The Mosconi Cup, known as the Ryder Cup of Pool, is an annual nine-ball pool tournament between Europe and the United States which has been delighting crowds and TV audiences on either side of the Atlantic since 1994.
The US used to dominate the four-day showpiece but now it's Europe's turn, as they will head into the 2023 competition having triumphed in each of the last three years and in 11 of the previous 13 events.
| What | Mosconi Cup |
| Where | Alexandra Palace, London, England |
| When | Wednesday 6th December - Saturday 9th December, 2023 |
| How to watch | Sky Sports |
What is the Mosconi Cup?
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool match between players from Europe and the USA, named after the legendary 18-time world champion Willie Mosconi, who died in 1993, a year before this competition was played for the first time.
When is the Mosconi Cup?
The Mosconi Cup has been held in late November or December ever since it started.
The 2023 tournament, which will also be the 30th edition, will be held at the famous Alexandra Palace, London, from Wednesday 6th December - Saturday 9th December.
Where can I watch the Mosconi Cup?
Every session of the 2023 Mosconi Cup will be screened live on Sky Sports.
Who competes in the Mosconi Cup?
The Mosconi Cup is contested between Europe and the United States with both teams selecting five players, as well as a non-playing captain.
Three players from each team will qualify based on the World Nineball Rankings one-year list, while the remaining two places on each side are selected on a wild-card basis.
What is the Mosconi Cup format?
There are 21 points up for grabs which means a team needs to win 11 points to be crowned champions.
The first three days feature a team event – all 10 players at the table – followed by a succession of singles and doubles matches, two of which are chosen by a public vote.
The final day features five singles matches and if the match score is tied at 10-10, the captains pick a player to contest the deciding match.
Each match is best-of-nine racks, so effectively a race to five racks.
Who won last year's Mosconi Cup?
For the third year in a row, Europe lifted the Mosconi Cup in 2022, claiming an 11-7 victory on American turf at Bally's Las Vegas.
Led by captain Alex Lely, Europe had to claim their victory the hard way, overcoming a 3-1 deficit after the first day's play to triumph for the 15th time.
Germany's Joshua Filler was voted the event's Most Valuable Player, winning four of his six matches in either singles or doubles across the four days.
That was the second time that Filler had picked up the MVP award at the Mosconi Cup, as he also collected the accolade in 2017.
Who are the favourites for the 2023 Mosconi Cup?
As the dominant force at the Mosconi Cup for the best part of 20 years, Europe will be hopeful of lifting the trophy for the 16th time, especially as they will have home advantage at Alexandra Palace.
The United States have only won once on European soil since 2004, claiming an 11-9 victory at Alexandra Palace in 2018, and they are likely to be the underdogs heading into this year's event.
How has the Mosconi Cup evolved?
The first Mosconi Cup was held at the Roller Bowl in Romford with six-time world snooker champion Steve Davis among the inaugural European team.
It was the US who won that match 16-12, part one of a decade or so of dominance – by 2005 the Americans held a 10-2 edge over Europe.
The change came the next year, a 12-12 draw in Rotterdam in which the host continent blew a 12-10 lead, but it confirmed to them that the Americans were beatable.
The very next year a strong European team, featuring nine-ball legends like Ralf Souquet, Niels Feijen and Daryl Peach, went to Vegas and beat an awesome American side containing the incomparable Earl Strickland, Jonny Archer and Rodney Morris.
It was the first time the Americans had been beaten on their own turf and it was a truly transformational moment.
Europe has now won 13 of the last 16 Mosconi Cups, including a never-to-be-forgotten 11-2 destruction of the Americans at the Mirage in Las Vegas in 2013 when Strickland and his team-mates were swept aside in just two-and-a-half days.
