The 2025 Players Championship commences on Monday with the top 16 players from the one-year rankings in the draw in Telford.
It’s the second of three tournaments on the Players Series, coming a week after Neil Robertson triumphed at the 32-player World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
Only the 12-player Tour Championship – where qualification is also based off the one-year ranking list – and the season-concluding World Snooker Championship are to come after.
This week’s Players Championship boasts a total prize fund worth £500,000 with a handsome cheque of £150,000 going to Sunday’s champion.
2025 Players Championship Prize Money
Champion: £150,000
Runner-up: £70,000
Semi-Finals: £35,000
Quarter-Finals: £20,000
Round of 16: £15,000
Highest Break: £10,000
Total: £500,000
Who is in the 2025 Players Championship draw?
The top 16 players from the single-season rankings have qualified to participate at the Telford International Centre.
Judd Trump is the number one seed having accumulated almost a million pounds in prize money from ranking events this term.
The 35 year-old, a two-time Players Championship winner, is the only player to have qualified for every single edition since it incorporated this guise in 2017.
The pre-tournament favourite in the outright betting market will face Lei Peifan in the first round, the 21 year-old continuing to reap the rewards of his shock Scottish Open success in December.
World champion Kyren Wilson will face reigning Players Championship winner Mark Allen in a blockbuster opening-round clash.
Allen beat Zhang Anda to claim the title a year ago but has generally struggled for peak form in ranking events since then.
The Northern Irishman has dropped from first on the official world rankings list at the start of the season to his current position of number eight.
Arguably the most intriguing tie of the first round pits Neil Robertson against Stuart Bingham in a repeat of the recent World Grand Prix final.
Robertson thrashed Bingham 10-0 at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong, but the latter will have an immediate opportunity to enact a modicum of revenge.
Bingham, Allen, and Lei – in addition to 13th seed Chris Wakelin – all need wins if they have aspirations of qualifying for the 12-strong Tour Championship in Manchester.
The latter could break into the top 12 with a run to the semi-finals, but the other three will need to at least reach the final.
Wakelin faces a tough opening test against John Higgins, who cuts a rejuvenated force following his glory at the World Open in Yushan.
Elsewhere in the 2025 Players Championship draw, Barry Hawkins entertains Masters champion Shaun Murphy.
There is also a heavyweight showdown between two former world number ones in Mark Williams and Ding Junhui.
An all-Chinese clash will see Wu Yize take on Xiao Guodong, who represents arguably the most improved competitor on the tour this season.
The first round’s other fixture has Mark Selby, a two-time champion from 2025 already, going up against Si Jiahui.
Round of 16 (bo11)
Matches to be played from Monday, March 17th to Wednesday, March 19th
Judd Trump (1) vs Lei Peifan (16)
Barry Hawkins (8) vs Shaun Murphy (9)
Xiao Guodong (5) vs Wu Yize (12)
John Higgins (4) vs Chris Wakelin (13)
Neil Robertson (3) vs Stuart Bingham (14)
Mark Selby (6) vs Si Jiahui (11)
Mark Williams (7) vs Ding Junhui (10)
Kyren Wilson (2) vs Mark Allen (15)
Click here to view the latest scores and results
(snooker.org)
How to watch the tournament
There are several options available to watch the 2025 Players Championship this year. The full list of global broadcasters:
UK
ITV
Ireland
ITV
TNT Sports
Mainland Europe
Eurosport and locally relevant streaming platforms
(discovery+ in Germany, Italy, and Austria. MAX in all other markets)
China
Huya.com
Migu
CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel
CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
Hong Kong China
Now TV
Malaysia and Brunei
Astro
Philippines
Tap
Taiwan
Sportcast
Thailand
True Sport
Indonesia
Sportstars/Vision+
All other territories
WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
Telford International Centre hosted the UK Championship between 2007 and 2010. I attended the first three years, including the 2008 final and seeing Ding make a 147 in the same year. It’s also where the late great Paul Hunter won the 2002 British Open title.