Two of the four preliminary groups were concluded this Friday as part of the 3-Cushion Team World Championship in Viersen, Germany. There were several dramatic matches before the first four quarterfinalists were determined.

In Group D, there was a head-to-head race between the USA and Spain for second place behind the Netherlands. Thanks to a strong performance by Sergio Jimenez, Spain secured a draw against the Netherlands and then eagerly awaited the parallel match between the USA and Egypt. Hugo Patino gave the USA the lead, and in the second match between Pedro Piedrabuena and Sameh Sidhom, no winner emerged throughout the game. Ultimately, it was Piedrabuena who reached the 40-point mark first. Sidhom managed to equalize, but in the overall standings, it was enough for the US team to advance.

Meanwhile, Belgium emerged as the winner of Group C. In the morning, Peter Ceulemans and Roland Forthomme secured a 2:2 draw against defending champions Vietnam, represented by Quyet Chien Tran and Phuong Vinh Bao. In the evening, Belgium followed up with a 4:0 victory over Jordan, who had also lost by the same margin to Sweden earlier in the day. This set up a decisive evening match between Sweden and Vietnam for second place in Group C. However, the suspense was short-lived as Bao comfortably won his match against Nalle Olsson. Even though Torbjörn Blomdahl managed to turn his match around against Tran after falling behind, it was not enough to change the final outcome.

Groups A and B have each played two matches so far. Host nation Germany faced Turkey, where Ronny Lindemann salvaged a draw in front of the home crowd amid great cheers. Earlier, Martin Horn had suffered a defeat against Berkay Karakurt. Meanwhile, Colombia defeated Portugal 4:0, keeping their quarterfinal hopes alive. However, they will need a victory against Turkey on Saturday, while Germany is the favorite against a Portuguese team that has yet to earn a point.

In Group B, Mexico pulled off a surprise with a 4:0 win over France. Javier Vera overcame a 36:38 deficit against Jeremy Bury to win 40:38. Christian Hernandez pulled away from Mikael Devogelaere towards the end of his match, securing a 40:32 victory to complete the sweep. Since South Korea and Japan played to a 2:2 draw at the same time, Mexico now sits at the top of this group. On Saturday, they will face Japan, while the currently tied South Koreans and French teams will battle in the other match.

The final group stage matches will begin at 11:00 AM German time. The quarterfinals are scheduled for 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

Results of the day:
Germany – Turkey 2:2
Colombia – Portugal 4:0
Mexico – France 4:0
South Korea – Japan 2:2
Netherlands – Spain 2:2
USA – Egypt 3:1
Vietnam – Belgium 2:2
Jordan – Sweden 0:4
Vietnam – Sweden 2:2
Jordan – Belgium 0:4