Second Qualification Tournament for the 2026 Blackball Nations Cup reaches a crucial stage

Following their successful participation in the European Championship, the Malta Blackball Federation is now looking towards another international commitment – the 2026 Nations Cup.

The federation is currently holding the second qualification tournament, from which the players forming part of the Malta national team will be selected.

The competitions have reached the semi-final stage, where in the men’s category, Clayton Castaldi, Luke Said, Clint Azzopardi, and Wayne Pace have all advanced to the final four.

Wayne Pace and Clint Azzopardi both secured an identical 8-5 win against Kevin Schembri and Glenn Axiaq, respectively, while Clayton Castaldi had a tough battle against Clayton Attard but still managed to prevail 8-7.

Luke Said defeated Mevrick Zammit 8-3 to also book his place in Friday’s semi-finals.

Said will face Wayne Pace, while Clayton Castaldi has another difficult task ahead as he meets Clint Azzopardi.

In the seniors’ category for players over 40, Joseph Tabone will meet Philip Farrugia in the semi-finals after eliminating Darren Micallef 8-4. Farrugia, on his part, defeated Stephen Falzon 8-6.

Chris Tabone, who earlier beat Sandro Bartolo 8-2, now awaits the winner of the final quarterfinal between Johan Grixti and Mario Scicluna.

Finally, in the Under-23 category, Nick Muscat is the first finalist after defeating Steven Muscat 8-7 in the semi-finals.

The second semi-final between Casdy Vella and Matthias Debono will be played on Friday.