The primary rating occasion of the 2026/27 snooker season will get underneath approach on Monday, June 22 with Championship League Snooker returning to Leicester.
Whereas a batch of qualifying matches for the China Open and Wuhan Open have already been staged, this can characterize the primary alternative for gamers to seize silverware within the new marketing campaign.
The rating model of Championship League Snooker has change into a well-recognized curtain raiser in recent times, providing rivals an early likelihood to achieve momentum earlier than the season correctly gathers tempo.
It’s not at all the flashiest strategy to launch a recent time period, however the occasion does present followers with loads of motion as 128 gamers start their quests for glory.
Who’s within the 2026 Championship League Snooker draw?
As has typically been the case in current seasons, a lot of the game’s main stars have chosen to not enter and as a substitute prolong their summer season breaks forward of a busy marketing campaign.
That presents a chance for others to make an early mark, with a number of established ranking-event winners and a number of formidable lower-ranked rivals that includes within the area.
World quantity three Zhao Xintong is the top-ranked participant, one in every of solely 4 members from the highest 16 concerned in 2026, with Kyren Wilson, Chris Wakelin, and Si Jiahui representing the others.
The match additionally provides an opportunity for newcomers and up to date tour graduates to achieve beneficial expertise in an expert setting.
A handful of gamers arrive in Leicester carrying constructive type from the opening batch of qualifiers for the China Open and Wuhan Open.
Amongst them is Yao Pengcheng, who boasts an ideal six wins from six matches to date this season.
Stephen Maguire will return because the defending champion after the Scot beat Joe O’Connor in final yr’s remaining to seize his seventh profession rating crown.
The prize cash stays unchanged, with the general winner set to gather £33,000 in whole.
There may be additionally a coveted place within the Champion of Champions invitational match later this yr at stake for whoever lifts the trophy.
The knowledge for the Championship League Snooker draw, together with the dates for Stage One, is beneath.
2026 Championship League Snooker Stage One Draw
| Group | Date | Gamers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 9 | Zhao Xintong, David Grace, Gao Yang, Simon Blackwell |
| 2 | June 23 | Steven Hallworth, Ian Burns, Jamie O’Neill, Jeff Cundy |
| 3 | June 22 | Kyren Wilson, Dylan Emery, Michal Szubarczyk, Haydon Pinhey |
| 4 | July 3 | Iulian Boiko, Lan Yuhao, Joshua Thomond, Ian Martin |
| 5 | July 1 | Chris Wakelin, Sam Craigie, Yao Pengcheng, Brian Ochoiski |
| 6 | July 7 | Si Jiahui, Marco Fu, Xu Yichen, Sean Maddocks |
| 7 | July 8 | Jack Lisowski, Liam Highfield, Zhao Hanyang, Jack Bradford |
| 8 | June 27 | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Louis Heathcote, Reanne Evans, Dean Younger |
| 9 | June 30 | Elliot Slessor, Liam Pullen, Liu Wenwei, Robert Milkins |
| 10 | June 24 | Zhang Anda, Jiang Jun, Ross Muir, Daniel Womersley |
| 11 | July 6 | Stuart Bingham, Jordan Brown, Mateusz Baranowski, Mark Joyce |
| 12 | July 4 | Ali Carter, Jamie Jones, Leone Crowley, Patrick Whelan |
| 13 | July 6 | Zhou Yuelong, Ben Mertens, Liam Graham, Allan Taylor |
| 14 | June 26 | Gary Wilson, Lyu Haotian, Alexander Ursenbacher, Duane Jones |
| 15 | June 27 | Pang Junxu, Luo Zetao, David Lilley, Fergal Quinn |
| 16 | July 1 | Lei Peifan, Wang Xinbo, Ishpreet Singh Chadha, Chatchapong Nasa |
| 17 | July 2 | Joe O’Connor, Paul Norris, Liu Hongyu, Oliver Brown |
| 18 | June 29 | Hossein Vafaei, Oliver Sykes, Fan Zhengyi, Florian Nüßle |
| 19 | July 4 | Stephen Maguire, Anton Kazakov, Robbie Williams, Ng On-yee |
| 20 | June 25 | Yuan Sijun, Bai Yulu, Scott Donaldson, Sahil Nayyar |
| 21 | June 25 | David Gilbert, Panchaya Channoi, Ricky Walden, Mahmoud El Hareedy |
| 22 | July 3 | Jak Jones, Mykhailo Larkov, Oliver Traces, Alfie Burden |
| 23 | June 30 | Jimmy Robertson, Hammad Miah, Martin O’Donnell, Antoni Kowalski |
| 24 | June 22 | Xu Si, Craig Steadman, Michael Holt, Julien Leclercq |
| 25 | June 24 | Jackson Web page, Ashley Hugill, Lengthy Zehuang, Artemijs Žižins |
| 26 | July 7 | Tom Ford, Ashley Carty, Matthew Stevens, Cheung Ka Wai |
| 27 | June 23 | Ryan Day, Jamie Clarke, Chang Bingyu, Phil O’Kane |
| 28 | June 26 | Anthony McGill, Liu Yang, He Guoqiang, Sean O’Sullivan |
| 29 | June 29 | Ben Woollaston, Huang Jiahao, Noppon Saengkham, Liam Davies |
| 30 | July 2 | Stan Moody, Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon, Daniel Wells, Stuart Carrington |
| 31 | July 8 | Aaron Hill, Deng Haohui, Luca Brecel, Mitchell Mann |
| 32 | July 9 | Zak Surety, Gong Chenzhi, Matthew Selt, Andrew Higginson |
How does the format work?
For Stage One, the 128-player area has been divided into 32 teams comprising 4 gamers every.
Each participant will face the opposite members of their group as soon as, with three factors awarded for a win and one level for a draw.
Solely the group winners will advance to Stage Two, which takes place from July tenth to July 14th.
The remaining 32 gamers will then be cut up into eight extra teams of 4, with the winners progressing to Stage Three on July fifteenth.
Stage Three options two remaining teams of 4 gamers, and the respective group winners will contest the ultimate afterward the identical day.
Championship League Snooker prize cash
The prize cash is unchanged from final season, with the eventual champion incomes a complete of £33,000.
The breakdown is as follows:
Stage One
- Group Winner: £3,000
- Runner-up: £2,000
- Third Place: £1,000
Stage Two
- Group Winner: £4,000
- Runner-up: £3,000
- Third Place: £2,000
- Fourth Place: £1,000
Stage Three
- Group Winner: £6,000
- Runner-up: £4,000
- Third Place: £2,000
- Fourth Place: £1,000
Closing
- Winner: £20,000
- Runner-up: £10,000
Along with the prize cash on provide, the champion can even safe a spot within the Champion of Champions invitational match later this yr.
How you can watch Championship League Snooker
Stay protection of Championship League Snooker will likely be out there on a wide range of platforms relying in your location.
Based on the official Championship League Snooker web site, Desk 1 protection will likely be out there by means of the match’s worldwide broadcast companions.
Desk 2 matches will likely be streamed reside on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel and WNT TV.
Followers within the UK and Eire, or in nations with out a listed broadcaster, can watch Desk 1 motion reside on the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel and WNT TV.
Worldwide Broadcast Choices
- AMC Community – Hungary
- BG Pathum – Thailand
- Canal Plus – Poland
- Fox Sports activities – Australia
- Eurasian Broadcasting – Ukraine and CIS
- Nova – Czechia & Slovakia
- Rigour – China
- Sky Community – New Zealand
- Sportscast – Chinese language Taipei
- TV3 – Baltics
- Viaplay – Iceland
- Viaplay – Netherlands
- Viasat – Scandinavia
Featured picture credit score: WST
