A Maltese contingent of amateur snooker players has arrived in Youghal, Republic of Ireland, to compete in the 2026 International Challenge Cup (ICC).

This will be Malta’s fourth consecutive appearance in the competition, having achieved a series of strong results in recent editions.

Malta finished third when the tournament was staged in Scotland in 2023 before securing second place when hosting the competition in 2024. Last year, the Maltese team returned to the podium with a third-place finish in France.

The 2026 edition will once again feature Malta, France, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Youghal will host the competition for the fourth time since its inception in 2014, while this will be the fifth occasion that the tournament has been staged in the Republic of Ireland.

The hosts have an impressive record in the competition, having won every edition staged on home soil. They are also the most successful nation in the history of the International Challenge Cup, with eight victories from the 13 editions held so far.

The competition is decided by the total number of frames won, with each country facing the other participating nations across three categories – Men’s, Masters and Juniors.

Malta will be represented by nine players. Chris Peplow, Alex Borg, Joseph Casha and John Farrugia will compete in the Men’s category, while Frans Mintoff, Philip Ciantar, Ivan Attard and Manuel Mallia form the Masters team. Xavier Rizzo will represent Malta in the Juniors competition.

Malta begin their commitments on Thursday morning against Scotland before returning to action against France later in the evening.

The Maltese contingent will then face Northern Ireland on Friday morning before taking on hosts Republic of Ireland in the afternoon in what will be the tenth and final match of this year’s competition.

Malta Billiards & Snooker Association president Ivan Brincat and Richard Sheridan are leading the Maltese delegation in Youghal.

Charles Vella is also accompanying the contingent and will serve as one of the referees during the 2026 edition of the International Challenge Cup.