The first ranking event of the 2026/27 snooker season is ongoing 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 Draw
Stage One
| Group | Date | Players |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 9 | Zhao Xintong, David Grace, Gao Yang, Simon Blackwell |
| 2 | June 23 | |
| 3 | June 22 | |
| 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 | |
| 9 | June 30 | Elliot Slessor, Liam Pullen, Liu Wenwei, Robert Milkins |
| 10 | June 24 | Zhang Anda, |
| 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, |
| 15 | June 27 | Pang Junxu, |
| 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 | |
| 21 | June 25 | David Gilbert, |
| 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, |
| 25 | June 24 | Jackson Page, |
| 26 | July 7 | Tom Ford, Ashley Carty, Matthew Stevens, Cheung Ka Wai |
| 27 | June 23 | |
| 28 | June 26 | |
| 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
I noticed Jimmy White is an absentee. A little odd as he needs all the ranking points he can get and this format offers a decent chance of adding to a decent start from the Whirlwind.
Only those who are snooker-centric sports fans are likely to tune in for much of this low-key event. The World Cup is an obvious distraction, but you can also factor in Wimbledon, Tour De France, cricket and both codes of rugby offering up more appetising fare.
Thank you for the explanation on how this tournament works Dave. I was not sure how the payout works.
I will be watching as much as I can for the simple reason that I have not watched live snooker since the World Championships.
It is interesting that so far all the naysayers about the heat and humidity during the World Cup were essentially way off. In fact thus far North America is experiencing a much cooler summer than last summer and we are in a heat wave. I particularly enjoy following the premier league players in the World Cup.
52 minutes for the first frame between Michael Holt and Craig Steadman ouch! Holt basically called it quits after that frame giving Steadman the 3-0 win. It would be amazing to know what is running through their heads in a match like that.
Unfortunately Julein Leclercq has not made any progress as he is one of the most entertaining potters at the expense of the rest of the game called snooker.
All that said, I enjoyed the snooker and even the at times funny comments on youtube.
Julein Leclercq cleared the table in an excellent comeback in the second frame against Craig Steadman so he can do no worse than 2 ties and 1 lose. Maybe he can close this match with Steadman.
Kyren Wilson has withdrawn from the tournament after a beautiful break at the start of his match. Further news pending.
update : Julein Leclercq did win over Craig Steadman so he is 1 win 1 draw and 1 lose so far.
I cannot believe it how accurate a commentator on youtube during a snooker match reported the burglary hours before the report on the internet. It has now been reported that the thieves were caught on CCTV while many valuables were taken. From the bottom of my heart this man is long due for good news for change.