tour events.
Alongside the Junior Championships, as was the case in 2023, it is planned that a World Women’s Snooker (WWS) ranking event will be held. Learn more at the WWS website.
All events are to be played on Xing Pai Championship tables, ensuring the WSF meets the highest standards laid down by the WPBSA for the World Snooker Tour and its recognised development pathways to the Tour.
Jason Ferguson, WSF President said: “The WSF Championships represent a key date on the calendar for all amateur snooker players and I am delighted to be able to confirm that the fifth staging of this major event will take place in Albania.
“Situated on the coastline of the beautiful Adriatic Sea, our players could not wish for a more spectacular location off the table, while on the table we will provide high-quality conditions for a tournament of this magnitude.
“I would like to thank President Ogert Shkrepa and his team at the Albanian Snooker Federation for their support and am already looking forward to welcoming all players from around the world to the Championships.”
Entry for both tournaments will be made through WPBSA SnookerScores with further information to be released in due course.
