Anything is possible in this event as the China B pairing of Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong showed two years ago when they stormed to the title despite their combined age being less than half of the individuals playing in the event.
As you would expect with certain nations only having one professional on the tour there are a total of 15 amateur players out of the 48 that are involved.
As for the rules and format, each match in the group stages is best of five frames played over two initial singles, an alternate shot doubles frame and then the two reverse singles frames. All frames in the group stages must be played as points in the group standings are awarded for frames won.
In the knockout stages, matches are best-of-7 frames with two singles frames, an alternate shot doubles frame, the two reverse singles and then a second alternate shot doubles frame. If the match goes to a seventh and deciding frame, this will be played as a "sudden death" frame with the players being nominated by the captain beforehand.
With the top two in each group going through to the quarter-finals, these games will be played as Winner of Group A Vs Runner-up Group B etc.
Monday 3 July to Friday 7 July will see each individual round of group matches being played before the quarter-finals are played on Saturday and the semi-finals and final are both played on Sunday. So, these are the nations and pairings that will be battling for the right to call themselves World Cup winners.
Group A:
China B: Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao (Seed 1)
Wales: Mark Williams and Ryan Day (Seed 8)Norway: Kurt Maflin and Christopher Watts
Finland: Robin Hull and Heikki Niva
Malaysia: Thor Chuan Leong and Moh Keen Ho
Brazil: Igor Figueiredo and Itaro Santos
In this group we start with the defending champions China B who are made up of the same winning players in Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong. The win was by no means a fluke as both players have individual success on the tour since. In 2015 they topped the group of death with England, Thailand and the Republic of Ireland so certainly had to do it the hard way. However, this year there is more pressure and expectation as there opponents will all want to claim the scalps of the successful duo.
Eighth seeds Wales have a new partnership that will be full of confidence following the recent Riga Masters. Ryan Day outranks Michael White for Wales this time around and will therefore partner Mark Williams. Day has just captured his first title at the Riga Masters where he beat Williams 5-4 in the semi-finals. They're both in good form and should be able to form a good partnership as well. Williams and White reached the semi-finals in 2015 and topped their group, and I expect them to at least reach those same heights again.
Then on to the unseeded nations, and we have a newbie as Finland join the World Cup. Their lone tour player Robin Hull is partnered by Heikki Niva. Long time readers of my blog or Twitter feed will know of my support for Hull as I recognise exactly what he can do and achieve. If Hull is on form, Finland could be one of the dark horses in this group. At the end of the day, his heavy scoring his good enough to win any frame against any opponent which could see them pick up plenty of vital points. Heikki Niva is not someone I know a great deal about. I actually thought that Finnish amateur champion Patrik Tiihonen would get the gig here, while Niva was only a quarter-finalist in the 2017 national championships. Niva did enter this year's Q School without a huge amount of success along with entering the European amateur where he lost in the Last 64.
Kurt Maflin and Norway have a new partner for this year as Anita Maflin has made way for Norwegian amateur champion Christopher Watts. Maflin, in the same vein as Hull, is someone who can win any frame against any player with his heavy scoring and can therefore cause a lot of problems for players in this event. Watts should be a solid partner for Maflin and I think they will finish better than 2015 when, as a seeded team, Mr and Mrs Maflin ended up fifth in the group.
Malaysia come into the 2015 world cup with a new partner for Thor Chuan Leong who with his previous, finished bottom of their group two years ago. I think they could be the weak links again this year and end up bottom of this group too with little success.
Meanwhile, Brazil are back with the same partnership that they had in 2015, although both players are now off of the tour. They came fourth in their group two years ago behind the likes of Scotland, Hong Kong and Belgium, so there is no reason why they could not do well this time around. Figueiredo is the stronger of the two and if he is not on good form they could flop to the bottom of this table rather quickly.
Predicted Group Finishes:
1st: Wales
2nd: China B
3rd: Finland
4th: Norway
5th: Brazil
6th: Malaysia
Group B:
China A: Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo (Seed 4)
Hong Kong: Marco Fu and Au Chi Wai (Seed 5)Republic of Ireland: Fergal O'Brien and Ken Doherty
Belgium: Luca Brecel and Jeff Jacobs
Germany: Lukas Kleckers and Simon Lichtenberg
Egypt: Hatem Yassen and Basem Eltahhan
The top seeds in this group are the China A team where, on this occasion, Liang Wenbo outranks Xiao Guodong to make the team. Two years ago they topped their group before losing to runners-up Scotland in the quarter-finals, while the Ding and Liang partnership is a tried and tested one that had the ultimate success in 2011 when they won that World Cup. On home soil they should thrive with a lot of support and for me they should be the clear favourites to capture this title as such a strong pairing.
Marco Fu and Hong Kong have the same partner for this year in 47 year-old Au Chi Wai. The pair finished third in their group in 2015 and in a very strong group again this time, Fu will need to be on top form if they are to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals. My gut says that Au Chi Wai will struggle against the pro players with greater experience on the big stage and that could be the thing to let their side down.
It is also the same partnership for Republic of Ireland though both men will be higher on confidence this time around. They finished fourth in the group in 2015 but were in the group containing China B, England and Thailand which you have to say is more difficult than what they face this year. The pair also played in the 2011 edition, making the quarter-finals before losing to China. Ken Doherty will be high on confidence after playing well to reach the semi-finals of the Riga Masters last week. Fergal O'Brien has also been playing solid snooker, qualifying for the Crucible in April and beating Barry Hawkins in the 2016 UK Championships with that unforgettable five century performance. For me this pair are one of two major dark horses to keep an eye on.
Belgium have a new partner for Luca Brecel this year as young Jeff Jacobs replaces Tomasz Skalski despite Skalski helping Brecel to top their group in 2015 ahead of Scotland and Hong Kong. They eventually lost in the quarter-finals to India but this all helps to further the career of Brecel in my opinion. Invaluable experience playing in Asia for Brecel will help him later in his career, but for this week he will have to be on top form you feel if Belgium are to progress beyond the group stages in a very difficult group.
Germany also have new partner for new pro Lukas Kleckers as Simon Litchenberg replaces Felix Frede. Frede and Kleckers finished fifth in the group of death in 2015 and Kleckers will have to be on top form with Litchenberg in order for them to break into the top four of this group, while the the top and qualification for the quarter-finals is probably beyond their reach. Still, Kleckers will have confidence having made the last 32 in Riga last week after defeating defending champion Neil Robertson on the way.
Egypt is a new team for the 2017 event with recently relegated Hatem Yassen who failed to make any impact as a professional and new pro Basem Eltahhan who won the African Championships in the late spring. In a very competitive group they are going to have their work cut out for them, and you would have to make them favourites to pick up the Group B wooden spoon.
Predicted Group Finishes:
1st: China A
2nd: Republic of Ireland
3rd: Belgium
4th: Hong Kong
5th: Germany
6th: Egypt
Group C:
England: Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins (Seed 3)Australia: Neil Robertson and Kurt Dunham (Seed 6)
Iran: Hossein Vafei and Soheil Vahedi
Switzerland: Alexander Ursenbacher and Darren Paris
Malta: Alex Borg and Duncan Bezzina
Pakistan: Hamza Akbar and Shahram Changezi
Group C is led by a completely new World Cup partnership for England. Selby and Bingham were the two representatives for 2015 though they missed out on the quarter-finals on head to head to Thailand. This year Selby has chosen not to take his place and instead England will be led by Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins. The left handed duo look chalk and cheese in their approaches with Trump's ultra-aggressive style while Hawkins is very solid and on any kind of form makes very few mistakes. As a completely new pairing it is tough to tell how they will go though for me I think they could be vulnerable if some of the dark horses of this group find form. The bookies make them tournament favourites but I would put them second or third in the betting behind China A and Wales perhaps.
Neil Robertson has a new partner as Kurt Dunham replaces Vinnie Calabrese from 2015 for Australia. Robertson just about carried Calabrese into the quarter-finals in 2015 before losing to China B in the quarter-finals and you feel that Robertson may have to be on top form if they are to get any further this time around. As practice partners and two guys that seem to get on well, Dunham and Robertson should forge a decent doubles partnership which may help them into the quarter-finals.
Hossein Vafei has a new partner for this year's World Cup and he will also have endlessly more confidence after last seasons escapades. A run of fine results helped him climb the rankings and show that he could be a force for the future, and there's no reason after his run to the China Open semi-finals that he could have similar success on Chinese soil this week. Soheil Vahedi is new to the tour after winning the World Amateur Championship and is actually staying with Hossein Vafei to base himself in the UK now he's on the tour. The pair have known each other since their childhood days which will make for a great partnership for the doubles and they will be able to take confidence from each other, and know what to say to get the best out of each other. For me they are the big dark horses for this event and I think they could do very well.
Switzerland are a new team for 2017 with the re-emerging pro Alexander Ursenbacher leading for them. Ursenbacher made the final round of World qualifying in April and showed some form before a last 32 exit in Latvia last week in a stunning last 64 win over Elliot Slessor where Slessor only scored four points. However, I'm not sure how far he and Darren Paris can go as a partnership but the top four is definitely a possibility, though the quarter-finals is probably a bridge too far.
There is also a new partnership for Malta as Tony Drago will not join Alex Borg, which makes them a quite weak pairing for this season in my view. The pair had played well in previous World Cup's but it is unlikely Borg will be able to find the same magic without Drago and they are unlikely to challenge for a place in the top two.
Hamza Akbar has a new partner for the Pakistan team this year, despite a strong previous partnership had seen them finish third in their 2015 group and only a frame from qualifying for the quarter-finals ahead of Australia. In a particular highlight they were able to beat the Northern Irish pairing of Swail and Greene 4-1 as well as beating Australia 3-2. If Akbar can create the same magic with his new partner they could break into the top four, although the top two is probably just out of reach once again.
Predicted Group Finishes:
1st: England
2nd: Iran
3rd: Australia
4th: Switzerland
5th: Pakistan
6th: Malta
Group D:
Scotland: John Higgins and Anthony McGill (Seed 2)Northern Ireland: Mark Allen and Joe Swail (Seed 6)
Thailand: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Noppon Saengkham
India: Aditya Mehta and Brijesh Damani
Cyprus: Michael Georgiou and Antonis Poullos
Israel: Eden Sharav and Shachar Ruberg
Scotland have a new pairing from when they finished as runner-up in 2015. John Higgins remains the front man for the Scottish team but this time he plays alongside Anthony McGill instead of previous 2011 and 2015 partner Stephen Maguire. McGill reached the quarter-finals in Riga but ironically Maguire made the final. The gap in rankings between McGill and Maguire was a lot bigger prior to Riga and while McGill is still ahead it is only now by one spot. It is going to be very difficult for McGill and Higgins to share the same chemistry that Higgins and Maguire did having been so close for a number of years, but the Scottish players all seem to be very close which stands them in good stead.
Good friends Mark Allen and Joe Swail form another new pairing for Northern Ireland. Allen did not play in 2015 as Swail and Greene did not make it out of the group stages falling just short after the 4-1 defeat to Pakistan. When Allen did appear back in 2011 he made it all the way to the final with Gerard Greene and with someone he is very close to he should form a good doubles partnership and the pair should be able to spur each other on. You will notice that throughout the preview I have referred to pairings and good partnerships being the key rather than individuals being able to do it on their own, and for me this is one of the strongest partnerships in the draw.
Thailand too have a new partnership as Noppon Saengkham joins Thepchaiya Un-Nooh for this year in replacement for Dechawat Poomjaeng who has dropped off tour since the 2015 edition. Thailand will again hope to upset the odds as they did two years ago when they made it to the quarter-finals ahead of an England team that was made up of the two highest ranked players in the world. However, two very streaky players such as Thepchaiya and Noppon could either did incredibly well or fall down the table rapidly and is difficult to tell which will happen ahead of time. For me though in a pretty strong group I think they will end up in the mid-table, just short of the quarter-finals.
The India team for 2017 has suffered a huge blow in that Pankaj Advani will not be teaming up with Aditya Mehta again. The 2015 semi-finalists played brilliantly to finish just behind China A in their group that year before beating Belgium and narrowly losing out to Scotland. However, I now expect them to struggle a little more in Pankaj's absence as him and Aditya Mehta had a partnership that will be tough to replicate.
Cyrprus is a new team for the 2017 World Cup. Michael Georgiou leads the team here having decided to represent Cyprus as his "sporting country" in 2016 having previous been a representative of England. Georgiou scored a nice win against Kyren Wilson in the China Championship last 128 and can beat anyone over one frame which could mean they could cause a surprise along the way. His partner is not someone I have heard a lot about and that potentially means most of the points will come from Georgiou's cue during the group stages.
In a similar vein Israel is a new team for 2017 with Eden Sharav being the front man for them. Sharav had previously been a representative for Scotland as his "sporting country". However, Sharav was born in Israel and will be keen to do his home country proud. His partner Shachar Ruberg has slightly more experience in tournament play I would say, having been a fixture in Q School over the years and appearing in the Six Reds tournaments where he has played well in the past. Sharav himself has had improved results in the last few months and can do some damage over one frame against other professionals. The top four is certainly on and they may be very big outsiders to make it into the quarter-finals.
Predicted Group Finishes:
1st: Northern Ireland
2nd: Scotland
3rd: Thailand
4th: Israel
5th: Cyprus
6th: India
Tournament Runner-Up: China A
Tournament Winner: Northern Ireland
This tournament is all set to be broadcast in full on Eurosport TV and the Eurosport Player for those with subscriptions to that service. Events like this that differ from the norm are exciting and I am looking forward to how it all unfolds over the next week.
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