World Snooker Championship Qualifiers: Draw, Preview, Schedule

The World Snooker Championship qualifiers get under way on Monday at the English Institute of Sport.

A total of 128 competitors are all vying for the 16 coveted Crucible spots that are remaining, with the top 16 in the world rankings having already guaranteed their places in the main draw.

Concluding just three days shy of the opening day for the 2022 championship, the preliminary rounds in Sheffield run from April 4 to April 13.

Every year, this competition is one of the most exciting to follow with tour survival also on the line for many of the hopeful participants.

Former world number one Ding Junhui is arguably the most high-profile competitor in the World Snooker Championship qualifiers this year.

The last time Ding was forced to qualify was back in 2016, when he ended up making his maiden and only appearance in the final.

David Gilbert, Hossein Vafaei, Joe Perry, Robert Milkins, and Fan Zhengyi – all ranking event winners this term – are also in the hunt for the coveted places.

Former world champions Ken Doherty and Graeme Dott, six-time World Championship runner-up Jimmy White, former world number two Stephen Maguire, and returning pro Marco Fu are other notable entrants.

Like last year, there will be four rounds in total with players entering the fray at different points depending on their ranking seeding.

Competitors ranked from 81 and below in the official standings will battle it out at the first hurdle alongside 16 invited international amateurs and top-ups.

The 32 winners enter the second round and face the players ranked from 49 to 80, before those in the 17 to 48 bracket enter in round three.

The final 32 contenders will finally go head-to-head on what is known as Judgement Day at the World Snooker Championship qualifiers.

All matches will be the best of eleven frames until the final round, which will see the format increase to 19 frames.

World Snooker Championship Qualifiers

Draw and Schedule

Round 1 (Bo11)

Zhao Jianbo vs Michael Judge
(Apr 4, 9:30am)
Alfie Burden vs Robbie McGuigan
(Apr 4, 2:30pm)
Duane Jones vs Nutcharut Wongharuthai
(Apr 4, 2:30pm)
Xu Si vs Michael Collumb
(Apr 4, 9:30am)
Zhang Jiankang vs John Astley
(Apr 4, 9:30am)
Zhang Anda vs Anton Kazakov
(Apr 4, 9:30am)
Fraser Patrick vs Michael White
(Apr 4, 2:30pm)
Aaron Hill vs Liam James Davies
(Apr 4, 2:30pm)
Lukas Kleckers vs Soheil Vahedi
(Apr 4, 7:30pm)
Andrew Pagett vs Jimmy White
(Apr 4, 7:30pm)
Hammad Miah vs Chen Zifan
(Apr 4, 7:30pm)
Louis Heathcote vs Ben Mertens
(Apr 4, 7:30pm)
Craig Steadman vs David Lilley
(Apr 5, 7:30pm)
Lee Walker vs Reanne Evans
(Apr 5, 7:30pm)
Barry Pinches vs Lee Stephens
(Apr 5, 9:30am)
Ben Hancorn vs Dean Young
(Apr 5, 7:30pm)
Rory McLeod vs Ng On Yee
(Apr 5, 9:30am)
Ian Burns vs Marco Fu
(Apr 5, 2:30pm)
Peter Devlin vs Yorrit Hoes
(Apr 5, 2:30pm)
Jamie Wilson vs Jake Crofts
(Apr 5, 2:30pm)
Chang Bingyu vs Daniel Wells
(Apr 5, 9:30am)
Peter Lines vs Sanderson Lam
(Apr 5, 2:30pm)
Jamie O’Neill vs James Cahill
(Apr 5, 7:30pm)
Yuan Sijun vs Ross Muir
(Apr 5, 9:30am)
Mitchell Mann vs Dylan Emery
(Apr 6, 2:30pm)
Gerard Greene vs Rebecca Kenna
(Apr 6, 2:30pm)
Jackson Page vs Sean O’Sullivan
(Apr 6, 2:30pm)
Iulian Boiko vs Michael Georgiou
(Apr 6, 2:30pm)
Farakh Ajaib vs Mark Lloyd
(Apr 6, 9:30am)
Zak Surety vs Si Jiahui
(Apr 6, 9:30am)
Lei Peifan vs Sean Maddocks
(Apr 6, 9:30am)
Wu Yize vs Bai Langning
(Apr 6, 9:30am)

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Round 2 (Bo11)

1. Allan Taylor vs Zhao/Judge
(Apr 6, 7:30pm)
2. Scott Donaldson vs Burden/McGuigan
(Apr 6, 7:30pm)
3. Dominic Dale vs D. Jones/Wongharuthai
(Apr 6, 7:30pm)
4. Lyu Haotian vs Xu/Collumb
(Apr 6, 7:30pm)
5. Sunny Akani vs Zhang/Astley
(Apr 7, 9:30am)
6. Andy Hicks vs Zhang/Kazakov
(Apr 7, 9:30am)
7. Martin O’Donnell vs Patrick/M. White
(Apr 7, 9:30am)
8. Fergal O’Brien vs Hill/Davies
(Apr 7, 9:30am)
9. Nigel Bond vs Kleckers/Vahedi
(Apr 7, 7:30pm)
10. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Un-Nooh vs Pagett/J. White
(Apr 7, 7:30pm)
11. Michael Holt vs Miah/Chen
(Apr 7, 7:30pm)
12. Mark Joyce vs Heathcote/Mertens
(Apr 7, 7:30pm)
13. Robbie Williams vs Steadman/Lilley
(Apr 7, 2:30pm)
14. Tian Pengfei vs Walker/Evans
(Apr 7, 2:30pm)
15. Joe O’Connor vs Pinches/Stephens
(Apr 7, 2:30pm)
16. Ashley Hugill vs Hancorn/Young
(Apr 7, 2:30pm)
17. Ken Doherty vs McLeod/Ng
(Apr 8, 7:30pm)
18. Elliot Slessor vs Burns/Fu
(Apr 8, 7:30pm)
19. Oliver Lines vs Devlin/Hoes
(Apr 8, 7:30pm)
20. Chris Wakelin vs J. Wilson/Crofts
(Apr 8, 7:30pm)
21. Andrew Higginson vs Chang/Wells
(Apr 8, 9:30am)
22. Cao Yupeng vs P. Lines/Lam
(Apr 8, 9:30am)
23. Mark Davis vs O’Neill/Cahill
(Apr 8, 9:30am)
24. Steven Hallworth vs Yuan/Muir
(Apr 8, 9:30am)
25. Gao Yang vs Mann/Emery
(Apr 8, 2:30pm)
26. Matthew Stevens vs Greene/Kenna
(Apr 8, 2:30pm)
27. Ashley Carty vs Page/S. O’Sullivan
(Apr 8, 2:30pm)
28. David Grace vs Boiko/Georgiou
(Apr 8, 2:30pm)
29. Pang Junxu vs Ajaib/Lloyd
(Apr 9, 10:30am)
30. Jamie Clarke vs Surety/Si
(Apr 9, 10:30am)
31. Stuart Carrington vs Lei/Maddocks
(Apr 9, 10:30am)
32. Simon Lichtenberg vs Wu/Bai
(Apr 9, 10:30am)

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Round 3 (Bo11)

33. Ricky Walden vs winner of match 1
(Apr 9, 2:30pm)
34. Li Hang vs winner of match 2
(Apr 9, 2:30pm)
35. Liang Wenbo (pending appeal) vs winner of match 3
(Apr 9, 2:30pm)
36. Lu Ning vs winner of match 4
(Apr 9, 2:30pm)
37. Stephen Maguire vs winner of match 5
(Apr 9, 7:30pm)
38. Zhou Yuelong vs winner of match 6
(Apr 9, 7:30pm)
39. Mark King vs winner of match 7
(Apr 9, 7:30pm)
40. Jordan Brown vs winner of match 8
(Apr 9, 7:30pm)
41. Matthew Selt vs winner of match 9
(Apr 10, 10:30am)
42. Jak Jones vs winner of match 10
(Apr 10, 10:30am)
43. Tom Ford vs winner of match 11
(Apr 10, 10:30am)
44. Jamie Jones vs winner of match 12
(Apr 10, 10:30am)
45. Kurt Maflin vs winner of match 13
(Apr 10, 7:30pm)
46. Ding Junhui vs winner of match 14
(Apr 10, 7:30pm)
47. Ben Woollaston vs winner of match 15
(Apr 10, 7:30pm)
48. Martin Gould vs winner of match 16
(Apr 10, 7:30pm)
49. David Gilbert vs winner of match 17
(Apr 10, 2:30pm)
50. Anthony Hamilton vs winner of match 18
(Apr 10, 2:30pm)
51. Jimmy Robertson vs winner of match 19
(Apr 10, 2:30pm)
52. Fan Zhengyi vs winner of match 20
(Apr 10, 2:30pm)
53. Noppon Saengkham vs winner of match 21
(Apr 11, 2:30pm)
54. Robert Milkins vs winner of match 22
(Apr 11, 2:30pm)
55. Liam Highfield vs winner of match 23
(Apr 11, 2:30pm)
56. Ryan Day vs winner of match 24
(Apr 11, 2:30pm)
57. Ali Carter vs winner of match 25
(Apr 11, 7:30pm)
58. Sam Craigie vs winner of match 26
(Apr 11, 7:30pm)
59. Joe Perry vs winner of match 27
(Apr 11, 7:30pm)
60. Xiao Guodong vs winner of match 28
(Apr 11, 7:30pm)
61. Graeme Dott vs winner of match 29
(Apr 11, 10:30am)
62. Gary Wilson vs winner of match 30
(Apr 11, 10:30am)
63. Alexander Ursenbacher vs winner of match 31
(Apr 11, 10:30am)
64. Hossein Vafaei vs winner of match 32
(Apr 11, 10:30am)

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Round 4 (Bo19)

Tuesday, Apr 12 at 11am and 5pm

winner of match 33 vs winner of match 34
winner of match 35 vs winner of match 36
winner of match 37 vs winner of match 38
winner of match 39 vs winner of match 40
winner of match 41 vs winner of match 42
winner of match 43 vs winner of match 44
winner of match 45 vs winner of match 46
winner of match 47 vs winner of match 48

Wednesday, Apr 13 at 11am ad 5pm

winner of match 49 vs winner of match 50
winner of match 51 vs winner of match 52
winner of match 53 vs winner of match 54
winner of match 55 vs winner of match 56
winner of match 57 vs winner of match 58
winner of match 59 vs winner of match 60
winner of match 61 vs winner of match 62
winner of match 63 vs winner of match 64

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Live coverage of the World Snooker Championship qualifiers will be available across Europe on the Eurosport App.

Viewer in all other territories – other than China – will have the option to subscribe to Matchroom.Live.

Featured photo credit: WST