Snooker’s Players Championship will be staged at Event City in Manchester for the first time next year.
The world ranking tournament will run from March 22 to 27 and will feature many of the sport’s top players.
It was previously staged in Ireland and Preston, and last season took place in Thailand, where Joe Perry claimed the title by beating Mark Williams in the final.
The Players Championship is the culmination of the season’s Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour and Asian Tour, with 32 players to qualify for the showpiece conclusion and chase a top prize of £100,000.
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to bring this tournament to Manchester for the first time. It is a major event on the calendar and deserves to be staged in a major city.
“Players are competing in European and Asian Tour events in China, Germany, Latvia, Bulgaria, Gibraltar and Poland, all striving to make sure they are among the elite 32 man field for the final event.
“Manchester has a fantastic reputation for staging top class sporting events and I’m sure the fans will be out in force to see the leading green baize giants competing for this coveted title.”
The final line-up for the tournament will be confirmed after the Gdynia Open which finishes on February 28.
Tickets will be on sale shortly.
