Who is Michal Szubarczyk? 14-year-old set to make history after World Snooker Tour offer him two-year pro tour card
MICHAL Szubarczyk has been nominated for a two-year tour card after reaching the final of the 2025 EBSA European Championship in Turkey.
The Polish 14-year-old is set to become the youngest-ever player on the World Snooker Tour.
Michal Szubarczyk swept his way through to the final by beating four competitors before getting the better of former European champion Harvey Chandler 4-3 in the semi-final.
Unfortunately, the teen was then defeated 5-0 in the final by 34-year-old Liam Highfield, stopping Michal from a hattrick of victories.
This came after the youngster had already won the Under-16 and Under-18 editions of the tournament.
Champion Highfield — who was once ranked 39th in the world — has already earned a two-year WST card via the WPBSA Q-Tour Global play-offs.
Which means his nomination has been passed down to Michal for finishing in second place, should he wish to accept the invitation.
If he does accept, then the rising star will instantly make history as the youngest WST pro in history.
Not only would he be able to swap his homework for the practice tables, but he would also come up against some of snooker’s biggest stars on tour.
Players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson would all become potential opponents for the Polish prodigy.
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Snooker fans online were excited at the prospect of seeing such a young talent shine on the biggest stage.
One wrote: “Yes! Come on! Even more talent!”
While another added: “Next generation!”
A third joked: “Let everyone know that Poland now has their own Luke Littler“
And a fourth posted: “Wow! Must be some player. European Amateur finalist at 14 is an incredible achievement.”
Who is Michal Szubarczyk?
Michal was born in Lublin, Poland on January 12, 2011.
I was too relaxed because we weren’t playing for a ticket to the main tour anymore, so I was very happy after the tournament
Michal Szubarczyk
His journey into snooker began at the age of six when he started watching the sport on television with his dad Kamil.
Michał’s family has played a crucial role in his development as a player.
His father went from running his own business full-time, to working part-time and supporting Michał as his coach and manager.
Michał’s skills extend beyond snooker — the lad also enjoys playing football and chess.
Rise to prominence
The youngster’s rise in the snooker world has been meteoric.
At just 12 years old, he won the Polish national championships at both under-18 and under-21 levels.
He also made his first maximum (147) break at this tender age, showcasing his precocious talent.
Tournament record
In August 2024, at the age of 13, Michał became the youngest ever winner of the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship in Bengaluru, India.
He dominated the final, defeating 2023 runner-up Alexander Widau 5-1.
His tournament record for the 2024/2025 season includes reaching the last 64 in the 2025 World Snooker Federation (WSF) Championship.
Michal also made the quarter-finals in the 2025 WSF Junior Championship.
‘I couldn’t sleep’
After losing to Liam Highfield in the final at the 2025 European Championship on March 22, Michal told Polish TVP Sport: “I couldn’t sleep, but probably not because of emotions, but because I didn’t feel like sleeping.
“I was thinking about the main tour. I was imagining what I would do in the World Championship qualifiers.
“It doesn’t matter who I’m competing with, I just want to play with professionals.”
He added: “I stayed in the stands after my match. I watched what was happening.
“I didn’t talk to Liam, but that’s because I’m a bit shy. The lost final wasn’t a big disappointment for me. Before it came a wave of excitement.
“It made me focus a little less on the last match. I was too relaxed because we weren’t playing for a ticket to the main tour anymore, so I was very happy after the tournament.”
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins