Top 12 becomes top 14, more prize money

BORDEAUX - The system with seeded players for the World Cups will be changed from January 1, 2017. The prize money will be pushed up with 17.000 euros in total, the number of wildcards is reduced from five to three. The new rules were announced by UMB President Farouk Barki at the World championship in Bordeaux today.

The top twelve ranked players, as it was for years, will be raised to the top fourteen from the world ranking. The first tournament for which the new rules are implemented is the World Cup in Bursa from 6 to 12 February 2017.

The prize money will be increased to 52.000 euros, 17,000 euros more than it was in the past years in the World Cups. Farouk Barki: ,,The price for the winner is raised from 5.500 euros to 8.000 euros.

The 32 players for the main event are divided as follows from the new year:

X Fourteen ranked players (top 14 from the world ranking)
X Fifteen players from the final qualifications
X Two wildcards of the organization
X One wildcard of the UMB.

Farouk Barki: ,,The wildcard of the UMB goes to the CPB (America) or ACC (Asia). We will divide it over the six World Cups: four wildcards for the CPB, two for ACC.''

The UMB board holds a two-days meeting during the World championship in Bordeaux.