Created on 07.06
The potential of the billiard market in China
In the past two years, thebilliard industryin China has seen steady growth. The excellent performances of Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize in international competitions in April and May this year further boosted the momentum of this industry. It is predicted that by 2026, the scale of China’s billiard industry will reach 116.31 billion yuan, representing a 14.1% increase compared to the previous year; by 2030, it is expected to reach 192.03 billion yuan.
With Chinese players winning the Snooker World Championship for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026, interest in the sport in China increased significantly. According to official data from the WST, the World Snooker Tour, the total number of video views on WST’s Chinese-language accounts for the 2026 Snooker World Championship, when Wu Yize won the title, reached 549 million – a 241% increase compared to the previous edition. Nearly a month after Wu Yize’s victory, statistics from various social media platforms showed that the number of snooker bloggers had increased by 29% on a year-on-year basis.
Driven by the appeal of celebrities, more and more young people are choosing to engage in this sport. Meeting up with friends after work to play a round has become a popular way for many young people to relax and socialize.
Not only in China’s major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, but also in the smaller towns across the country,billiard industryis highly active. In Yushan County, Jiangxi Province, on weekends and during the prime evening hours, consumers who want to play billiards often need to make reservations in advance or wait in line. Similarly, the rapid spread of billiards has spurred the development of industries related to this sport.The Chinese OEM manufacturer for billiard cues, Chongqing Obright Billiard Cues Factory,has also entered the competition in the Chinese market. At present, there are over 245 million people in China who play billiards; the country boasts more than 200,000 billiard halls, and there are over 550,000 enterprises related to billiards.
The expansion of billiard competitions has led to an increase in training activities; however, the industry still has shortcomings.
Over the past two years, the growing popularity of billiards and the increase in related spending have contributed to the development of the event industry as well as the billiards training sector.
The schedule released by the World Snooker Tour indicates that there will be 23 tournaments in the 2026–2027 season, with 7 of them taking place in China – the highest number ever. Following the 2025–2026 season, China once again becomes the second-largest tournament venue in the world, after the UK. Additionally, in May of this year, the first Chinese Bowling Club Professional League was launched; it lasts for 8 months and features 432 matches in total, offering more fans richer viewing options. While professional competitions are gradually getting on track, amateur events are also thriving. In Chengdu, Sichuan, a billiard tournament aimed at casual enthusiasts was held, attracting 128 players from various parts of the country to compete. Currently, the Chinese Billiards Association has introduced a new set of competitions, including professional leagues, championships, tours, and amateur events, creating a comprehensive framework of contests tailored for various categories of players, from professionals to amateurs, as well as youth and adult participants. The development of the sports industry has also increased the demand for billiard training.
As Chinese players win championships in international competitions more and more often, there is a growing interest in billiard training. The head of a billiard academy that focuses on training professional players said that after Wu Yize won a championship in May, the number of parents who sought information about billiard training for their children increased significantly. Industry experts say that although thebilliard industryis currently on a path of rapid development, it still suffers from shortcomings in areas such as the establishment of standardized systems for talent training and the preparation of qualified teaching staff.
Wang Xueli, Director of the Sports Industry Development Research Center at the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University: In fact, the development of the billiard industry currently requires a variety of different types of talent. There are professionals such as competitive players and coaches at the grassroots level, who are directly involved in billiard sports, but there is also a need for expertise in areas such as club management, event organization, media promotion, and equipment development. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a tiered and categorized talent training system, with tailored training programs for different types of talent, in order to ensure an adequate and systematic supply of talent for the billiard industry and to promote its high-quality development.
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