2026 Reyes Cup Rosters Set: Asia and Rest of World Face Off

The complete 2026 Roobet Reyes Cup rosters are confirmed: Team Asia will defend its back-to-back titles with Carlo Biado leading a balanced five-player unit, while Team Rest of the World counters with Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Shane Van Boening, Joshua Filler, Fedor Gorst and debutant Aleksa Pecelj. The four-day contest runs from October 15-18 at Makati Coliseum in the Philippines.

Who is playing for Team Asia at the 2026 Reyes Cup?

Francisco Bustamante will captain a Team Asia roster combining proven championship experience with players capable of changing a short team match quickly.

Biado gives the defending champions a two-time world champion and an established closer. Duong returns with previous Reyes Cup experience, while Capito, Manas and Januarta add different levels of pace, aggression and unpredictability around the table.

The roster's most important advantage is not a ranking number. Team Asia already knows how to win this event. Two consecutive titles have given the group a competitive identity built around crowd energy, short-match pressure and the emotional momentum of team play.

Who is playing for Team Rest of the World?

German great Ralf Souquet captains a Rest of the World team loaded with individual major winners and elite scoring power.

Van Boening brings five US Open titles, Gorst is a two-time world champion and Sanchez Ruiz arrives as the recently crowned US Open champion. Filler adds another player accustomed to major stages, while Pecelj earned his debut after a breakthrough American run that included the Phoenix Open title, a US Open semifinal and an Arizona Open final.

On paper, the roster has enough individual quality to win any singles matchup. Souquet's harder task is turning five independent playing styles into reliable partnerships across four days.

How do the two Reyes Cup rosters compare?

The central contrast is continuity against concentrated star power. Team Asia carries the event's strongest recent team record, while Team Rest of the World brings a collection of players with extensive individual championship resumes.

Team Asia does not need to prove that its model works. The defending champion needs to protect the habits that produced two trophies while integrating new combinations. Team Rest of the World faces the opposite problem: the talent is obvious, but the event will judge whether that talent functions collectively.

Why will doubles matter more in the 2026 format?

The 2026 Reyes Cup will feature more doubles action, with different player combinations used throughout the event. That adjustment increases the influence of both captains because partnership choices can now shape more of the final score.

Doubles demands more than two strong shot-makers. Players must agree on patterns, pace, safety decisions and risk tolerance. A technically correct position for one player can be uncomfortable for a partner, and a single communication mistake can shift an entire rack.

Bustamante can build around a group familiar with Philippine conditions and the emotional rhythm of the Reyes Cup. Souquet has more potential combinations among established global stars, but he must identify which personalities and playing tempos reinforce each other rather than compete for control.

The expanded format also gives the debutants a different pathway into the contest. Pecelj and Januarta may not need to carry an early singles assignment if their captains can introduce them alongside an experienced partner.

What is at stake for each team in Makati?

Team Asia is chasing a historic third consecutive Reyes Cup victory. A win would extend its control of a competition created to place Asia's best players against an international selection in a high-pressure team environment.

Team Rest of the World is still pursuing its first title. The 11-3 defeat in 2025 raised the standard for the response: a closer performance would show improvement, but the roster has been assembled to win rather than merely reduce the margin.

The Makati Coliseum crowd adds another layer. Team Asia can use home support to accelerate momentum, while Team Rest of the World must manage periods when every missed ball produces noise and every Asian run increases the emotional pressure.

When and where can fans watch the Reyes Cup?

The tournament takes place from October 15 through October 18, 2026, at Makati Coliseum in Makati, Philippines. Fans outside the venue can watch live on WNT TV.

U.S. viewers also have access to every session through ESPN+ on the ESPN App, with coverage beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern Time each day. Additional international broadcast partners may be announced closer to the opening session.

The rosters are now final, so the remaining questions are tactical rather than administrative: which doubles pairings will emerge, how the debutants will respond and whether Team Rest of the World's major-winning depth can finally break Team Asia's grip on the trophy.