The 2026/27 snooker season continues this week with the 2026 Wuhan Open taking place at the Optics Valley Gymnasium.
It is the third ranking event of the campaign following Championship League Snooker, which was won by Jak Jones, and the recent China Open where Mark Selby lifted the trophy.
The Wuhan Open also brings an end to a three-tournament swing in China that included the Shanghai Masters invitational, which was won by Judd Trump.
Trump arrives in Wuhan with his world number one position under serious threat after the Englishman was unable to defend the £500,000 he earned for winning the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in 2024, with that tournament having since been removed from the calendar.
The Englishman provisionally sits fifth in the rankings behind Zhao Xintong, Neil Robertson, Wu Yize, and Selby, with all five players able to finish August as snooker’s world number one by winning the Wuhan Open.
If someone else lifts the trophy, the outcome of the battle for top spot will likely be determined by which of Zhao and Robertson progresses furthest.
When is the 2026 Wuhan Open?
The 2026 Wuhan Open runs from August 23 to 29 at the Optics Valley Gymnasium in Wuhan, China.
Matches up to and including the quarter-finals will be contested over the best of nine frames, with the semi-finals played over the best of 11 and the final over the best of 19.
Wuhan Open prize money
Winner: £175,000
Runner-up: £75,000
Semi-finals: £33,000
Quarter-finals: £22,000
Last 16: £12,000
Last 32: £8,000
Last 64: £4,500
Last 96: £1,500
Highest break: £5,000
Total: £825,000
Former champions
The Wuhan Open has only had a couple of champions since its introduction to the World Snooker Tour.
Its inaugural edition in 2023 was won by Judd Trump while Xiao Guodong emerged with the title in both 2024 and 2025, beating Gary Wilson in a close final last year.
The 37 year-old is bidding to join an exclusive club of snooker players who have won the same tournament three years in a row.
Only Ray Reardon (retrospectively), Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, and Trump have previously managed the feat in a ranking event.
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 Wuhan.
The top 16 had their opening-round matches from the last 64 deferred until the tournament proper.
That includes defending champion Xiao, who begins his title defence against fellow Chinese player Wang Xinbo as he bids for a third consecutive Wuhan Open crown.
Most of the sport’s leading stars are in attendance, although Mark Allen has withdrawn from the tournament and China Open finalist Noppon Saengkham failed to qualify.
The world number one battle is a notable subplot, with Trump, Zhao, Robertson, Wu, and Selby all capable of moving to the top of the rankings by the end of the event.
2026 Wuhan Open draw
Round of 64 (bo9)
Xiao Guodong 5-0 Wang Xinbo
Jackson Page 5-3 Lei Peifan
Chris Wakelin 5-0 Jordan Brown
Steven Hallworth 5-4 Zhang Anda
Daniel Wells 5-1 Stuart Bingham
Michael Holt w/o Mark Allen
David Gilbert 5-1 Noppon Saengkham
Mark Williams w/o Robbie Williams
Zhao Xintong 5-0 Gao Yang
Jak Jones 5-2 Matthew Selt
Barry Hawkins 5-2 Chen Qi’en
Ryan Day 5-1 Elliot Slessor
Gary Wilson 5-4 Aaron Hill
Ding Junhui 1-5 Liam Davies
Hossein Vafaei 5-1 Ben Woollaston
Neil Robertson 5-1 Ben Mertens
Judd Trump 5-0 Florian Nuessle
Yuan Sijun 5-1 Louis Heathcote
Si Jiahui 5-3 Jiang Jun
Dylan Emery 5-3 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ali Carter 5-3 Tom Ford
Kyren Wilson w/o Oliver Brown
Chang Bingyu 5-2 Joe O’Connor
Liu Hongyu w/o John Higgins
Shaun Murphy 5-0 Alfie Burden
Pang Junxu 5-3 Oliver Sykes
Mark Selby 5-2 Fan Zhengyi
He Guoqiang 5-2 Zhou Yuelong
Yao Pengcheng 5-0 Jack Lisowski
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Ashley Carty
Stephen Maguire 5-2 Stan Moody
Wu Yize 4-5 Artemijs Zizins
Round of 32 (bo9)
Xiao Guodong 5-2 Jackson Page
Chris Wakelin w/o Steven Hallworth
Daniel Wells 5-0 Michael Holt
David Gilbert 3-5 Mark Williams
Zhao Xintong 5-2 Jak Jones
Barry Hawkins 5-3 Ryan Day
Gary Wilson 3-5 Liam Davies
Hossein Vafaei 3-5 Neil Robertson
Judd Trump 5-0 Yuan Sijun
Si Jiahui 5-1 Dylan Emery
Ali Carter 5-4 Kyren Wilson
Chang Bingyu 5-1 Liu Hongyu
Shaun Murphy 3-5 Pang Junxu
Mark Selby 5-2 He Guoqiang
Yao Pengcheng 1-5 Ronnie O’Sullivan
Stephen Maguire 5-4 Artemijs Zizins
Round of 16 (bo9)
Times in BST
Wed, Aug 26 – 12:30
Xiao Guodong vs Chris Wakelin
Daniel Wells vs Mark Williams
Zhao Xintong vs Barry Hawkins
Liam Davies vs Neil Robertson
Wed, Aug 26 – 07:00
Judd Trump vs Si Jiahui
Ali Carter vs Chang Bingyu
Pang Junxu vs Mark Selby
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Stephen Maguire
Wuhan Open betting odds
Trump and Zhao are joint favourites in the outright market at 10/3.
Selby is next at 11/2, followed by world champion Wu at 13/2 and Ronnie O’Sullivan at 7/1. Reigning champion Xiao is priced at about 11/1.
How to watch the 2026 Wuhan Open
There are several options available to watch the Wuhan 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 Douyin
Hong Kong China
Now Sports
Malaysia
Astro Supersport
Thailand
True Sport
Taiwan
Sportscast
All other territories
WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
One way to look at it, the Wuhan Open represents the fight for World Ranking number 1 spot. Another way of looking at it, The number 1 spot could change hands multiple times throughout the year.
Likely, yes. Although if Zhao wins in Wuhan, he’ll be harder to catch.
With withdrawals from a handful of British players, this tournament will be moving right along pretty quickly. John Higgins, Mark Allen, Steven Hallworth, Oliver Brown and Robbie Williams are no shows. John Higgins was the only player in China but fell ill. Let’s wish him a speedy recovery.