Southern Metropolis Daily reporter Wang Yayun reported from Guangzhou that on May 10, the China Billiard Association officially launched the China Billiard Club Professional League (CBL) at the Canton Fair Complex. Jiang Shicai, Director of the China Billiard Association and Director of the Ball Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, along with CBL Ambassador Pan Xiaoting and star players Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize, attended the ceremony, marking a historic moment for Chinese billiards.
The CBL launch ceremony.
As the country’s top-tier club professional league, the inaugural CBL season brings together eight elite clubs competing across three stages: group stage, knockout stage, and finals. The season spans eight months and features 432 matches. The format combines a home-and-away double round-robin system with tournament-style play, significantly boosting competitiveness and spectator appeal.
In his address, Jiang Shicai highlighted that the CBL represents the pinnacle of the China Billiard Association’s new event framework, which is built on a “four-main, multi-source, optimized services” strategy. He emphasized the league’s role in enriching event offerings, setting benchmarks, nurturing player development, pooling industry resources, and driving industrial growth. He noted that Chinese billiards has entered a golden period of high-quality development, with players like Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize securing world titles, providing the confidence for establishing the league. The association will continue to refine league operations and collaborate with the industry to advance China from a major billiard nation to a global leader.
Jiang Shicai, Director of the China Billiard Association, presented a congratulatory letter from the All-China Sports Federation and the China Billiard Association to newly crowned Snooker World Champion Wu Yize.
CBL Ambassador Pan Xiaoting, drawing on
