Professional world champions in eight-ball pool and its variations include:

American-style

This section lists world champions in the internationally standardized game ("American-style") of eight-ball, as played by professionals around the world. This is played on the 9-foot pool tables with colored, numbered balls.

WPA World Eight-ball Championship

The following is a list of WPA world eight-ball champions sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).

Chinese-style

WPA World Heyball Championship

The following is a list of WPA World Heyball champions, Chinese variant of eight-ball pool played on a 9-foot snooker table, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).

British-style

This section lists world champions in British-style eight-ball, which exists in a few slight-variant versions (usually referred to as blackball and eightball pool) with different governing bodies. This version is played at the amateur and semi-professional levels in Commonwealth countries and a few continental European nations. These tournaments are played on 7-foot pool tables with colored balls—typically red and yellow—instead of the solid and striped balls of American-style pool, though both game types feature a black.

WPA World Blackball Championship

The following is a list of WPA world blackball champions, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). The blackball rules variant was first discussed by the WPA in a unification meeting in 2004, with rules ratified in 2005 in anticipation of blackball's first world championship in 2006. Blackball International, the governing body for blackball pool, was officially formed in August 2008 to unify and administer the sport globally. † The official BI event in 2022 was held in Tangier, Morocco. ‡ This was an unofficial event held by the French Billiards Federation.

WEPF World Eightball Championship

The following is a list of WEPF world eightball champions, sanctioned by the World Eightball Pool Federation. It was held for 22 consecutive years in Blackpool, England, then in 2022 for the first time was held in Killarney, Ireland. The WEPF rules were introduced in 1998 then modified for professional play in 2022.

IPA World Blackball Championship

The following is a list of IPA world blackball champions, sanctioned by the International Professional Pool Association. The IPA events use the WPA blackball rules.

PPPO World Eightball Championship

The following is a list of PPPO world eightball champions, sanctioned by the Professional Pool Players Organisation. The final championship was held in 2005, and the PPPO eventually disbanded as pool players moved on to WPA (2006) and IPA blackball.