Frédéric Caudron of Belgium claims the championship title at the 2026 HCM City World Cup Three-Cushion, Chiêm Hồng Thái of Việt Nam finishes runner-up, while Marco Zanetti of Italy and Eddy Merckx of Belgium share the third place. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY – Belgian cueist Frédéric Caudron defeated his Vietnamese opponent Chiêm Hồng Thái 50–25 in 22 innings in the final of the 2026 HCM City World Cup Three-Cushion on May 24, securing his third World Cup title in Việt Nam.

Finishing as a runner-up, Thái had produced an impressive run to the final. In the quarter-finals, he defeated world No 3 Dick Jaspers of the Netherlands – winner of 32 World Cup titles, the second-highest tally in history – by 50–46. He then edged past world No 2 Eddy Merckx of Belgium by the same scoreline in the semi-finals to reach his first-ever World Cup final.

Prior to the title match, Caudron had already claimed 21 World Cup crowns, including two previous victories in Việt Nam.

The 2026 HCM City World Cup recorded the largest-ever Vietnamese participation in such event held on home soil. Thái’s runner-up finish, highlighted by a series of emotional victories over some of the world's leading players, left a memorable mark for Vietnamese billiards on the international stage.

The tournament was held from May 18 - 24 by the HCM City Billiards & Snooker Federation under the authority of the Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB). It brought together nearly 200 players from 18 countries and territories. — VNA/VNS