The Belgian adds a third world title to his 2006 and 2012 triumphs, defeating Phuong Vinh Bao 50-39 in a high-quality final in Blois.
Eddy Merckx is world champion again. Fourteen years after his second title in Porto, the Belgian has returned to the top of the three-cushion world, winning the 78th World Championship in Blois.
Merckx defeated Phuong Vinh Bao 50-39 in 19 innings in a final of very high quality, finishing with a 2.631 average against 2.166 for the Vietnamese player.
It is Merckx's third world title, following his victories in St. Wendel in 2006 and Porto in 2012. The UMB also notes his remarkable record in major finals: three World Championship victories and three runner-up finishes, while his World Cup record stands at 12 wins from 14 finals.
A final decided at 41-39
The final was much closer than the final score might suggest.
Bao stayed in touch for a long time and refused to let Merckx break away. The Belgian produced a magnificent 15-point run, but Bao continued to respond and remained within striking distance at 41-39.
Then came the decisive moment.
Merckx showed remarkable composure under pressure and finished the championship with a nine-point run, taking the final points he needed for a 50-39 victory.
Bao could take plenty of positives from the final. The Vietnamese player produced an excellent performance on the biggest stage and pushed Merckx all the way before the Belgian delivered the decisive finish.
Merckx beats Sidhom in another high-quality semi-final
Merckx had already been tested heavily in the semi-finals, where he faced Sameh Sidhom.
The Egyptian again came extremely close to reaching his first major title. Merckx eventually prevailed 50-47 in 24 innings, averaging 2.083 against Sidhom's 2.043.
It was another high-standard encounter, with the Belgian only able to create a small difference at the finish.
Sidhom's run nevertheless confirms his position among the world's elite. After eliminating defending champion Frédéric Caudron in the quarter-finals, he pushed the eventual champion all the way in the semi-final.
Bao survives another thriller
Phuong Vinh Bao's route to the final was one of the stories of the championship.
After narrow victories over Alexander Salazar and Jung Han Heo, both 50-47, Bao faced Tayfun Taşdemir in the semi-final.
Once again, the Vietnamese star came through a tense battle, winning 50-48 in 25 innings. Both players averaged exactly 2.000, while Taşdemir produced the highest run of the match with 14.
Three consecutive knockout victories by margins of three, three and two points took Bao all the way to his first World Championship final.
Taşdemir can nevertheless look back on an excellent week in Blois. His semi-final appearance confirmed his return to the very highest level.
The numbers behind Merckx's title
Merckx was the most consistent player of the championship. He finished the main tournament with 12 match points and a 1.993 general average, the best overall average in the field. Bao was second at 1.865, while Taşdemir finished at 1.957.
Merckx also produced the tournament's second-highest individual performance in the knockout stages, averaging 2.777 in his quarter-final victory over Son Jun Hyuk.
The tournament statistics also show that Frédéric Caudron produced the best individual match, scoring 40 points in just 10 innings for a 4.000 average during the qualification stage. Myung Woo Cho recorded the highest run, 16.
The main tournament average for the last 32 players was 1.556, while the average across the entire event was 1.468.
A unique place in World Championship history
Merckx's third title adds another remarkable chapter to a career that already spans more than two decades at the top of three-cushion billiards.
His first world title came in 2006, followed by a second in 2012. Fourteen years later, Blois becomes the location of his third triumph.
The result also continues an extraordinary World Championship trend: the reigning champion once again failed to retain the title the following year. Frédéric Caudron, who won in Antwerp in 2025, was eliminated by Sidhom in the quarter-finals. The UMB notes that this pattern has continued for four decades.
Eddy Merckx is world champion once again — in Blois, at the age of 58, and for the third time in his extraordinary career.
The 2026 World Cup season still has two events remaining, with Korea in November and Egypt in December.
Pictures: Ton Smilde
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