Mina Awad
The 2026/27 World Snooker Tour season has introduced one of its most intriguing debutants in years. Mina Awad, a 22-year-old Egyptian with a degree in interior design engineering and a side interest in stock trading, has swapped Cairo for Sheffield to pursue his dream of becoming an established professional snooker player.
Awad earned his two-year tour card by winning the 2026 All-Africa Snooker Championship, edging past South Africa’s Charl Jonck 6-5 in a final that went all the way to a deciding frame. That single victory transformed his career overnight — from ambitious amateur to fully-fledged professional on the world’s premier circuit.
A Game That Started at Home
Awad’s connection to snooker predates his first serious session at the table. His family already owned a snooker table, so the game was woven into his childhood before he ever picked up a cue competitively. He began playing properly at the age of 11, and what started as a casual pastime gradually evolved into a consuming ambition.
Away from the baize, Awad graduated from the British University in Egypt (BUE) with a degree in interior design engineering. He also developed a parallel interest in the Egyptian stock market, actively trading shares alongside his snooker career. But once the tour card arrived, the priorities shifted decisively: snooker now comes first.
Why Sheffield?
Awad has relocated to Sheffield — the spiritual home of professional snooker and the city that hosts the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre every spring. He chose it deliberately for the training infrastructure, the proximity to other professionals, and the immersion in a snooker culture that simply does not exist anywhere else in the world.
To accelerate his development, Awad is working with Chris Henry, one of the most respected coaches in the sport. The Egyptian recognises that the gap between amateur and professional snooker is vast — not just in shot quality, but in tactical awareness, match management, and the ability to perform under sustained pressure over long formats. Consistent coaching and daily practice against tour-level opponents are his strategy for closing that gap.
The Final That Changed Everything
The 2026 All-Africa Championship final against Charl Jonck was the most consequential match of Awad’s life. With the score locked at 5-5, everything — the title, the tour card, his entire professional future — came down to one frame.
Awad has spoken candidly about the pressure of that moment. He tried to block out thoughts of the result and the tour card, focusing instead on one shot at a time. When the frame was over and the title was his, all the tension dissolved into what he describes as an overwhelming sense of happiness and relief. It is, he says, a moment he will never forget.
Ambitions on Tour
Awad is approaching his first professional season with a blend of ambition and realism. He has deliberately avoided setting a specific ranking target, preferring to focus on the process — winning matches, progressing deeper into tournaments, and learning from every encounter with the world’s best players.
His two-year goal is clear: establish himself on the tour and build a foundation that allows him to remain a professional for years to come. He identifies his ability to stay focused, fight to the end of matches, and perform under pressure as his core strengths, while acknowledging that experience at this level is something that can only be earned frame by frame.
Representing Egypt and Africa
For Awad, the significance of his tour card extends well beyond personal achievement. Representing Egypt and the African continent at the highest level of professional snooker carries a weight he does not take lightly. In a sport traditionally dominated by British and Chinese players, the presence of an Egyptian on the World Snooker Tour is a milestone for the game’s growth in Africa.
Beyond Snooker
When he is not at the table or studying the markets, Awad is a self-confessed car enthusiast. He follows the latest automotive technologies, modern vehicle systems, and the evolution of the industry with the same analytical curiosity he brings to his snooker and his investments.
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