Thursday 15 / January / 2026
MUSCAT: Muscat Nights International Billiards and Snooker Championship kicked off on Wednesday evening in a highly competitive atmosphere at Arena Active Oman, marking the start of one of the region’s premier cue-sports events as part of the Muscat Nights festival. The opening day saw wide participation from players representing diverse playing styles and schools from various countries, lending the tournament strong technical momentum from the very first hour.
The first day produced a series of impressive results that reflected the high level of competition from the outset. Habib Sabah defeated Nasser Al Zidjali 3–0, Mohammed Motaz beat Hamza Al Awidi 3–1, and Amir Hossein recorded two successive victories, defeating Karar 3–0 and Ahmed Al Kindi 3–0. Mortadha Al Suri overcame Jamshid Al Mahrouqi 3–0, while Hamoud Al Harthi defeated Mark Anthony 3–0. Ali Hussain continued his strong run with a 3–0 win over Al Yaman Al Balushi, Mohammed Saleh beat Amer Al Rashdi 3–0, and Ehsan defeated Hussain Al Sheibani 3–0. In one of the closest matches of the day, Sadiq Al Farsi edged Hassan Al Harthi 3–2, while Rafi beat Waqar Ahmed 3–1, Milad Kashani defeated Mohammed Elhami 3–0, Ahmed Noman beat Shahzad Ghani 3–0, Suhaib Abed defeated Qasim Abbas 3–0, and Abdulaziz Al Sinani overcame Al Muhannad Al Nahdi 3–1. Karar went on to defeat Qais Al Hashami 3–0, Ahmed Bashir beat Taha Al Balushi 3–1, and Mohammed Noman wrapped up the confirmed results with a 3–0 win over Nader Al Adawi.
Commenting on the tournament’s launch, Khalid bin Khalfan bin Rashid Al Subhi, Chairman of the Oman Billiards and Snooker Committee, expressed his pride in the strong start, stating that the Muscat Nights International Billiards and Snooker Championship, with the participation of 125 players from 18 countries, reflects the great confidence enjoyed by Oman and the Oman Billiards and Snooker Committee among international federations and players. He added that this also confirms the success of the organisational efforts made in recent months and highlights Oman’s growing status as a host of international sporting events.
Al Subhi added that, from the very first day, the organising committee received widespread praise from participating delegations and players for the quality of organisation and readiness of the facilities. He noted that the championship has been characterised by a distinctive competitive atmosphere, while the accompanying Muscat Nights events have contributed to presenting Oman as a proud sporting and tourism destination capable of hosting major international events.
He also pointed out that the opening day witnessed strong and exciting matches that reflected the high technical level of the participating players, with closely fought encounters and advanced skills on display. This, he said, indicates that the level of competition will rise even further in the coming rounds, making the championship one of the strongest tournaments of its kind.
Al Subhi concluded by reaffirming the Committee’s commitment to organising and hosting more international tournaments to further promote billiards and snooker in Oman, provide greater international exposure for Omani players, and help raise their technical standards while proudly representing the Sultanate on the global sporting stage.
