The first ranking event of the 2026/27 snooker season gets under way on Monday, June 22 with Championship League Snooker returning to Leicester.
While a batch of qualifying matches for the China Open and Wuhan Open have already been staged, this will represent the first opportunity for players to capture silverware in the new campaign.
The ranking version of Championship League Snooker has become a familiar curtain raiser in recent years, offering competitors an early chance to gain momentum before the season properly gathers pace.
It is by no means the flashiest way to launch a fresh term, but the event does provide fans with plenty of action as 128 players begin their quests for glory.
Who is in the 2026 Championship League Snooker draw?
As has often been the case in recent seasons, a number of the sport’s leading stars have chosen not to enter and instead extend their summer breaks ahead of a busy campaign.
That presents an opportunity for others to make an early mark, with several established ranking-event winners and a host of ambitious lower-ranked competitors featuring in the field.
World number three Zhao Xintong is the top-ranked player, one of only four members from the top 16 involved in 2026, with Kyren Wilson, Chris Wakelin, and Si Jiahui representing the others.
The tournament also offers a chance for newcomers and recent tour graduates to gain valuable experience in a professional environment.
A handful of players arrive in Leicester carrying positive form from the opening batch of qualifiers for the China Open and Wuhan Open.
Among them is Yao Pengcheng, who boasts a perfect six wins from six matches so far this season.
Stephen Maguire will return as the defending champion after the Scot beat Joe O’Connor in last year’s final to capture his seventh career ranking crown.
The prize money remains unchanged, with the overall winner set to collect £33,000 in total.
There is also a coveted place in the Champion of Champions invitational tournament later this year at stake for whoever lifts the trophy.
The information for the Championship League Snooker draw, including the dates for Stage One, is below.
2026 Championship League Snooker Stage One Draw
| Group | Date | Players |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 9 | Zhao Xintong, David Grace, Gao Yang, Simon Blackwell |
| 2 | June 23 | Steven Hallworth, Ian Burns, Jamie O’Neill, Jeff Cundy |
| 3 | June 22 | Kyren Wilson, Dylan Emery, Michal Szubarczyk, Haydon Pinhey |
| 4 | July 3 | Iulian Boiko, Lan Yuhao, Joshua Thomond, Ian Martin |
| 5 | July 1 | Chris Wakelin, Sam Craigie, Yao Pengcheng, Brian Ochoiski |
| 6 | July 7 | Si Jiahui, Marco Fu, Xu Yichen, Sean Maddocks |
| 7 | July 8 | Jack Lisowski, Liam Highfield, Zhao Hanyang, Jack Bradford |
| 8 | June 27 | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Louis Heathcote, Reanne Evans, Dean Young |
| 9 | June 30 | Elliot Slessor, Liam Pullen, Liu Wenwei, Robert Milkins |
| 10 | June 24 | Zhang Anda, Jiang Jun, Ross Muir, Daniel Womersley |
| 11 | July 6 | Stuart Bingham, Jordan Brown, Mateusz Baranowski, Mark Joyce |
| 12 | July 4 | Ali Carter, Jamie Jones, Leone Crowley, Patrick Whelan |
| 13 | July 6 | Zhou Yuelong, Ben Mertens, Liam Graham, Allan Taylor |
| 14 | June 26 | Gary Wilson, Lyu Haotian, Alexander Ursenbacher, Duane Jones |
| 15 | June 27 | Pang Junxu, Luo Zetao, David Lilley, Fergal Quinn |
| 16 | July 1 | Lei Peifan, Wang Xinbo, Ishpreet Singh Chadha, Chatchapong Nasa |
| 17 | July 2 | Joe O’Connor, Paul Norris, Liu Hongyu, Oliver Brown |
| 18 | June 29 | Hossein Vafaei, Oliver Sykes, Fan Zhengyi, Florian Nüßle |
| 19 | July 4 | Stephen Maguire, Anton Kazakov, Robbie Williams, Ng On-yee |
| 20 | June 25 | Yuan Sijun, Bai Yulu, Scott Donaldson, Sahil Nayyar |
| 21 | June 25 | David Gilbert, Panchaya Channoi, Ricky Walden, Mahmoud El Hareedy |
| 22 | July 3 | Jak Jones, Mykhailo Larkov, Oliver Lines, Alfie Burden |
| 23 | June 30 | Jimmy Robertson, Hammad Miah, Martin O’Donnell, Antoni Kowalski |
| 24 | June 22 | Xu Si, Craig Steadman, Michael Holt, Julien Leclercq |
| 25 | June 24 | Jackson Page, Ashley Hugill, Long Zehuang, Artemijs Žižins |
| 26 | July 7 | Tom Ford, Ashley Carty, Matthew Stevens, Cheung Ka Wai |
| 27 | June 23 | Ryan Day, Jamie Clarke, Chang Bingyu, Phil O’Kane |
| 28 | June 26 | Anthony McGill, Liu Yang, He Guoqiang, Sean O’Sullivan |
| 29 | June 29 | Ben Woollaston, Huang Jiahao, Noppon Saengkham, Liam Davies |
| 30 | July 2 | Stan Moody, Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon, Daniel Wells, Stuart Carrington |
| 31 | July 8 | Aaron Hill, Deng Haohui, Luca Brecel, Mitchell Mann |
| 32 | July 9 | Zak Surety, Gong Chenzhi, Matthew Selt, Andrew Higginson |
How does the format work?
For Stage One, the 128-player field has been divided into 32 groups comprising four players each.
Every player will face the other members of their group once, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw.
Only the group winners will advance to Stage Two, which takes place from July 10th to July 14th.
The remaining 32 players will then be split into eight more groups of four, with the winners progressing to Stage Three on July 15th.
Stage Three features two final groups of four players, and the respective group winners will contest the final later on the same day.
Championship League Snooker prize money
The prize money is unchanged from last season, with the eventual champion earning a total of £33,000.
The breakdown is as follows:
Stage One
- Group Winner: £3,000
- Runner-up: £2,000
- Third Place: £1,000
Stage Two
- Group Winner: £4,000
- Runner-up: £3,000
- Third Place: £2,000
- Fourth Place: £1,000
Stage Three
- Group Winner: £6,000
- Runner-up: £4,000
- Third Place: £2,000
- Fourth Place: £1,000
Final
- Winner: £20,000
- Runner-up: £10,000
In addition to the prize money on offer, the champion will also secure a place in the Champion of Champions invitational tournament later this year.
How to watch Championship League Snooker
Live coverage of Championship League Snooker will be available on a variety of platforms depending on your location.
According to the official Championship League Snooker website, Table 1 coverage will be available through the tournament’s international broadcast partners.
Table 2 matches will be streamed live on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel and WNT TV.
Fans in the UK and Ireland, or in countries without a listed broadcaster, can watch Table 1 action live on the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel and WNT TV.
International Broadcast Options
- AMC Network – Hungary
- BG Pathum – Thailand
- Canal Plus – Poland
- Fox Sports – Australia
- Eurasian Broadcasting – Ukraine and CIS
- Nova – Czechia & Slovakia
- Rigour – China
- Sky Network – New Zealand
- Sportscast – Chinese Taipei
- TV3 – Baltics
- Viaplay – Iceland
- Viaplay – Netherlands
- Viasat – Scandinavia
Featured photo credit: WST
