Reigning World 10-Ball Champion 🇹🇼 Ko Ping Chung is not included in the current player list for the 2026 World 10-Ball Championship, staged by the Predator Pro Billiard Series in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The tournament is scheduled for September 19–26, directly overlapping with the Duya Legends Golden Nine Masters in Leshan, China, which runs from September 19 to October 4.

The prize-money difference is also significant. The World 10-Ball Championship offers US$80,000 to the champion, while the Duya Leshan Masters lists a ¥2 million top prize, approximately US$298,000.

There is no confirmation yet that Ko Ping Chung will compete in Leshan. However, his brother 🇹🇼 Ko Pin Yi is also not included in the current World 10-Ball player list.

Both have been regular competitors on the Duya Legends Tour, along with their younger brother 🇹🇼 Ko Pin Han, with Ko Ping Chung coming off a victory at the Duya Golden Nine Championship in Malaysia just days ago.

Whether the Ko brothers are headed to Leshan remains to be seen, but with the two tournaments directly overlapping, the Duya event appears to be the most obvious explanation for their absence from the World 10-Ball field, and why KPC may not be pursuing a title defense.

If the current World 10-Ball field remains unchanged, a new world champion will be crowned this September.