The 'War of Stars' Toward the PBA First Division… PBA Dream Tour Opens with Consecutive First and Second Events

*This content was translated by AI.

The new season of the 'Dream Tour (Second Division)', the gateway to promotion to the Professional Billiards (PBA) First Division, is set to begin.

The Professional Billiards Association (PBA) announced on the 19th that it will hold the '2026-2027 PBA Dream Tour Opening Event' from the 20th to the 23rd over four days at venues including the 'Goyang Kinex PBA Stadium' in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Four days after the conclusion of the opening event, the Dream Tour's second event will be held consecutively from the 27th to the 30th.

The Dream Tour, the PBA's second division tour, is the most reliable pathway to the dream stage of the first division tour. This season, a total of seven regular tours and the 'Dream Tour Finals', which serves as the ultimate showdown, will be held. Players will calculate their point rankings based on their results in these tournaments, with top-ranked players advancing directly to the first division tour.

Last season, a total of 24 players, including five winners such as Oh Sung-wook (Breakers) who ranked first in the Dream Tour, along with Lee Jong-ju, Kim Mu-soon, Kim Tae-yong, and Kim Kwan-woo, secured direct tickets to the first division tour. Since winners and runners-up of each Dream Tour event typically secure a stable spot for direct advancement to the first division, fierce battles for survival are expected from the very first event.

In this tournament, the tension increases as the match format changes as the rounds progress. From the 512th-strong round to the 128th-strong round, matches are played under a 30-point scoring system, while from the 64th-strong round to the 16th-strong round, matches are decided under a 35-point scoring system.

From the quarterfinals to the finals, which have been cleared through fierce preliminary rounds, matches are played in a set format (15 points), with the final fifth set decided by 11 points. Additionally, from the quarterfinals to the finals, the initial ball formation is assigned by lottery to enhance fairness.

The Dream Tour is held over a total of four days per event. In the early stages of the tournament (days 1-2), when hundreds of players participate, events are held across multiple venues to ensure smooth progress.

The opening event's days 1-2 (512-strong to 128-strong rounds) matches are held separately at three venues: Goyang Kinex PBA Stadium, PBA Lounge, and Seoul Chang-dong PBC Carom Club. The matches from days 3-4 (64-strong to finals), where the winner is crowned, will be concentrated at the Goyang Kinex PBA Stadium.

The subsequent second event will also be held across multiple venues on days 1-2, including Goyang Kinex PBA Stadium, PBA Lounge, and Goyang City Carom Space, before being held collectively at the Goyang Kinex PBA Stadium on days 3-4, just like the opening event.

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*This content was translated by AI.