The 2019 Snooker World Cup final will be contested between Scotland and China B at the Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium on Sunday.
It represents a repeat of the 2015 title decider, which China B claimed for a shock success.
On that occasion, Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao teamed up for an unlikely victory over John Higgins and Stephen Maguire – when the Chinese duo were both still teenagers.
Zhou is back in another Snooker World Cup final as a more established competitor on the Main Tour, but this time he’s bidding for glory alongside new partner Liang Wenbo.
Liang, in fact, is on course to make it a hat-trick of World Cup triumphs after prior wins in 2011 and 2017 when he paired up with Ding Junhui.
The latter exited at the semi-final stage this year as the home hero and Yan failed to mount a serious challenge against pre-tournament favourites Scotland.
Higgins and Maguire, teaming up for the fourth World Cup in a row, will look to avenge their unexpected defeat from four years ago after a 4-1 victory in the last four.
China B, meanwhile, was made to work a lot harder for its topsy-turvy 4-3 defeat of England.
After four singles ties and a couple of doubles encounters left the scores all square, World Cup specialist Liang knocked in a timely break of 71 to deny Kyren Wilson and Jack Lisowski a final berth.
With $200,000 on offer for the champions, there’s more than just a country’s pride to play for in this biennial invitational tournament.
Should China B emerge with the crown, it’ll mark the fourth time in a row that a Chinese outfit has landed Snooker’s World Cup.
Scotland is bidding to etch its name onto a World Cup trophy for the first time since 1996, when the infamous “Dream Team” of Higgins, Stephen Hendry, and Alan McManus romped to glory.
The format remains the same for Sunday’s showdown, a best of seven frames match that first includes two singles, a doubles clash, and two reverse singles.
If required, a second doubles tie will be played before a potential singles deciding frame.
Obviously it’s good for the host nation to have representation in the final. Also, there are currently no Chinese players who have qualified for the Champion of Champions in November – this could be their best chance. There are broadcasting and sponsorship implications.