Q School 2026 gets under way on Thursday with 12 coveted spots on the World Snooker Tour up for grabs across four events.
The annual qualifying competition represents one of the final opportunities for amateur players and relegated professionals to earn a two-year tour card for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.
Asia-Oceania Q School has already commenced at the Kiatthada Billiards & Snooker Club in Bangkok, Thailand.
Two events will be staged in the Thai capital, with Event 1 running from May 14-18 and Event 2 taking place from May 19-24.
A total of four tour cards are available in Asia-Oceania Q School, with the two finalists from each event securing professional status.
Among the notable names in the draw are former main-tour players Sunny Akani, Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon, Bai Langning, Amir Sarkhosh, and Ma Hailong.
The field predominantly comprises players from China, Thailand, and Pakistan, with India, Iran and Hong Kong also represented.
The Asia-Oceania events will be followed next week by the main Q School competition at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, England.
Q School Event 1 runs from May 20-25 before Event 2 takes place from May 26-31.
A further eight World Snooker Tour places will be handed out in Leicester, with four players qualifying from each event.
The lineup in 2026 includes several experienced former professionals and familiar names from the snooker circuit.
Two-time ranking event winner Robert Milkins is perhaps the standout competitor after dropping off the World Snooker Tour at the end of the most recent campaign.
Mark Davis, Rory McLeod, Gerard Greene, Andrew Higginson, Stuart Carrington, Mitchell Mann, Mark Joyce, Peter Lines, Sean O’Sullivan, and Allan Taylor are also among the notable entrants.
There are several younger players looking to earn promotion as well, including Robbie McGuigan, Bulcsu Revesz, Dean Young, and Jack Borwick.
As usual, all four events will use a straight knockout format with matches contested over the best-of-seven frames throughout.
Q School has become an increasingly important pathway into the professional ranks since its introduction in 2011.
The competition gives players who either lost their professional status or narrowly missed qualification through other amateur avenues another chance to secure a place on the tour.
For many competitors, it represents the culmination of an entire season’s work and preparation.
The pressure can often be intense due to the unforgiving nature of the format, where a single defeat immediately ends a player’s hopes for that particular event.
A number of established professionals have previously come through Q School before going on to enjoy successful careers on the World Snooker Tour.
Others have used the competition to regain their places after relegation, underlining how important the pathway has become within the modern structure of professional snooker.
The standard in recent years has also risen considerably, particularly in the Asia-Oceania events where the growing strength of players from the expansive region has made qualification increasingly difficult.
This year’s edition once again promises drama and heartbreak, with only a small percentage of the field ultimately able to realise their professional ambitions.
With 12 places available overall, the next two and a half weeks could prove career-defining for many aspiring players across Bangkok and Leicester.
The draws for each Q School event are available at snooker.org.
Featured photo credit: WST
