The 2026/27 snooker season continues next week with the 2026 British Open taking place at the Centaur in Cheltenham.
It is the fourth ranking event of the campaign and one of only a couple of tournaments on the snooker calendar that utilises a random-draw element for each round.
A qualifying stage was held in July, with most of the first-round matches from the last 128 already taking place at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
The fixtures involving the top 16 seeds were deferred to the venue stages, meaning the tournament’s leading players will now enter the action in Cheltenham.
Defending champion Shaun Murphy returns to begin his title defence against 12-time women’s world champion Reanne Evans, while new world number one Zhao Xintong faces Oliver Brown.
When is the 2026 British Open?
The 2026 British Open runs from Monday, August 31 to Sunday, September 6 at the Centaur in Cheltenham.
Matches up to and including the last 16 will be contested over the best of seven frames, with the quarter-finals played over the best of nine, the semi-finals over the best of 11, and the final over the best of 19.
British Open prize money
Winner: £100,000
Runner-up: £45,000
Semi-finals: £20,000
Quarter-finals: £12,000
Last 16: £9,000
Last 32: £6,000
Last 64: £3,000
Highest break: £5,000
Total: £502,000
Former champions
The British Open was first staged in 1985 and remained on the snooker calendar until 2004 before returning in 2021.
Defending champion Shaun Murphy is among the former winners involved this year, alongside Mark Selby, who lifted the trophy in 2024, John Higgins, and three-time champion Mark Williams.
Jimmy White and Ryan Day, meanwhile, both lost during the preliminary phase. Ronnie O’Sullivan, champion in 1994, has withdrawn.
Who is in the draw?
A qualifying competition was held in July, with most of the opening-round matches taking place in Leicester before the tournament moves to Cheltenham.
The British Open is one of only two tournaments to use a random draw for each round – the other being the Shoot Out – making it one of the more unpredictable events on the World Snooker Tour.
The top 16 seeds have had their opening-round matches deferred to the venue stages, with defending champion Murphy facing Evans in one of the standout ties.
Zhao begins his first tournament as the world number one against Oliver Brown, while world snooker champion Wu Yize takes on fellow Chinese player Liu Hongyu.
Other eye-catching ties include Mark Williams against David Gilbert, John Higgins against Hossein Vafaei, and Chris Wakelin against Luca Brecel.
In addition to O’Sullivan, 2022 runner-up Mark Allen is another familiar face who is absent from the field having also withdrawn.
2026 British Open draw
Round of 128 (bo7)
Ashley Carty vs Si Jiahui
Liam Graham 4-3 Martin O’Donnell
Anthony McGill 4-3 Joe O’Connor
Wu Yize vs Liu Hongyu
Matthew Stevens 4-2 Antoni Kowalski
Artemijs Zizins 4-0 Michael Larkov
Ding Junhui vs Anton Kazakov
Jackson Page 4-1 Fergal Quinn
Iulian Boiko 4-3 Luo Zetao
Xiao Guodong vs Jiang Jun
Mark Selby vs David Lilley
Judd Trump vs Dylan Emery
Zhang Anda 4-2 Alfie Burden
Joshua Thomond 4-3 Sam Craigie
Pang Junxu vs Neil Robertson
Ricky Walden 4-1 Gary Wilson
Yao Pengcheng 4-2 Ng On Yee
Jordan Brown 4-1 Liu Wenwei
Shaun Murphy vs Reanne Evans
Mahmoud El Hareedy 4-1 Lan Yuhao
Steven Hallworth 4-2 Marco Fu
Long Zehuang 4-1 Leone Crowley
Oliver Brown vs Zhao Xintong
Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon 4-0 Gao Yang
Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-3 Allan Taylor
Jack Lisowski 4-1 Scott Donaldson
Chatchapong Nasa 4-3 Ryan Day
Daniel Wells 4-2 Liam Pullen
Fan Zhengyi 4-1 Ben Woollaston
Florian Nüßle vs Kyren Wilson
Zak Surety 4-1 Huang Jiahao
Jamie Jones 4-1 Oliver Sykes
Xu Yichen 4-3 Oliver Lines
Jimmy Robertson 4-3 Zhou Yuelong
Phil O’Kane 4-2 Connor Benzey
Ben Mertens 4-1 Zhao Hanyang
David Grace 4-1 Michal Szubarczyk
Gong Chenzhi 4-3 Xu Si
Jak Jones 4-3 Matthew Selt
Duane Jones 4-0 Alexander Ursenbacher
Aaron Hill 4-2 Panchaya Channoi
Chang Bingyu 4-0 Stuart Bingham
Stan Moody 4-0 Paul Norris
Michael Holt 4-3 Cheung Ka Wai
Lyu Haotian 4-2 Yuan Sijun
Elliot Slessor 4-1 Julien Leclercq
Jamie Clarke 4-3 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ross Muir w/o Tom Ford
Mark Williams vs David Gilbert
John Higgins vs Hossein Vafaei
Noppon Saengkham 4-2 Ashley Hugill
Bai Yulu 4-1 Sahil Nayyar
Barry Hawkins vs Deng Haohui
Mitchell Mann 4-3 Louis Heathcote
Liu Yang 4-1 Andrew Higginson
Liam Highfield 4-1 Stephen Maguire
Liam Davies 4-2 Craig Steadman
He Guoqiang 4-0 Robbie Williams
Sean O’Sullivan 4-1 Jimmy White
Mark Joyce vs Mateusz Baranowski
Chris Wakelin vs Luca Brecel
Wang Xinbo vs Patrick Whelan
Lei Peifan 4-1 Hammad Miah
Ali Carter 4-0 Stuart Carrington
Round of 64 (bo7)
Jak Jones vs Anthony McGill
Jamie Jones vs Wang/Whelan
Gong Chenzhi vs He Guoqiang
Mitchell Mann vs Jack Lisowski
Jackson Page vs Jimmy Robertson
Phil O’Kane vs Michael Holt
Joshua Thomond vs Artemijs Zizins
Chatchapong Nasa vs Chang Bingyu
Lyu Haotian vs Xiao/Jiang
N. Robertson/Pang vs Liam Graham
Stan Moody vs Yao Pengcheng
Liam Davies vs Hawkins/Deng
Noppon Saengkham vs Higgins/Vafaei
Iulian Boiko vs Xu Yichen
Sean O’Sullivan vs Ding/Kazakov
Joyce/Baranowski vs Jordan Brown
Liu Yang vs Duane Jones
Brown/Zhao vs Daniel Wells
Ali Carter vs Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon
Matthew Stevens vs Fan Zhengyi
Steven Hallworth vs Ishpreet Singh Chadha
Elliot Slessor vs Jamie Clarke
Bai Yulu vs Ross Muir
Mahmoud El Hareedy vs Liam Highfield
M. Williams/Gilbert vs Murphy/Evans
Trump/Emery vs Ricky Walden
Lei Peifan vs Selby/Lilley
Aaron Hill vs Ben Mertens
Wu/Liu vs Nuessle/K. Wilson
Zhang Anda vs Wakelin/Brecel
Long Zehuang vs Carty/Si
David Grace vs Zak Surety
How to watch the 2026 British Open
There are several options available to watch the British Open live, depending on your location.
UK
Watch all the action with free-to-air television across the UK!
Mainland Europe and selected countries
Eurosport and HBO Max
China
Huya.com
Migu
CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel
CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
Hong Kong China
Now Sports
Malaysia
Astro Supersport
Thailand
True Sport
Taiwan
Sportcast
New Zealand
Sky Sports
All other territories including Republic of Ireland
WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
