The Future of Billiards 2026 in Pulderbos: 22 U25 Players from Eight Nations

The Future of Billiards returns to the calendar this week, and it does so with a field that fits its name. Twenty-two three-cushion players under 25, from eight countries, play the third edition of the event in Pulderbos, a village in the Belgian province of Antwerp, from 5 to 8 November 2026.

The third edition, and the first since 2024

The 2026 tournament is played in the fanfare hall in Pulderbos and is organised by Bianca Philipoom-Otjens, with Alex Tremoulis in charge of the competition. It is the third edition of an event built for junior players, and the first one held since the 2024 tournament in Zoersel. Spectators are welcome and entry is free.

The idea behind it is simple enough to state and hard enough to deliver: young players should leave a tournament having played billiards, not having travelled for it. The organisers aim for at least seven matches per player across the four days, which is well above what a short group stage usually gives a junior at an international event.

Every match, every group and every standing is published on the The Future of Billiards 2026 – Pulderbos tournament page, which updates while the event is running.

Twenty-two players, eight nations

The Netherlands send the largest group with eight players, Belgium five, France two, Greece two, Portugal two, and Germany, Sweden and Italy one each. That spread matters more than the raw number: it puts players from five different training systems on the same tables for four days.

Among them are the names that already carry weight in this age group. Toon Bollansee and Luca Philipoom are the Belgian and Dutch champions at under 25. Nick Rosier and Joris van Zelfden have both played the European under-25 championship. From Greece come Christos Falangas and Georgios Tsokantas; from Portugal Gonçalo Santos; from Germany Ali Ibraimov; from Sweden Mio Svensson. Paolo Turla, Noah David and Daan Karssenberg complete a field where almost nobody arrives without a national or European record behind them.

The village that has both national champions

Pulderbos is a small place with an unusual claim this season. Both the Belgian and the Dutch under-25 three-cushion titles belong to players who live there. Bollansee took the Belgian title in Blankenberge, his sixth national title, with 31 supporters in the hall. Philipoom won the Dutch title in Tilburg a week earlier.

Philipoom is also the son of Jef Philipoom, the 1995 world and European three-cushion champion, and he plays for the Netherlands. The two of them train together in the same village, and this week they play the same tournament at home.

Who won in 2024, and who is missing

The last edition, in Zoersel in 2024, went to Dimitrios Seleventas. The Greek player finished unbeaten with seven wins and one draw, and won the final, played to 35 points, against Marcos Morales of Spain. Christos Falangas took third place by beating Ali Ibraimov 25-16 in 21 innings.

Seleventas is not in this year's field. Two of the four players who reached the 2024 semi-finals are: Falangas and Ibraimov, both back on the table in Pulderbos.

How the 2026 event is played

Qualifying runs in three groups and carries 70 matches. From there the field splits: a ranking stage decides places 9 to 22, and a knockout decides the title. Group matches are played to 25 points.

That structure is the reason the schedule is long for an event of this size. It also means the standings you see mid-week are provisional in a way that matters — a player who loses twice in the groups can still climb through the ranking stage, and the knockout rewards whoever is cueing best at the end of the week rather than on the first morning.

Where to follow the results

Results, innings and high runs go up match by match on the tournament page, which also carries the timetable, the participants and a photo gallery. The same data feeds each player's own page on BilliardToday, so a match played in Pulderbos stays on a player's record after the event closes.

Frequently asked questions

When and where is The Future of Billiards 2026?

From 5 to 8 November 2026, in the fanfare hall in Pulderbos, Belgium.

Who plays in it?

22 three-cushion players under 25, from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Greece, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and Italy.

Who won the 2024 edition?

Dimitrios Seleventas of Greece, unbeaten with seven wins and one draw, beating Marcos Morales in a final played to 35 points.

Where can I see the results?

On the The Future of Billiards 2026 – Pulderbos tournament page, updated during play.