With the 2024 UK Championship draw for the last 32 now complete, it’s time to commence the venue stages at the Barbican Centre in York.
The qualifying competition at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester produced 16 qualifiers who have joined the 16 seeds in the first round proper.
Former champions Neil Robertson, Stephen Maguire, and Zhao Xintong were among the competitors to make it through the preliminary rounds.
Already guaranteed their spots in the season’s opening Triple Crown event were the likes of reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and world number one Judd Trump.
A ยฃ250,000 champion’s cheque makes the top prize one of the most lucrative in snooker, and the UK Championship remains one of the most prestigious titles to win on the calendar.
Who is in the 2024 UK Championship draw?
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Barry Hawkins
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the top seed in the 2024 UK Championship draw as the tournament’s defending champion, with the Rocket bidding to claim the crown for a record-extending ninth time.
His first opponent will be Barry Hawkins, who emerged from the qualifiers with routine victories over Alfie Burden and Wang Yuchen.
O’Sullivan has dominated his head-to-head with Hawkins and will be the heavy favourite again here, although the 48 year-old hasn’t been in especially good form of late.
Xiao Guodong vs David Gilbert
A player who definitely is in form is Xiao Guodong, who beat O’Sullivan en route to a final appearance at the recent Champion of Champions.
Xiao, whose Wuhan Open triumph initiated his sudden rise into the top 16, will face seasoned professional David Gilbert – a 6-1 winner over Julien Leclercq on Judgement Day.
The pair share an even head-to-head record in all competitions, but Gilbert won their most recent fixture in qualifying for this year’s World Championship.
Shaun Murphy vs Zhao Xintong
Former winner Murphy has been in quite good form this season without having any silverware to show for it.
The Magician couldn’t have wished for a much tougher task in the first round here, having been paired with the rejuvenated Zhao Xintong.
The latter, mounting his comeback after serving his betting-related ban, stormed through the qualifiers and represents a dark horse to match his UK triumph for 2021.
Ding Junhui vs Robert Milkins
Ding Junhui comes to arguably his favourite venue on the circuit on the back of winning the International Championship on home soil – ending a four-year wait for a ranking title.
The Chinese star has reached the UK final three times in the last five years and will fancy his chances of mounting another challenge in 2024 when he takes on Robert Milkins in round one.
Milkins, whose poor season has been boosted by his displays in Leicester during the week, has beaten Ding just once from seven previous attempts.
Mark Selby vs Jack Lisowski
There are several mouthwatering clashes in the first round with the bout between Mark Selby and Jack Lisowski representing one of them.
Lisowski remains an inconsistent force of the game, an underachiever who has so far failed to fulfill the immense talent at his disposal.
Beating someone of Selby’s calibre would be a confidence booster, but the latter boasts an edge from their head-to-head record.
Ali Carter vs Ryan Day
Ali Carter’s 2024/25 snooker season began with a bang with his triumph at Championship League Snooker, but since then it has gone quiet.
Ryan Day hasn’t been particularly prolific either of late but has the advantage of being match sharp following his two wins in the qualifiers.
The duo share an even head-to-head record with six victories apiece from matches of best-of-seven frames or longer.
Si Jiahui vs Wu Yize
One of two all-Chinese ties in the first round of the 2024 UK Championship draw, rising stars Si Jiahui and Wu Yize cross paths in York.
Si, twice a ranking event runner-up in 2024, has already broken into the top 16 but Wu could be joining him sooner rather than later, buoyed by his run to the final of the English Open.
They have only played each other once on the main tour with Si comfortably winning their Judgement Day showdown at the World Championship qualifiers in April.
Mark Allen vs Jackson Page
Mark Allen is defending the ranking points that he earned by claiming the 2022 UK Championship title, so this will be an important outing for the Pistol.
Jackson Page is the Northern Irishman’s opening challenge, the Welshman having emerged with a main-draw ticket thanks to victories over Jamie Clarke and Hossein Vafaei.
Somewhat strangely, this will be the first time that Allen and Page have encountered each other on the World Snooker Tour.
Judd Trump vs Neil Robertson
As big of a blockbuster first-round fixture as they come, world number one Judd Trump will do battle with old rival Neil Robertson.
Robertson didn’t perform particularly strongly in the qualifiers but emerged unscathed, and his reward is a meeting with Trump in what is a repeat of the 2020 UK final.
They played each other recently at the Champion of Champions, where Robertson triumphed before Trump accused the Australian of deliberate slow play.
UK Championship roll of honour
| Year | Champion | Year | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Patsy Fagan | 1978 | Doug Mounjoy |
| 1979 | John Virgo | 1980 | Steve Davis |
| 1981 | Steve Davis | 1982 | Terry Griffiths |
| 1983 | Alex Higgins | 1984 | Steve Davis |
| 1985 | Steve Davis | 1986 | Steve Davis |
| 1987 | Steve Davis | 1988 | Doug Mountjoy |
| 1989 | Stephen Hendry | 1990 | Stephen Hendry |
| 1991 | John Parrott | 1992 | Jimmy White |
| 1993 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 1994 | Stephen Hendry |
| 1995 | Stephen Hendry | 1996 | Stephen Hendry |
| 1997 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 1998 | John Higgins |
| 1999 | Mark Williams | 2000 | John Higgins |
| 2001 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 2002 | Mark Williams |
| 2003 | Matthew Stevens | 2004 | Stephen Maguire |
| 2005 | Ding Junhui | 2006 | Peter Ebdon |
| 2007 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 2008 | Shaun Murphy |
| 2009 | Ding Junhui | 2010 | John Higgins |
| 2011 | Judd Trump | 2012 | Mark Selby |
| 2013 | Neil Robertson | 2014 | Ronnie O’Sullivan |
| 2015 | Neil Robertson | 2016 | Mark Selby |
| 2017 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 2018 | Ronnie O’Sullivan |
| 2019 | Ding Junhui | 2020 | Neil Robertson |
| 2021 | Zhao Xintong | 2022 | Mark Allen |
| 2023 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | 2024 | ? |
John Higgins vs He Guoqiang
John Higgins, the 14th seed in the 2024 UK Championship draw, won the last of his three UK Championship titles back in 2010.
Higgins made his first appearance a full 15 years prior to that, but his opponent He Guoqiang will be making his debut at the venue stages this year.
He denied teenager Stan Moody 6-5 on Judgement Day in the qualifiers to set up a showdown with Higgins, who he lost to on the sole occasion they met in the past.
Zhang Anda vs Lei Peifan
The second all-Chinese fixture will be between Zhang Anda and Lei Peifan, the latter having emerged from the very first round of the qualifiers.
Zhang and Lei have never played each other on the main tour with 15 reds on the table, only crossing paths once at the 2023 Six Red World Championship.
The former hasn’t produced the same level of consistency as he managed during the last campaign, but he will expect to reach at least the second round here.
Mark Williams vs Stuart Bingham
Mark Williams won the last event on the calendar, the Welshman once again defying his age to land a maiden Champion of Champions crown in Bolton.
Still ranked as high as number six in the world, the 49 year-old meets another veteran of the higher echelons of the game in Stuart Bingham.
Bingham requires a UK title to complete the career Triple Crown and boasts an even head-to-head record with Williams – winning 10 times from their 20 prior meetings in all comps.
Luca Brecel vs Jak Jones
Luca Brecel desperately needs ranking points if he’s to avoid ending the season without a tour card – the Belgian’s provisional end-of-season ranking currently standing at a lowly 61.
It’s all gone horribly wrong since his incredible success at the Crucible Theatre 18 months ago, and suffering relegation from the circuit would be as embarrassing a decline as they come.
Jak Jones hasn’t produced a lot since making his own World Championship final appearance in May, but the Welshman will surely be content enough with this draw.
Gary Wilson vs Michael Holt
Michael Holt must have thought that his time at the top was over when he was demoted from the professional tour in 2022.
But the Hitman has fought his way back and will grace the Barbican Centre again having progressed from the opening qualifying hurdle.
Holt meets fellow Englishman Gary Wilson, a player he has beaten on both occasions they’ve clashed in ranking events previously.
Chris Wakelin vs Matthew Selt
Chris Wakelin picked a good time to join the top 16 of the world rankings for the first time in his career.
The 32 year-old has represented a vastly improved competitor over the course of the last two years and has an elevated ranking now to show for it.
Wakelin’s reward for being a seed is a date with Matthew Selt, who advanced from the qualifiers with defeats of Aaron Hill and Zhou Yuelong.
Kyren Wilson vs Stephen Maguire
Kyren Wilson will begin his quest to complete a rare World-UK Championship double in the same calendar year when he faces Stephen Maguire.
It’s the 20th anniversary of Maguire’s UK triumph, which since then has stood as his only Triple Crown piece of silverware.
Wilson boasts a superior head-to-head record from this duel, but Maguire has a very strong UK Championship record overall – underlined during the qualifiers by becoming only the third player to compile more than 100 century breaks in the tournament’s history.
2024 UK Championship draw and schedule
Round 1 (bo11)
Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-6 Barry Hawkins
Xiao Guodong 4-6 David Gilbert
Shaun Murphy 6-5 Zhao Xintong
Ding Junhui 6-5 Robert Milkins
Mark Selby 4-6 Jack Lisowski
Ali Carter 6-4 Ryan Day
Si Jiahui 4-6 Wu Yize
Mark Allen 6-4 Jackson Page
Judd Trump 6-3 Neil Robertson
John Higgins 6-0 He Guoqiang
Zhang Anda 6-3 Lei Peifan
Mark Williams 5-6 Stuart Bingham
Luca Brecel 5-6 Jak Jones
Gary Wilson 1-6 Michael Holt
Chris Wakelin 6-4 Matthew Selt
Kyren Wilson 6-0 Stephen Maguire
Round 2 (bo11)
Barry Hawkins 6-5 David Gilbert
Shaun Murphy 6-5 Ding Junhui
Jack Lisowski 6-4 Ali Carter
Wu Yize 4-6 Mark Allen
Judd Trump 6-5 John Higgins
Zhang Anda 6-5 Stuart Bingham
Jak Jones 5-6 Michael Holt
Chris Wakelin 2-6 Kyren Wilson
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Barry Hawkins 6-2 Shaun Murphy
Jack Lisowski 3-6 Mark Allen
Judd Trump 6-2 Zhang Anda
Michael Holt 3-6 Kyren Wilson
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Barry Hawkins 6-5 Mark Allen
Judd Trump 6-2 Kyren Wilson
Final (bo19)
Barry Hawkins 8-10 Judd Trump
How to watch the 2024 UK Championship
There are several ways to watch live action of those involved in the 2024 UK Championship draw. Here is a full list of global broadcasters:
UK and Ireland
BBC
Europe
Eurosport and discovery+
China
CCTV5
Huya.com
CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel
CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
Hong Kong China
Now TV
Malaysia and Brunei
Astro SuperSport
Thailand
True Vision
Taiwan
Sportcast
Philippines
Premier Sports Network
All other territories
matchroom.live
Featured photo credit: WST
Some very interesting first round matches at a rejuvenated tournament. Trump and Robertson and Murphy/Zhao could have been finals a few years ago.
O’Sullivan leads Hawkins 18-2 in their head-to-head series. The Hawks wins coming in the 2002 Scottish Open and a classic last 16 World Championship tie in 2016.
The UK Championship remains one of the great stops on the sporting calendar. This year’s BBC coverage will see evening coverage on BBC Four for the first time.
Mark Selby remains the only player to beat O’Sullivan in a UK final.
Neil Robertson hasn’t won a match in the final stages since his 2020 final win over Trump.
The field features 15 English man, eight players from China, four Welshmen, two Scots and a solitary player from Australia, Belgium and Northern Ireland.
26 of the 32 player field have won a ranking event.