Pankaj Advani beats Robert Hall in Birmingham to claim 29th world billiards title

Pankaj Advani defeated Robert (Rob) Hall in Birmingham on October 23, 2026, to win the WBL World Billiards Championship, securing the 29th world title of his career; the final lasted five hours and ended 1906-1206 in Advani's favour.

The 41-year-old Indian was the only representative from India in the tournament's last four and entered the final aiming to add to his record haul of world titles, while Hall sought a first world crown after five previous final appearances without success; the match carried high significance for both players.

Advani opened the summit match with a 91 break before Hall responded with a 203 run; roughly two hours into play the scoreboard showed the match nearly level and Advani then produced another century to take the lead.

Hall countered with sustained scoring, compiling a 331 break that pushed him more than 300 points clear and, with 115 minutes remaining, held a 1014-697 advantage that put him on course for his maiden world title.

Facing that deficit, Advani produced a fluent 210 break to reduce Hall's lead to 100, reclaimed the table after Hall missed a regulation shot and then constructed a 587 break — the highest of this year's championship — which effectively decided the outcome.

At the prize ceremony Hall said, "The second session of the final was billiards from the gods," and Advani said Hall was a fine player and his maiden title was around the corner. Earlier in the event Advani beat compatriot Sourav Kothari 1134-575 in a three-hour quarterfinal and overcame David Causier 1607-1271 in the semifinals; the field featured top players worldwide, with Michael Ferreira the only notable absentee because he has long retired from competitive billiards.

Final scoreline and major breaks were: Pankaj Advani (India) bt Robert Hall (England) 1906-1206. Breaks (50 and over): Advani: 587, 210, 197, 149, 147, 99, 91, 91, 55. Hall: 331, 203, 109, 87, 68, 50.

Advani will switch disciplines to prepare for the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Indore in mid-November.