The semi-finals at the 2026 Tour Championship on Friday and Saturday will feature a couple of heavyweight clashes.
It was already a stellar lineup at the start of the week, with just the top 12 competitors from the one-year rankings invited to compete in Manchester.
But it would be hard to source more quality than what will be on display in the last four of the season’s penultimate ranking event.
Two more wins are still required to get hands on the trophy and the £150,000 top prize, so let’s see what’s in store for the upcoming semi-final fixtures.
Neil Robertson vs Judd Trump
Neil Robertson and Judd Trump both emerged from tight quarter-final encounters to reach the semi-finals at the Manchester Central.
Trump pipped Shaun Murphy in a deciding frame to reach this stage of the tournament for the first time since 2020.
Robertson, meanwhile, fought his way back from 8-6 behind to beat Barry Hawkins with a late four-frame winning burst.
The Australian remains on course to secure a record third Tour Championship crown having previously lifted the silverware in 2021 and 2022.
Trump and Robertson are certainly no strangers to meeting each other at the business end of the most prestigious tournaments.
Indeed, their most recent clash was at the semi-final stage of the 2025 UK Championship in York where Trump won 6-3.
The world number one boasts a superior head-to-head record from their overall contests, but Robertson has enjoyed plenty of notable success of his own.
There was a period around 2019 and 2020 when it seemed like the duo couldn’t stop meeting in finals, and a lot of their biggest matches have been very close battles.
When is it? Friday, April 3: 13:00 and 19:00 BST
John Higgins vs Zhao Xintong
John Higgins extended his Tour Championship reign by beating Mark Selby in a repeat of last year’s final.
Just like the title-deciding showdown from a year ago, Higgins overturned a three-frame deficit by taking the concluding five frames for a memorable victory.
The soon-to-be 51 year-old continues to challenge at the business end of events on the calendar as he sustains his persistent efforts to land a first piece of silverware of the campaign following several near misses.
It doesn’t get much tougher for Higgins in the last four, with the Scot next having to face reigning world champion Zhao Xintong.
Zhao was the only dominant player in the quarter-finals, reeling off an impressive haul of five century breaks to comfortably dispatch of Chris Wakelin with a 10-4 scoreline.
The 28 year-old is on course to complete an unprecedented clean sweep of the Players Series events having already won the World Grand Prix and the Players Championship this term.
Zhao beat Higgins 10-7 to claim the Players Championship title in Telford, but he did lose to the four-time world champion at the Masters in January.
Indeed, the pair crossed paths four times already this term with honours even and two victories apiece.
Just like the first semi-final, it would take a brave person to confidently predict this one.
When is it? Saturday, April 4: 13:00 and 19:00 BST
How to watch the 2026 Tour Championship
There are several options available to watch the upcoming snooker live depending on your location.
Many of the popular betting sites provide live streaming of snooker events through signing up on their websites or apps.
Below is a full list of official options, as published on the World Snooker Tour website:
UK & Ireland: 5
Mainland Europe: Eurosport; discovery+ (Germany, Italy, Austria); HBO Max (all other markets)
China: Huya.com, Migu, CBSA-WPBSA Academy (WeChat & Douyin)
Hong Kong China: Now TV
Malaysia & Brunei: Astro Supersport
Taiwan: Sportcast
Thailand: True Sport
Philippines: TAP Sports
Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya: SportyTV
All Other Territories: WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
