Snooker.Media
Snooker in Ukraine at a glance
Ukraine is one of the fastest-rising snooker nations in Europe. In the 2026/27 season three Ukrainians hold World Snooker Tour cards at the same time: Iulian Boiko, Anton Kazakov and Mykhailo Larkov.
That is a remarkable result for a country where organised snooker only took shape in the 2010s. Ukraine traditionally played pyramid billiards (Russian billiards), and many of its snooker players started on the larger pyramid tables.
Today Ukrainian juniors win European and world titles, and the country has produced the youngest professional in snooker history.
History of snooker in Ukraine
Snooker arrived in Ukraine late. For decades cue sports in the country meant pyramid billiards, and snooker tables were rare.
The turning point came in December 2013, when the Ukrainian Snooker Federation was founded by Serhii Boiko, player Sergey Isaienko and coach Piotr Chirkin (WPBSA). Isaienko became the leading player of the first generation and had won the national title seven times by 2020.
Television helped the game grow. Eurosport broadcasts built a large audience of fans, and by 2020 Ukraine had around 10 snooker centres and an under-16 academy with about 100 students.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Mykhailo Larkov wins the WSF World Junior Championship; Anton Kazakov wins European U-21 and European Amateur titles; three Ukrainians on the pro tour |
| 2025 | Iulian Boiko wins the European U-21 title, returns to the pro tour and reaches the Shoot Out semi-finals |
| 2022 | Anton Kazakov wins the WSF Junior Championship and turns professional |
| 2020 | Iulian Boiko, aged 14, becomes the youngest professional in snooker history |
| 2013 | Ukrainian Snooker Federation founded |
The Ukrainian Snooker Federation
The Ukrainian Snooker Federation is the national governing body of the sport. It runs the national championships, selects players for international events and develops youth and women’s snooker.
Its strategy is simple: build a strong junior base and send the best players to amateur and semi-professional events, such as EBSA European Championships, WSF events and the WPBSA Q Tour, where professional tour cards are on offer. The results of the 2020s show that this strategy works.
Ukrainian professional snooker players
Three Ukrainians play on the World Snooker Tour in 2026/27.
| Player | Born | Pro seasons | Key achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iulian Boiko | 2005, Kyiv | 2020–2022, 2025–present | Youngest pro ever (14); Shoot Out semi-finalist 2025 |
| Anton Kazakov | 2004, Dnipro | 2022–2024, 2026–present | WSF Junior Champion 2022; European U-21 and Amateur Champion 2026 |
| Mykhailo Larkov | 2009, Shepetivka | 2026–present | WSF World Junior Champion 2026 |
Iulian Boiko
Iulian Boiko, nicknamed “The Kiev Dynamo”, is Ukraine’s best-known snooker player. In January 2020 he reached the WSF Open final and earned a tour card at 14, becoming the youngest professional in history. The same year he became the youngest player to compete in World Championship qualifying.
After losing his card in 2022, Boiko returned in 2025 by beating Oliver Sykes 5–4 in the European Under-21 final in Antalya. He also made a 147 on the Q Tour in Mons, only the second maximum in that tour’s history. In December 2025 he reached the semi-finals of the Snooker Shoot Out, his best ranking-event result (WPBSA). In September 2026 he climbed to a career-high world ranking of 69.
Anton Kazakov
Anton Kazakov from Dnipro won the WSF Junior Championship in Sheffield in 2022 and turned professional. He reached the last 64 of the 2023 Northern Ireland Open but lost his card in 2024.
In March 2026 he made history: he became the first player to win the European Under-21 and European Amateur titles in the same year (Totally Snookered). The double brought him back to the pro tour.
Mykhailo Larkov
Mykhailo Larkov, born in 2009 in Shepetivka, is the newest Ukrainian professional. At 12 he became the youngest winner of the Ukrainian pyramid billiards championship. In January 2026 he won the WSF World Junior Championship and earned a two-year tour card from the 2026/27 season.
Sergey Isaienko
Sergey Isaienko was the leader of Ukraine’s first snooker generation, a seven-time national champion and a co-founder of the federation. He was also a practice partner of the young Boiko.
Juniors, amateurs and women’s snooker
Youth development is the core of Ukrainian snooker. All three current professionals earned their tour cards through junior or under-21 titles, and Ukrainian teenagers regularly reach the late stages of EBSA and WSF junior events.
The federation also develops women’s snooker. By 2020 around 20 girls were training regularly, and the long-term goal is to send Ukrainian women to European and world events.
On the amateur level, Ukraine competes in EBSA team and individual championships. Many players move between snooker and pyramid billiards, which gives them strong potting skills.
Tournaments: where Ukrainians compete
Ukrainian players follow a clear path from national events to the professional tour.
- Ukrainian Snooker Championship is the national title, run by the federation for adults and juniors.
- EBSA European Championships (U-16, U-18, U-21 and Main) are where Boiko (2025) and Kazakov (2026) won their tour cards.
- WSF Junior Championship and WSF Open are world amateur events. Kazakov (2022) and Larkov (2026) won the junior title.
- WPBSA Q Tour and Q School are the second-tier circuit and the qualifying school for the main tour.
- World Snooker Tour ranking events, from the UK Championship to the World Championship in Sheffield, are the final goal.
Snooker during the war
The full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 changed life for everyone in Ukrainian sport. Clubs faced air-raid alerts and power cuts, and many players had to train and live abroad.
Despite this, Ukrainian snooker did not stop. The biggest successes in the country’s history came after 2022: Boiko’s return to the pro tour, Kazakov’s historic European double and Larkov’s world junior title. For many fans, these wins became a symbol of Ukrainian resilience.
The future of Ukrainian snooker
With three young professionals aged 17 to 21, Ukraine has one of the youngest national groups on the tour. The next goals are clear: a first Ukrainian in the world top 64, a first run to a ranking final and more Ukrainians at the Crucible.
Want to follow Ukrainian snooker in detail? Our main site covers every match of Boiko, Kazakov and Larkov, plus national championships and junior events, in Ukrainian.
About the author
