The 2026/27 snooker season continues this week with the return of the China Open, taking place in Taiyuan for the first time.
Back on the World Snooker Tour calendar for the first time since 2019, the China Open offers the richest prize fund of the season so far with a staggering £250,000 awaiting the champion.
It represents the second ranking event of the campaign following Championship League Snooker that was won by Jak Jones.
But it’s the first to feature the vast majority of the sport’s leading stars after many of the elite players opted to skip the season opener.
The China Open was last staged seven years ago when Neil Robertson beat Jack Lisowski in the final, and the Australian returns to China this time as the top seed.
When is the 2026 China Open?
The 2026 China Open runs from August 8 to 16 at the Sports Centre in Taiyuan, China.
Matches up to and including the semi-finals will be contested over the best of 11 frames, with the final played as the best of 19.
China Open prize money
Winner: £250,000
Runner-up: £100,000
Semi-finals: £50,000
Quarter-finals: £25,000
Last 16: £15,000
Last 32: £10,000
Last 48: £7,500
Last 80: £5,000
Last 112: £2,500
Highest break: £15,000
Total: £1,205,000
Former champions
The China Open, once a staple of the annual schedule, boasts an illustrious roll of honour despite its lengthy absence from the calendar.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, and Mark Selby, who triumphed three times in four years from 2015 to 2018 have all lifted the trophy over the years.
Who is in the draw?
A qualifying competition was held in June to determine which players would join the top 16 seeds at the venue stages in Taiyuan.
Robertson’s title defence begins with a difficult encounter against rising Chinese star Chang Bingyu, while world number one and last weekend’s Shanghai Masters champion Judd Trump faces Noppon Saengkham.
World champion Wu Yize has been paired with Yao Pengcheng, Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Jackson Page, and John Higgins meets fellow former world champion Stuart Bingham in one of the standout first-round ties.
Home favourite Zhao Xintong, Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, and Mark Selby are also among the leading contenders bidding to capture one of the biggest prizes on the World Snooker Tour this season.
Zhao heads the outright betting market at around 3/1, with Trump close behind at approximately 10/3. Wu, O’Sullivan, Wilson, and Selby are also among the fancied runners ahead of the opening round.
2026 China Open draw
Wildcard Round (bo11)
Liu Linhao v Hossein Vafaei (Sat 8 Aug, 02:30 BST)
Wildcard v Anthony McGill (Sat 8 Aug, 02:30 BST)
Round of 32 (bo11)
Neil Robertson v Chang Bingyu (Mon 10 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Si Jiahui v Jiang Jun (Mon 10 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Mark Selby v Pang Junxu (Mon 10 Aug, 12:30 BST)
Kyren Wilson v Aaron Hill (Mon 10 Aug, 12:30 BST)
John Higgins v Stuart Bingham (Tue 11 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Mark Allen v Liu/Vafaei (Tue 11 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Chris Wakelin v Tom Ford (Tue 11 Aug, 12:30 BST)
Zhao Xintong v Zhang Anda (Tue 11 Aug, 12:30 BST)
Judd Trump v Noppon Saengkham (Sun 9 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Jackson Page (Sun 9 Aug, 12:30 BST)
Xiao Guodong v Wildcard/McGill (Sun 9 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Shaun Murphy v Matthew Selt (Sun 9 Aug, 12:30 BST)
Mark Williams v Zhou Yuelong (Sat 8 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Barry Hawkins v Liu Hongyu (Sat 8 Aug, 12:30 BST)
Ding Junhui v David Gilbert (Sat 8 Aug, 07:00 BST)
Wu Yize v Yao Pengcheng (Sat 8 Aug, 12:30 BST)
How to watch the 2026 China Open
There are several options available to watch the China Open live, depending on your location.
UK and Ireland
TNT Sports and HBO Max
Mainland Europe and selected countries
Eurosport and HBO Max
China
CCTV5
SMG
Huya
Migu
CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel (pay-per-view)
CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
Hong Kong China
Now Sports
Malaysia
Astro Supersport
Thailand
True Sport
Taiwan
Sportscast
All other territories
WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
