Big boost for snooker in North America with the launch of a lucrative national league
Amateur snooker in North America is set for a big boost with the launch of the National Snooker League (NSL) which is set to carry a top prize of $50,000 CAD.
The bold new event was officially publicised by organisers a few weeks ago, and several big names within the sport from that region have thrown their support behind the exciting concept, including Canada’s 1980 World Snooker Champion Cliff Thorburn.
Joining Thorburn on the NSL board as advisors are 1990 British Open champion Bob Chaperon, former world number nine Alain Robidoux, two-time world championship quarter-finalist Jim Wych, and 2004 World 9-Ball Pool Champion Alex Pagulayan.
NSL promoters posted on their Facebook page a few weeks’ ago with their vision for the event, stating: “Snooker in North America is about to change.
“A new snooker movement is starting - focused on growing the game, supporting clubs, and creating real competitive opportunities for players.”
As well as it’s Facebook page - that has the strapline of ‘Cueing up the future of North American Snooker’ - there is set to be a dedicated website of NSL-TV.com, and coverage on YouTube.
How does the National Snooker League event work?
The National Snooker League is open to all amateur players - those without a World Snooker Tour professional card at the start of 2026 - who have resided in either the United States of America or Canada over the past 12 months.
The competition will be played across snooker clubs in both countries, and should organisers reach the allotted number of host venues which yields a 64-player tournament-concluding championship event, the overall title winner will pocket the $50,000 CAD jackpot.
Each club venue will run its own domestic league followed by a ‘Judgement Day’ where cueists qualify for the end-of-season NSL Championship which will see all the regional/club qualifiers come together to compete for the overall title.
The entry fee is $350 per player, and entries close on January 15th with the local leagues scheduled to begin in March and the NSL Championship pencilled in for late May or mid-June.
The runner-up prize is intended to be $20,000, and there will also be a ‘Juniors’ event that has a fund of $5,000.
NSL organisers have been reaching out to venues to join, and 11 clubs - from either side of the border - have currently signed up.
Canada and the USA are member countries of the Pan American Billiards and Snooker Association (PABSA). The pan-continental association - which also encompasses Central and South America - hosts an annual championship event that carries a two-year professional tour card for the winner.
In recent years, Ahmed Aly Elsayed has represented the USA on snooker’s top flight having won the tournament, and the 2024 winner Sahil Nayyar from Canada is currently experiencing his rookie season on the World Snooker Tour.
Various forms of pool are the most dominant cuesports in the USA, but snooker is starting to blossom there. Several professionals have played in exhibitions stateside, and the World Women’s Snooker Tour hosted an annual US Women’s Open between 2022-2024.
Five-time professional ranking event champion Stephen Lee recently made headlines after claiming the $10,000 top prize for winning the 2025 Embassy Snooker Open held in Los Angeles.