Key takeaways
- Team Rest of the World beat Team Asia 11-4 to win the Reyes Cup for the first time.
- The event ran Oct. 15-18, 2026, at the Makati Coliseum in Makati, Philippines.
- Francisco Sánchez Ruiz and American Shane Van Boening won the clinching doubles match 5-1.
- Sánchez Ruiz was named MVP; Team Asia had won the 2024 and 2025 editions.
Who won the Reyes Cup 2026?
The Reyes Cup 2026 results went decisively to Team Rest of the World, which beat Team Asia 11-4 at the Makati Coliseum in Makati, Philippines, on Sunday, Oct. 18, to win the nine-ball team event for the first time. American Shane Van Boening and Spain’s Francisco Sánchez Ruiz closed it out with a 5-1 doubles win over Hong Kong’s Robbie Capito and Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang, and Sánchez Ruiz potted the final 9-ball.
Sánchez Ruiz, the reigning US Open Pool Championship winner, was named MVP. Captain Ralf Souquet’s lineup of Sánchez Ruiz, Van Boening, Germany’s Joshua Filler, Fedor Gorst and Serbia’s Aleksa Pecelj ended a two-year run by Team Asia, which won the first two editions 11-6 in 2024 and 11-3 in 2025. Matchroom’s final-day report has the full account.
How did Rest of the World pull away from Team Asia?
Asia, captained by Francisco Bustamante, started well. It won the opening team match 5-3, and Carlo Biado and Capito beat Filler and Pecelj 5-1. Sánchez Ruiz then beat Duong 5-1 and the Van Boening and Gorst pairing beat AJ Manas and Albert Januarta 5-1, leaving the first day level at 2-2.
From there it was one-way traffic. Rest of the World won four of five matches on Day Two and three of four on Day Three, including Gorst’s 5-1 win over Januarta and Pecelj’s 5-1 win over Manas, the 2025 MVP, to lead 9-4 going into Sunday. Asia’s only Day Three point came when Biado and Januarta beat Filler and Gorst 5-3.
Sunday was short. Rest of the World took the team match 5-3 after Capito fouled on the opening break, with Pecelj winning a key fifth rack against Duong and Filler finishing it. Van Boening’s safety and break-and-run then set up the title rack. Every match is a race to five with alternating breaks. “We can only win as a team,” Souquet said afterward.
What does the result mean for the Mosconi Cup and the Philippines Open?
For North American fans, Van Boening’s role in the clinching rack is an encouraging sign six weeks before the Mosconi Cup, which returns to the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Nov. 27-30. Team USA’s ranking qualification closes Oct. 24, as we explained in our Mosconi Cup Team USA story.
The tour stays in Manila. The Philippines Open Pool Championship, a World Nineball Tour Major, runs Oct. 20-24 at Gateway Mall in Quezon City, with Spain’s David Alcaide defending the title he won at the inaugural event.
From the workshop
Short races are unforgiving. In a race to five, one foul on the break or one missed 2-ball, like the moments that swung Sunday’s team match, can decide a match before a player has settled in. Most league nights in APA or BCA team formats are just as short, and that is a good argument for keeping your equipment boring: the same tip shape, the same shaft and the same weight every week, so the cue is never the variable when you get one rack to get it right.
Team events also ask players to come to the table cold after sitting for a long stretch. Your hands need a few strokes to wake up, and a cue that has been kept straight, clean and dry gives them nothing new to adjust to; one that spent the week in a hot car trunk might. If you are choosing a first serious playing cue for team play, our guide on how to choose a pool cue covers weight, tip size and shaft options. From our bench, we’d suggest settling those specs before spending anything on looks.
Quick answers
Who won the Reyes Cup 2026?
Team Rest of the World beat Team Asia 11-4 in Makati, Philippines, on Oct. 18, 2026, to win its first Reyes Cup.
Who was the 2026 Reyes Cup MVP?
Spain’s Francisco Sánchez Ruiz was named MVP after potting the title-winning 9-ball in his doubles match with Shane Van Boening.
What is the Reyes Cup format?
Two five-player teams play nine-ball team, doubles and singles matches, each a race to five with alternating breaks. The first team to 11 points wins the cup.
What pool events come after the Reyes Cup?
The Philippines Open Pool Championship runs Oct. 20-24, 2026, in Quezon City, and the Mosconi Cup follows Nov. 27-30 in Orlando, Florida.
Sources
- Rest Of The World End Asia's Reign To Claim Maiden Reyes Cup Title (AZBilliards (Matchroom Multi Sport), 2026-10-18)
- Sanchez Ruiz leads Team Rest of World to first Reyes Cup title (SPIN.ph, 2026-10-18)
- Rest Of The World Move Within Touching Distance Of Maiden Reyes Cup Title (AZBilliards (Matchroom Multi Sport), 2026-10-17)
- Rest Of The World Fire Back To Level With Asia After Thrilling Opening Day (AZBilliards (Matchroom Multi Sport), 2026-10-15)
- Reyes Cup (Wikipedia, 2026-10-19)
How this story was made: drafted with AI assistance from the reports above, written in our own words and published by the Muraki workshop team. Results and figures are as reported by those sources at the time of publishing. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
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Every Muraki cue is turned, inlaid and finished by hand in our workshop, then numbered and shipped to players across the US, Canada and worldwide. Tell us how you play and we will quote one for you, usually the same day.
