This Thursday, the group stage of this year’s 3-Cushion Team World Championship kicked off in Viersen, Germany. A total of sixteen teams are competing in four groups of four to determine the quarterfinalists for Saturday. The new world champion will be crowned on Sunday afternoon, German time.

Group D is the most advanced, with all teams having played two matches. The Netherlands celebrated two 3:1 victories against the USA and Egypt. The key player in both matches was Jean-Paul de Bruijn, who not only won both of his games but also delivered the highest run of the day with 14 points. His teammate Dick Jaspers, on the other hand, had to settle for two draws.
Spain, meanwhile, drew both against Egypt and the USA and will face the already-qualified Netherlands in their final group match on Friday. At the same time, Egypt and the USA will face off, with both teams currently holding one point each.
The teams in the other three groups have played only one match so far. In Group A, host nation Germany thrilled the home crowd in the Festhalle by defeating Colombia 3:1. Martin Horn triumphed over Huberney Catano, while Ronny Lindemann showed nerves of steel by scoring a crucial 40:40 equalizer against Pedro Gonzalez in the equalizing inning. In the other match of this group, Turkey convincingly defeated Portugal 4:0.
In Group B, the match between France and Japan seemed headed for a draw. Jeremy Bury secured two points for France, while Takao Miyashita appeared to be the sure winner against Mikael Devogelaere at 40:33. However, the Frenchman managed to score seven points in his equalizing inning, ultimately giving France a 3:1 victory. Meanwhile, South Korea and Mexico ended in a 2:2 draw, with Jung Han Heo winning for the Asians and Javier Vera securing victory for the Central Americans.
Defending champions Vietnam, represented by Quyet Chien Tran and Phuong Vinh Bao, had a flawless start in Group C. The duo dominated against Jordan with a clear 4:0 win. Belgium, on the other hand, secured a 3:1 victory over Sweden, largely thanks to Peter Ceulemans, who managed to equalize a 38:40 deficit against Torbjörn Blomdahl in his final inning. Roland Forthomme had previously given Belgium a 2:0 lead by defeating Nalle Olsson.
The tournament continues on Friday at 11:00 AM German time with the next group stage matches.

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