Sykes and Kazakov Earn World Snooker Tour Cards

England’s Oliver Sykes, 20, has secured a coveted place on the World Snooker Tour for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons. The achievement came despite a narrow 5-4 defeat to Anton Kazakov of Ukraine in the final of the 2026 EBSA European Championship in Gandia, Spain [1].

Kazakov Claims European Title

Anton Kazakov completed a remarkable double by winning both the 2026 EBSA European Championship and the Under-21 title [3]. He defeated Sykes 5-4 in a closely contested final, securing his own two-year tour card for the professional circuit [4]. Kazakov achieved 18 consecutive wins at the Gandia Palace Hotel throughout the championships [3].

Sykes’ Path to Professional Status

Sykes’ journey to earning a tour card involved navigating both the European Under-21 Championship and the main amateur championship event held at the same venue in Spain. Despite a 4-3 loss to Matvei Lagodzinschii (Ukraine) in the round of 32 of the Under-21 competition, Sykes quickly rebounded in the open-aged event [2].

He progressed through the round robin phase with a perfect record and then defeated former professional Andres Petrov (Estonia) 4-0 in the last 64. Further victories followed against Rodion Judin (Latvia) 4-2, and Ashley Carty 4-2 in the last 16 [2]. Sykes continued his winning streak with a 4-1 quarter-final win over Kevin Hanssens and a 4-1 semi-final victory over Umut Dikme [2].

Significance of the Tour Card

The tour card guarantees Sykes a place on the World Snooker Tour starting with the 2026/27 campaign [2]. This achievement marks a significant step in his professional snooker career, following near misses in previous years, including a 5-4 loss to Iulian Boiko in the 2025 European under-21 final [2]. Sykes has demonstrated consistent performance on the English domestic circuit, finishing top of the English rankings in 2024 and 2025 [2].