THE COUPE D’EUROPE CLASSIC TEAMS IS READY TO KICK OFF IN DOUAI
The 16th edition of the Coupe d’Europe Classic Teams will be hosted at the Residence Descartes, an IMT Nord Europe conference facility in Douai (France). This is an exceptional edition of the most anticipated event for club teams in the classical disciplines, organized under the auspices of the CEB and the FFB: nine teams representing the record number of eight national federations will compete for the prestigious trophy.
The title holders and organizers, the French team Entente Douai-Carvin IMT Nord Europe, have prepared everything down to the smallest detail. The opening ceremony will take place on April 15th (this Wednesday) in the Gothic Hall of Douai Town Hall, in the presence of local authorities and the main promoters.
The competition will take place over four days, from Thursday 16th until Sunday 19th; the first three days will be reserved for the qualifying groups, and the final, on Sunday, will feature the semifinals and final. The qualifying groups will consist of 18 matches, meaning three groups of three will be played twice. The three group winners plus the best second-place finisher will advance to the semifinals.
The host team of Douai-Carvin will do everything they can to retain the trophy; among others, they will face strong contenders from Douarnenez, who won the trophy five consecutive times from 2018 to 2024 and are now seeking revenge after finishing third in 2025. Other podium contenders include Austrian team WBA, silver medalists in last year's edition, and Dutch team De Hazelaar, who also won bronze in 2025. The other participating teams should not be underestimated, including Denmark's first-time participation and the Greek team Trisponto BC from Athens. The list of participating teams is completed by DBC Bochum for Germany, BC Noorderkempen for Belgium, and SBF Molins de Rei for Spain.
There is also an impressive list of champions among the team members:
- Raymund Swertz (NL) - Douarnenez Valdys: 6 times winner of this Coupe d’Europe, and European title holder in Cadre 47/2.
- Jean-Paul de Bruijn (NL) - De Hazelaar/GJ Billiards: 5 times winner of this Coupe d’Europe, World champion and multiple European champion in 1-Cushion.
- Marek Faus (CZ) and Gregory Le Deventec (FR): Douarnenez Valdys: 5 times winners of this Coupe d’Europe.
- Arnim Kahofer (AT) - WBA: multiple European champion and European title holder in Cadre 71/2.
- And, of course, for the title holder team Entente Douai-Carvin IMT Nord Europe, the 2 Belgian stars: Patrick Niessen, multiple European Champion and Frédéric Caudron, multiple European champion and winner of the last World Championships in Cadre 47/2, Cadre 71/2 and 1-Cushion.
This event is played on Simonis cloths with Aramith billiard balls.
The whole event is live on Kozoom for premium pass holders.
Groups, schedules, results and more details are available on the dedicated info page.
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