Ali Saeed (left) of Qatar in action against Hussain al-Qallaf of Kuwait during the qualifying round of the World 9-Ball Championship at Al Arabi Stadium yesterday. (Right) Another competitor lines up his shot during the qualifying rounds of the championship. The main round of the 25th edition of the tournament will start on July 30. The Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation has been hosting the major event since 2010. The tournament will see 128 players compete for the most prestigious prize in men’s pool arena. They will be split into 16 groups and play a race-to-9 double elimination format. Four players from each group will make it to the round of 64. The tournament carries $200,000 in total prize money with the winner taking home $40,000 while the runner- up gets $20,000 for his effort. The home challenge will be led by Waleed Majed, Bashar Hussain, Ali al-Obaidli, Ali Abdulhadi, Antonio Capica, Francisco, Abdulatif al-Fawal and Mohamed Saeed.