Mosconi Cup 2026 Preview: Dates, Captains, How Teams Are Picked and How to Watch
Pool's biggest team event comes to Florida this fall. The 2026 Mosconi Cup, Team USA against Team Europe, runs November 27-30 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando. Europe is going for a seventh straight title. The USA is going for its first win since 2019, on home soil, with the captain who led its last two wins.
Mosconi Cup 2026 at a glance
- Dates: Friday-Monday, November 27-30, 2026 (starting the day after Thanksgiving)
- Venue: Caribe Royale Resort, Orlando, Florida
- Teams: five players each, Team USA vs. Team Europe
- Game: 9-Ball, races to 5. Matches are team, doubles and singles, and the first team to 11 points wins.
- Captains: Johan Ruijsink (USA) and Niels Feijen (Europe)
- Defending champion: Team Europe, 11-3 winners in London in 2025
- Watch: live on WNT TV, the World Nineball Tour's streaming service
What is the Mosconi Cup?
Think of it as pool's Ryder Cup. Since 1994 the best American players have faced the best Europeans every year in a loud, chanting, party-style arena. It is named after Willie Mosconi, the American straight pool legend. Because the matches are short races to 5, one missed ball can swing a whole session, and the crowd lives on every shot.
Europe's streak
Europe has owned the Cup lately. Its 2025 win, 11-3 at Alexandra Palace in London, was its sixth straight and its 17th overall. That team was Jayson Shaw (playing captain), Joshua Filler, David Alcaide, Moritz Neuhausen and Pijus Labutis, with Neuhausen named MVP. The 2025 USA team was Fedor Gorst, Skyler Woodward (playing captain), Billy Thorpe, Tyler Styer and Shane Van Boening.
The USA's last wins came in 2018 in London, clinched by Van Boening's famous table-length 1-9 combination, and in 2019 in Las Vegas. Read the full story in our Shane Van Boening profile.
The captains: old friends, now rivals
Johan Ruijsink (USA) returns to lead the Americans. He captained Team USA to those back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019 and is known for his tactics and for getting individual players to play as a team.
Niels Feijen (Europe) is one of the greatest Mosconi Cup players ever: eight wins as a player and a record four MVP awards. He debuted as a player in 2001. "My job is to make sure the players are mentally ready for those race-to-five matches and the pressure that comes with representing Europe," he said.
The two go way back. "I've known Johan since I was 16," Feijen said. "We've worked together and been friends for more than 30 years. We're both incredibly competitive, so going up against each other as captains is going to be intense and fun."
How the teams are picked
Each team has five players. The top three players from each side in the World Nineball Tour rankings qualify automatically, and each captain picks the last two as wildcards. The qualifying cut-off comes after the Philippines Open (October 20-24, 2026), so the final lineups will be announced after that.
On the European side, two-time US Open champion Francisco Sánchez Ruiz led the qualifying list after his 2026 US Open win, and he followed it by winning MVP at the 2026 Reyes Cup. "It's been a crazy year for European players," Feijen said. "We've got so many heavy hitters." We'll add both lineups here once they're official.
Tickets and travel
Tickets are sold through the World Nineball Tour, with general admission and VIP packages, and past Mosconi Cups have sold out. Orlando in late November is also a great pool trip, so check the pool tournaments in Florida while you're there.
How to watch
Every match streams live on WNT TV. Fans in the stands chant, sing and dress up, and that atmosphere comes through on the stream too. See our guide to how to watch pro pool for more streaming options.
What to watch for
- Can the USA end the streak at home? The crowd in Orlando will be loud and American.
- Ruijsink vs. Feijen. Two of the smartest minds in the game picking pairings against each other.
- The doubles. Pairings decide many Mosconi Cups. In doubles (alternate shot) players have to trust each other's position play. Learn the format in our scotch doubles guide.
Can't wait until November? Find a tournament near you this weekend, or check the full major pool events calendar.
Sources
- AZBilliards / World Nineball Tour: Niels Feijen returns as Team Europe captain
- Presidential Billiards: The 2026 Mosconi Cup: Everything You Need to Know
- Wikipedia: 2025 Mosconi Cup and Mosconi Cup
- World Nineball Tour: Van Boening the history maker