Ly The Vinh. — Photo tapchilangviet

HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam will take part in a 3-cushion World Cup championship in Porto, Portugal, from September 8 to 14.

The World Cup cycle will begin at the Pavillon Dragon Calxa owned by the famous football club FC Porto. The tournament has been fully booked long before the close of the ticket counter.

The third World Cup this year will not only be attended by all top players in the world, but also all players vying for the top 12 positions.

According to coach Nguyen Viet Hoa, the seven Vietnamese cueists are at their peak at present and expect to perform well.

Ly The Vinh was placed fifth at a recent open tournament in the US where he twice knocked out world No 1 Frederic Caudron of Belgium.

Tran Quyet Chien overcame world No 10 and defending champion of the World Cup Istanbul Cho Jae-ho of South Korea at last month's international 3-cushion event in Binh Duong Province.

In the past, Ma Xuan Cuong and Ngo Dinh Nai have entered the semi-final rounds of the World Cup Suwon.

The prize money for the top three winners at the Porto championship is 5,500 euros (US$6,600), 3,500 euros and 2,200 euros respectively.

The Koreans, Turks and Portuguese are the best represented teams in the provisional list of 132 qualifying players. The total number of players is 148, with 12 seeded players and four wildcards. — VNS