The higher players that were left out could have had an invite but turned it down for whatever reason. In that instance, you go down the rankings to players that are able to make the event. If that is what happened.
No. There's just too many high-level players not playing in the event to suggest they all turned down invites. Especially young guys who travel everywhere - Krause, Neuhausen, Wielinski.
All the top players who are absent, except for Niels Feijin, stuck with Matchroom/WNT during the standoff, therefore losing WPA points in the rankings. (Feijin simply doesn't go to most events anymore, whether WNT or WPA).
Mike Panazzo posted about it:
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙
Check out the list of contenders who won't be in the 64-player World 10-Ball Championship. The reason? It's all WNT players stripped of WPA points after participating in last year's Hanoi Open, thus not ranked high enough to earn spots, and not enough wild card invites to go around. After being told they could enter the Stage One qualifiers, these players opted to pass on the tournament altogether.
This has nothing to do with Mosconi or Reyes points. These players were simply frozen out of the field. Once again, everyone loses.. players, promoters, sponsors, WPA. And, so it goes.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 Check out the list of contenders who won't be in the 64-player World 10-Ball Championship. The reason? It's all WNT players stripped of WPA points after participating in last year's...
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Big names missing from the 2025 World 10-Ball Championship field…
Johann Chua
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
David Alcaide
Niels Feijen
Jonas Souto Comino
Mickey Krause
Moritz Neuhausen
Wiktor Zielinski
Bernie Regalario
Jefrey Roda
Skyler Woodward
***
Tyler Styer is also missing.
On the other hand, some WPA invitees include Hunter Lombardo and Lukas Fracasso-Verner from the US. And Juan Carlos Expósito and José Alberto Delgado from Spain. They are not the best those countries can offer, obviously.
PS: It appears Souto is taking part in the qualifiers.