| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20–27 October 1979 (1979-10-20 – 1979-10-27) |
| Venue | Haden Hill Leisure Centre |
| City | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Format | Non-ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £28,000 |
| Winner's share | £7,500 |
| Highest break |  Cliff Thorburn (CAN), 126 |
| Final | |
| Champion |  Wales |
| Runner-up |  England |
| Score | 14–3 |
1980 → | |
The 1979 World Challenge Cup was the first snooker tournament to have a team format of six nations with three players per team. The event was held between 20 and 27 October 1979 at the Haden Hill Leisure Centre in Birmingham, England.
Cliff Thorburn made the highest break of the tournament, 126.[1]
| Country | Player 1 (Captain) | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England |
John Spencer | Fred Davis | Graham Miles |
| Wales |
Ray Reardon | Terry Griffiths | Doug Mountjoy |
 Northern Ireland |
Dennis Taylor | Alex Higgins | Jackie Rea |
| Canada |
Cliff Thorburn | Bill Werbeniuk | Kirk Stevens |
 Australia |
Gary Owen | Paddy Morgan | Ian Anderson |
| Rest of the World |  Perrie Mans |
 Patsy Fagan |
Jimmy van Rensberg
|
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| England |
8–7 | Rest of the World | |
| Northern Ireland |
8–7 | Rest of the World | |
| England |
8–7 | Northern Ireland |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales |
9–6 | Canada |
|
| Canada |
7–8 | Australia |
|
| Wales |
9–6 | Australia |
| Final: Best of 27 frames. Referee: Haden Hill Leisure Centre, Birmingham, England. 26 and 27 October 1979. | ||
| Wales Ray Reardon, Terry Griffiths, Doug Mountjoy |
14–3 | England John Spencer, Fred Davis, Graham Miles |
| 109 (Doug Mountjoy) | Highest break | 47 (John Spencer) |
| 1 | Century breaks | 0 |
| 6 | 50+ breaks | 0 |
