Pattaya Open 2026
A WNT-sanctioned 9-ball event, the first of its kind in Thailand, and a real-world proof point for what CUE PLAY can support under live tournament conditions.
A real event report, not a concept demo
Pattaya Open 2026 was the kind of environment that exposes whether event technology actually helps. The room was busy, the field was strong, the production was serious, and the expectations from players, organizers, referees, and spectators were high. That made it the right place to test CUE PLAY in conditions that felt real from start to finish.
Event Snapshot
- Pattaya, Thailand
- WNT-sanctioned 9-ball event
- 160-player field, expanded from 128 because of demand
- Players from 30 countries
- 32 seeded players spread evenly through a 256-slot bracket
- Double elimination to the last 64, then single elimination
- Final played as race to 15
The event had energy, pressure, and constant movement.
Pattaya did not feel like a cautious first event. It felt ambitious, international, and professionally run. Many of the top Asian players were on site. The venue looked good, sounded good, and moved well, with strong lighting, good equipment, good food and service, reliable refereeing, and a room full of players, staff, MCs, production crews, and spectators who all expected things to work.
The platform was used where it mattered most: during the event itself.
Event visibility
Live scoring screens on every table gave both players and spectators a clearer view of what was happening throughout the room.
Match flow support
The bracket engine handled a large field, heavy bye distribution, double-elimination flow, and the conversion into single elimination without falling apart under load.
Real-world proof
CUE PLAY was run directly while referees and TDs stayed focused on the event itself. That separation mattered because it showed the platform could support operations without becoming another burden on the floor team.
Live conditions validated some of the right product instincts.
- Players were happy with the conditions, professionalism, communication, equipment, referees, and overall event flow.
- WNT was happy with the organization, which mattered even more because this was the first event this team had ever run at this level.
- Spectators responded well to seeing everything live both on scoring screens around the venue and through the website.
- The event drew website traffic from outside Thailand, which showed there was real interest beyond the room itself.
- CUE PLAY received strong feedback and serious curiosity from people who could become future clients once the platform is ready to launch.
Real events sharpen the product faster than planning documents do.
- Paper match tickets were still valuable. In one scoring dispute, the physical confirmation gave us clean proof and helped resolve the issue quickly.
- Extra table cameras turned out to be more than production tools. They helped solve a few live issues without wasting time or staff attention.
- Real-event pressure makes it obvious which workflows are strong, which need hardening, and where communication needs to become even clearer.
A strong field, a few surprises, and a lot of attention on the room.
- The field was expanded from 128 to 160 players because demand was stronger than expected.
- Players from 30 countries gave the room a genuinely international feel from the opening rounds onward.
- Many of the top Asian players were on site, which gave the event immediate credibility and pressure.
- There were surprising early exits, including Aloysius Yapp, the number one seed, going out in the last 64.
- Production teams and streamers from multiple countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan, added to the reach and atmosphere around the event.
Six media partners helped carry Pattaya beyond the venue.
Pattaya Open 2026 was supported by six media partners whose coverage helped bring the event to audiences across Thailand and much of the wider ASEAN cue sports community.
International Coverage
- wnt.tv
- 77.Billiards
- SAM Entertainment
- Carabao Billiards Indonesia
Additional Media Support
- Fullcan Sports
- Thairath Sport
Why it mattered
The scale of the media effort added visibility, credibility, and reach, and helped make the event feel larger than the room itself.
A few moments from Pattaya
The next live test raises the standard again.
Pattaya tested the engine and the website in a real environment. Bangkok is the next step. On March 20-22, CUE PLAY will not only support the event infrastructure but also push the mobile app into live use: player install, login, account creation, app-based sign-up, live following, and scoring workflows across two events, including scotch doubles. The goal is simple: get closer to a formal release through real feedback from real users.