Source: Matchroom Multi Sport / Taka Wu
The Roobet Reyes Cup brought some of the World Nineball Tour’s (WNT) finest players to Manila for four days of exhilarating nineball.
The unique team format, pitting Team Asia against Team Rest of World (ROW), made for one of the most entertaining spectacles on the tour this year.
Team ROW was captained by German maestro Ralf Souquet, who made his first appearance at the Roobet Reyes Cup.
Fedor "The Ghost" Gorst and Francisco "El Ferrari" Sánchez Ruiz returned to the team, while Joshua "The Killer" Filler, Shane "South Dakota Kid" Van Boening and Aleksa Pecelj made their Reyes Cup debuts.
Across the table, Filipino veteran Francisco Bustamante, a close friend of the greatest of all time (GOAT) Efren Reyes, led Team Asia for the second time.
AJ "Starboy" Manas, Duong "The Martian" Quoc Hoang and Carlo "Black Tiger" Biado all returned to the tournament after their contributions to last year’s victory, while debutants Albert "Giant Killer" Januarta and Robbie “The Sniper” Capito arrived off the back of impressive seasons.
From legendary figures to in-form stars, these are some of the characters who made this year’s Roobet Reyes Cup such a memorable event.
Ralf Souquet: the German maestro
Ralf “The Kaiser” Souquet, Team ROW’s sage captain, brought to his side the composure and discipline that have defined his over 40-year career.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest pool players of all time, Souquet began playing in his parents’ pub at the age of six. Since then, he has won more than 100 professional tournaments, including 23 Euro Tour titles, 20 European Pool Championships and 12 German Pool Championships.
His glittering record also includes the 2008 World Pool Association (WPA) World Eight-ball Championship and the 1996 WPA World Nine-ball Championship.
Even at 57 years young, Souquet continues to compete professionally. He arrived at the Roobet Reyes Cup after spending a month playing across Asia.
Francisco Bustamante: Team Asia’s legendary leader
Another all-time great, Francisco “Django” Bustamante returned to captain Team Asia at the 2026 Roobet Reyes Cup after leading his side to victory last year.
His journey from boy to pool legend began in his sister’s pool hall, where he racked and spotted balls before practising alone after closing time. He left school at age 10 to focus on pocket billiards; the decision clearly paid off.
Bustamante later moved to Germany and turned professional. He has since won over 100 international titles, including the 2010 World Nine-ball Championship, cementing his place among the sport’s GOATs.
A rivalry decades in the making
The two captains share a rivalry stretching back decades, having fought for victory on the table dozens of times.
At the 1998 World Pool Masters in the UK, Bustamante defeated Souquet 11–9 in the final to claim his first Masters title. They also crossed paths in the 2009 World Cup of Pool final in Quezon City, where Bustamante, alongside Efren Reyes, beat Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann in a nailbiter.
Their rivalry was also on show at the WNT Legends event in January, when Bustamante and Souquet met in Quezon City in the Philippines. Bustamante raced into a 6–1 lead, only for Souquet to produce a memorable comeback, winning the final four racks to take the match 11–10.
The WNT could hardly have chosen a better pair to lead the opposing sides in Manila.
Francisco Sánchez Ruiz: the Spanish sharpshooter
Source: Matchroom Multi Sport / Taka Wu
Ranked 3rd in the world going into the Roobet Reyes Cup, Francisco “El Ferrari” Sánchez Ruiz was Team ROW’s player to watch at the start of the tournament.
The Murcia-born sharpshooter is a nine-time Spanish Pool champion and a three-time Mosconi Cup winner. He is also enjoying a season to remember, having claimed his second US Open Nineball title in August with a thrilling 13–12 victory over Team Asia’s Robbie Capito.
El Ferrari arrived in Manila in arguably the best form of his career, making him Team ROW’s obvious standout player.
Carlo Biado: the Filipino threat
Source: Matchroom Multi Sport / Taka Wu
Filipino superstar Carlo “Black Tiger” Biado entered the Roobet Reyes Cup as Team Asia’s most experienced shooter and the world’s second-ranked player.
Biado is a US Open Nineball champion, a Filipino Sportsman of the Year, and a two-time world champion. He claimed his second world title in July 2025, defeating Fedor Gorst 15–13 in a gripping final in Saudi Arabia.
Now primed to challenge for a third world title, the “Black Tiger” was one of Team Asia’s most dangerous players at the Roobet Reyes Cup.
The Roobet Reyes Cup is only getting better
The Roobet Reyes Cup is one of the most exciting events in nineball pool. The WNT’s two-year partnership with Roobet is adding energy to the competition and the wider tour, connecting the WNT and its adoring fans with Roobet’s global online community.
The Cup brought together 10 of the WNT’s most exciting players, two legendary captains, and a unique format, while the GOAT, Efren Reyes, appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies. The success of 2026’s event means the tournament is set become a defining part of nineball’s future.
