Snooker News India: Advani’s 29th World Title (Nov 2026)
By Azam, Founder & product lead · Published · Updated
A month of Indian cue sports results, checked against the federations and the tour, and the dates in November that will fill club tables in the evenings.
TL;DR: Pankaj Advani beat Robert Hall 1,906–1,206 on 23 October to win the World Billiards Championship, his 29th world title. India finished top of the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships in Ahmedabad with 13 medals, led by Aditya Mehta’s snooker gold. The International Championship final is on 7 November and the Champion of Champions starts on 9 November at 6:30 pm IST.
Pankaj Advani wins the World Billiards Championship
Pankaj Advani won the World Billiards Championship on 23 October 2026, beating England’s Robert Hall 1,906–1,206 in the final at Landywood Snooker Club near Walsall. It was his first win in this event since 2014, and the Times of India counts it as his record-extending 29th world title. Hall led 773–667 at the halfway stage of the five-hour final before Advani pulled away with breaks of 210 and 587.
- Quarter-final: beat Sourav Kothari 1,134–575.
- Semi-final: beat defending champion David Causier 1,607–1,271, ending Causier’s unbeaten run in the event since the 2023 final.
- His 587 in the final was the highest break of this year’s championship, according to the Times of India.
India top the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships in Ahmedabad
India finished top of the medal table with 13 medals (three gold, five silver, five bronze) when the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships ended at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on 10 October 2026. It was the first time the multi-discipline championships were held in India, with 144 players from more than 40 nations, and it formed part of the Billiards & Snooker Federation of India’s centenary. These are the Indian medallists the WCBS report names.
| Event | Indian result | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s snooker | Aditya Mehta, gold; Dhvaj Haria, silver; Laxman Singh Rawat, bronze | Mehta beat Haria 3–0 |
| Women’s English billiards | Anupama Ramachandran, gold; Revanna Umadevi, silver | Ramachandran beat Umadevi 1–0 |
| Men’s English billiards | Rayaan Razmi, gold; Siddharth Parikh, silver | All-Indian final |
| Women’s snooker | Keerthana Pandian, silver; Ishika Shah and Shruthi Lakshminarayanan, bronze | Rebecca Kenna (GB) beat Pandian 3–0 |
International Championship: semi-finals set in Nanjing
The International Championship in Nanjing has reached the last four. Kyren Wilson beat Ding Junhui 6–4 and plays Fan Zhengyi, who beat Hossein Vafaei 6–3. John Higgins plays Chang Bingyu, who made three centuries in a row against Zhao Xintong. The final is best of 19 on Saturday 7 November, with £175,000 to the winner.
Champion of Champions starts 9 November at 6:30 pm IST
The Champion of Champions in Leicester runs from 9 to 15 November. Each group evening starts at 13:00 GMT, which is 6:30 pm in India, with Mark Selby against Alfie Burden on the opening night. Wednesday brings Shaun Murphy against Ronnie O’Sullivan, and 18-year-old Thai player Panchaya Channoi, the World Women’s champion, makes her debut against Neil Robertson on Tuesday.
Running a club? Our watch-night playbook has the full fixture list in IST and a counter plan for match nights.
Frequently asked questions
How many world titles has Pankaj Advani won?
Twenty-nine, after he won the World Billiards Championship on 23 October 2026, according to the Times of India.
Who won men’s snooker gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships?
Aditya Mehta, who beat fellow Indian Dhvaj Haria 3–0 in the final in Ahmedabad.
What time is the Champion of Champions in India?
The group sessions start at 6:30 pm IST from 9 November 2026, with a second match at about 8:30 pm IST.
Sources
- WPBSA: Advani wins 2026 World Billiards Championship (23 Oct 2026)
- Times of India: Advani claims record-extending 29th world title (24 Oct 2026)
- WCBS: India finishes on top with 13 medals (11 Oct 2026)
- snooker.org: International Championship 2026
- World Snooker Tour: Champion of Champions groups (4 Nov 2026)
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