The 2025 International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Cup is about to kick off tomorrow at Top Bowl in Kai Tak Sports Park, Kowloon, Hong Kong. After the completion of both unofficial and official practice sessions, as well as the Team Managers’ Meeting held yesterday at the HKSI Lecture Theatre, everything is now set for the event.
Running from January 7 to 14, the tournament will feature top bowlers from 26 countries. A total of 100 male and 52 female athletes will compete for gold in four events: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Teams of Four, and Women’s Teams of Four.
The competition will be fierce, with a field of high-level players making the task of winning even tougher. In total, the athletes in this year’s IBF World Cup have earned 11 Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour titles and 29 Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour titles, proving just how exceptional the talent is.
Players to Watch
On the men’s side, all eyes will be on Team USA’s Kris Prather. The right-handed bowler from Romeoville, Illinois, recently celebrated his 32nd birthday on January 1. With six PBA Tour titles to his name, he’s the most accomplished player in the competition. Prather was also part of the gold-medal-winning team in the 2022 IBF World Cup, alongside Jakob Butturff, A.J. Johnson, and Kyle Troup. This year, he will try to defend the title with a new team, including Packy Hanrahan, Chris Via, and Matt Russo. In addition to defending the team title, Prather will also be aiming for the top spot in the Singles competition, having earned a bronze medal in 2022.
However, Prather will face tough competition from Germany’s Paul Purps, the reigning 2022 IBF World Cup Singles champion. At just 21 years old, Purps made a name for himself by defeating Jason Belmonte on Belmonte’s home turf. Since then, he’s added U21 Singles and Doubles titles to his collection, solidifying his place as one of the top bowlers in Hong Kong.
Denmark’s Mathias Ankerdal, who won the 2022 Storm Lucky Larsen Masters and has claimed two European Bowling Tour titles, is another strong contender. He will be joined by Tim Stampe, who recently won Denmark’s Mixed Doubles Championship with Cecilie Dam who is also in Denmark's Women's Team.
Puerto Rico's Christian Azcona is another player to watch closely during the IBF World Cup. The 30-year-old right-hander has been a part of the PBA Tour since 2011 and boasts one PBA Tour title, earned at the Xtra Frame Wilmington Open in 2018. Notably, Azcona has been drafted into the PBA Elite Series Team Ebonite roster, highlighting his proven ability to perform under pressure in high-stakes competitions—a skill that should not be underestimated.
The women’s competition should be even more intense. Team USA’s Bryanna Coté, a five-time PWBA Tour title winner, is the defending Singles champion and is focused on retaining her title. However, her main goal is to help her teammates—Jillian Martin, Shannon Pluhowsky, and Lauren Russo—win gold in the team event. Together, the four women have an impressive 13 PWBA Tour titles between them.
Team Sweden has arrived in Hong Kong as the defending Women’s Teams champions. The team still features three key members of the golden squad from the 2022 World Cup—Anna Andersson, Josefin Hermansson, and Jenny Wegner. Joining them is Nora Johansson, one of Sweden's most promising bowling talents, who is set to play a significant role in their title defense.
While Team USA can proudly boast 13 PWBA Tour titles among its members, Team Singapore has an equally impressive lineup. Cherie Tan, with five PWBA Tour titles, and Shayna Ng, who has delivered exceptional performances over the past two years, are both dominant forces in the sport. Alongside them are Bernice Lim and Daphne Tan, forming a highly competitive quartet with their sights set firmly on the gold medal.
Another standout player to watch is Malaysia’s Sin Li Jane. Any team with a player of her caliber in its roster is a formidable contender. Jane had a remarkable 2024 season, winning two majors, including the Tour Championship at Thunderbowl Lanes in Detroit, bringing her total to four titles for the year. Her stellar performance earned her the PWBA Player of the Year award, making her the first international player to achieve this prestigious honor.
IBF World Cup 2025 format
The singles competition will dominate the first four days, starting January 7 and concluding on January 10. This phase will feature group stages, where the male competitors are divided into four groups across two pools, and the female competitors into four groups within a single pool. The top four men from each group, after completing 13 matches over two days, will progress to the Top 32 knockout stage. For the women, the top eight from each group will advance, determined after 13 matches as well.
The knockout rounds for both divisions will employ a best-of-five head-to-head format, intensifying the competition as the field narrows from the Top 32 to the final two contenders. The semi-finals and finals are set to be an unforgettable spectacle, hosted at the iconic Queen Elizabeth Stadium on January 14.
The action will then pivot to the team events, running from January 11 to 14. Teams will compete in two men’s groups (A & B) and two women’s groups (A & B). Each team will engage in a series of matches—six for the men and five for the women over the initial days—before the top 16 teams in each category advance to the elimination rounds.
As with the singles competition, the best-of-five format will determine which teams progress through the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and ultimately to the finals. These decisive matches will also take place at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, ensuring a grand conclusion to the tournament.
IBF World Cup 2025 participating countries/regions:
Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Catalan, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Guam, India, Kuwait, Macao, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uzbekistan and Hong Kong.
