The Philippines once again reigns supreme in the world of pool.
Carlo Biado, Chezka Centeno, and Jefrey Roda rallied from two sets down to defeat Poland in the finals and capture the 2026 Predator WPA Teams 10-Ball World Championship on Saturday (Manila time) at the Westgate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Philippine team, which also includes three-time world women’s champion Rubilen Amit, was seeking redemption after being blanked by Poland, 3-0, in Round 1 of the tournament, which features five sets of Race-to-4 matches.
Poland, however, had its sights set on a repeat.
Led by 2022 world 10-ball champion Wojciech Szewczyk, Katarzyna Wesolowska, and Daniel Maciol, the Poles surged to a 3-1 lead in the opening set. Roda and Centeno fought back, winning their respective racks to level the score at 3-3.
But a dry break by Biado in the decisive seventh rack allowed Szewczyk to clean up the table, giving Poland a one-set advantage.
The second set, men’s doubles, saw the Poles dominate 4-1, pushing the Philippines further behind at two sets to none.
Roda and Centeno, however, kept the Filipino hopes alive, capturing the mixed doubles third set, 4-2, and putting the team back on the scoreboard.
The fourth set, a showdown between Biado and Maciol, showcased the resilience that has made Biado a three-time world champion.
Biado overcame a 0-2 deficit and outmaneuvered Maciol in the 5th and 7th racks, winning 4-3 and setting the stage for a dramatic fifth-set shootout.
In the decisive set, after all six players took their turns, Szewczyk was the first to falter. Biado then rattled out on his shot, giving Poland a chance to seize control again.
But under pressure, Maciol missed, leaving Roda, who played near flawlessly in the finals, with the opportunity to sink the winning shot and secure the title—and the $120,000 cash prize—for the Philippines.
After their initial loss to Poland, Team Philippines had to climb out of the Loser’s Bracket, defeating Puerto Rico and the Netherlands with identical 3-1 scores before sweeping Chinese Taipei, 3-0.
The Filipinos carried this momentum into the knockout rounds, eliminating Great Britain in the quarterfinals and the host nation’s top team, USA-A, in the semifinals.
The Philippines is now the only country to have won the tournament twice in its six editions since 2010.
The 2022 championship team, composed of Biado, Amit, and Johann Chua, edged Great Britain via shootout in the finals.
With four finals appearances, the Philippines also holds the record for the most appearances in the championship match among all countries.
