2008 World Straight Pool Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Niels Feijen
2	Francisco Bustamante

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

Dutch player Niels "The Terminator" Feijen won his first world championship title at the 2008 World Straight Pool Championship, defeating Filipino legend Francisco Bustamante in the final.

Feijen began playing pool at age 16 in his hometown of The Hague and turned professional several years later. He traveled to the United States to compete against American players and develop his skills, achieving top-10 finishes in international tournaments before winning the straight pool world title.

Bustamante was an established Filipino pool champion with multiple world titles. Feijen's victory over him was significant. The straight pool format requires precision and strategic play. This championship was the first of seven European Straight Pool Championship titles Feijen would win.

The 2008 championship launched a successful career. Feijen went on to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2014, the World Pool Masters in 2013 and 2018, and earned multiple MVP awards at the Mosconi Cup. He was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 2023, becoming the first Dutch-born player to receive that honor.

This world straight pool title marked the emergence of European pool talent at the global level. The victory over Bustamante demonstrated that Feijen was among the sport's top players and began a career spanning nearly two decades at the highest competitive level.

Sources: Niels Feijen – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.