The Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB), officially founded on June 1, 1959, in Madrid, Spain, is the highest world authority that governs and promotes carom billiards in all its disciplines. Its creation marked a crucial milestone in the organization and standardization of the sport on a global level, consolidating a structure that endures to this day.

The history of the UMB does not begin in 1959, but rather inherits the legacy of its predecessor, the Union Internationale des Fédérations des Amateurs de Billard (UIFAB), established in 1923. The UIFAB was the first entity to bring together national federations of amateur billiards, laying the groundwork for structured international competition. For decades, it organized world championships in various carom disciplines.

In the late 1950s, the need for a more unified organization with a broader global vision led to a series of meetings that would culminate in the dissolution of the UIFAB and the birth of the UMB. This transition process sought greater professionalization and a more solid structure for the sport.

Since its founding, the UMB has been responsible for organizing the most prestigious events on the international carom calendar. These include the Three-Cushion Billiards World Championship, for both individual players and national teams, the One-Cushion Billiards World Championship, and pentathlon tournaments, which test players' skills across multiple disciplines.

In the 1980s, the UMB introduced one of its most iconic competitions: the Three-Cushion Billiards World Cup Circuit. This format, consisting of several tournaments held throughout the year in different cities around the world, quickly became a pillar of professional billiards, offering players a continuous world ranking and increasing the sport's visibility.

A fundamental step in the quest for greater recognition for billiards was the UMB's affiliation with the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS). This confederation, which unites the world federations for carom (UMB), pool (WPA), and snooker (IBSF), was created with the main objective of promoting billiards as an Olympic discipline. Thanks to this joint effort, billiards has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee and has participated in the World Games.

The UMB's structure is based on a network of continental confederations that manage the sport in their respective geographical areas. Among the most important are the Confédération Européenne de Billard (CEB) and the Confederación Panamericana de Billar (CPB), which organize their own championships and work closely with the UMB.

Under the presidency of figures like Egypt's Farouk El Barki, the UMB has continued its work of global expansion, promoting tournaments in new territories and working to improve conditions for professional players. The organization has been key in standardizing the rules of the game and in implementing technologies for broadcasting tournaments, bringing carom billiards to an ever-widening global audience.