Romania will host a professional snooker tournament for the first time next season when the new European Championship world ranking event takes place in Bucharest.

The tournament will run from October 3rd to 9th in 2016, with the venue yet to be confirmed. The event will be promoted by McCann/Thiess for the next three years.

There will be a flat draw, with all 128 players starting in the first round in Bucharest.

World Champion Stuart Bingham recently played an exhibition in the Romanian capital with Ronnie O’Sullivan.

“The atmosphere was absolutely unbelievable, definitely the best exhibition I have ever played,” said Bingham. “There were 2,000 people there both nights and I was blown away by the support of the fans. Everywhere we go in Europe, people seem to be buzzing for snooker.

“I’m sure that the promoter will pull out all of the stops for a ranking event and it will become one of the best events on the calendar.”

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to be bringing snooker into another new territory and once again expanding snooker’s global footprint.

“There are several new ranking events planned for the 2015/16 season as our tour continues to grow, and the new European Championship in Bucharest will be a tremendous addition to the calendar. The earning opportunities for the players have never been better, likewise the opportunities for fans to watch snooker live. These are exciting times for our sport.”

Adrian Thiess from McCann/Thiess Events added: “We are delighted to bring a world ranking event to Romania for the first time. The recent snooker exhibition showed what an incredible appetite the fans in Bucharest have for the sport. We look forward to working with World Snooker on what will be a spectacular tournament.”