The 2026/27 snooker season continues this week with the 2026 English Open taking place in Brentwood.
The English Open is the fifth ranking event of the campaign and forms part of the Home Nations Series, which has been running since 2016.
The tournament – beginning just a day after the conclusion of the British Open in Cheltenham – returns to the Brentwood Centre in Essex for the fifth year in a row.
Mark Allen is the reigning champion after pipping Zhou Yuelong to the title last year, but the Northern Irishman will not be defending his crown after announcing his withdrawal from the tournament.
Several former winners are among the leading contenders in the field, though.
When is the 2026 English Open?
The 2026 English Open runs from Monday, September 7th to Sunday, September 13th in Brentwood, England.
Matches up to the last 16 will be contested over the best of seven frames, with the quarter-finals and the semi-finals increasing to 11 frames, and the final played over the best of 17.
2026 English Open prize money
Winner: £100,000
Runner-up: £45,000
Semi-finals: £21,000
Quarter-finals: £13,200
Last 16: £9,000
Last 32: £5,400
Last 64: £3,600
Last 96: £1,000
Highest break: £5,000
Total: £550,400
Former champions
The English Open has been part of the Home Nations Series since its inaugural staging in 2016, with players competing for the Steve Davis Trophy.
Several former champions feature in this year’s draw including Judd Trump, Mark Selby, and Neil Robertson, who won six English Open titles between them from 2019 to 2024.
Stuart Bingham is another former winner in the field, having lifted the trophy in 2018.
Ronnie O’Sullivan won the title in 2017 for his sole success on the Home Nations series, but the seven-time world champion has withdrawn from this year’s tournament.
Who is in the draw?
A qualifying phase was held in July in Leicester, with players ranked outside the world’s top 32 at the time required to come through the preliminary stages.
The top 32 seeds enter at the last 64 point, which represents the first round of the tournament proper in Brentwood.
There are several eye-catching ties in the opening round, including two-time champions Judd Trump and Mark Selby facing Jordan Brown and Ricky Walden respectively.
Neil Robertson, who last triumphed two years ago, begins against Luo Zetao, while reigning world champion Wu Yize takes on Gao Yang.
World number one Zhao Xintong will face Oliver Lines as he looks to continue his impressive year on the main tour.
The likes of Mark Williams, Kyren Wilson, Shaun Murphy, and Ding Junhui are in the lineup, but John Higgins represents another familiar face who has opted to skip this week’s action.
2026 English Open draw
Round of 64 (bo7)
Sam Craigie w/o Mark Allen
Joe O’Connor v Florian Nüßle
Ding Junhui v Michael Holt
Elliot Slessor v Ashley Hugill
Zhang Anda v Zak Surety
Mark Selby v Ricky Walden
Jak Jones v Chang Bingyu
Kyren Wilson v Mateusz Baranowski
Zhao Xintong v Oliver Lines
Yuan Sijun v Tom Ford
Chris Wakelin v Louis Heathcote
Zhou Yuelong v Stan Moody
Ali Carter v Jackson Page
Si Jiahui v Robbie Williams
Jimmy Robertson v Gong Chenzhi
Neil Robertson v Luo Zetao
Judd Trump v Jordan Brown
Lei Peifan v Ashley Carty
Jack Lisowski v Fan Zhengyi
Stuart Bingham v Anthony McGill
Pang Junxu v Antoni Kowalski
Xiao Guodong v Ross Muir
David Gilbert v Jamie Clarke
Shaun Murphy v Artemijs Zizins
Mark J Williams v Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon
Hossein Vafaei v Matthew Selt
Barry Hawkins v Lyu Haotian
Gary Wilson v Daniel Wells
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Wang Xinbo
Liam Davies w/o Ronnie O’Sullivan
Xu Si v Aaron Hill
Wu Yize v Gao Yang
Who are the betting favourites?
Zhao Xintong and Judd Trump are the favourites in the outright market priced at 7/2, with the likes of Mark Selby, Wu Yize, and Neil Robertson also considered as the front runners for the title.
For more of the best snooker odds online, you can view a list on Oddspedia and compare different betting offers to understand which promotions are the most proficient available.
How to watch the 2026 English Open
There are several options available to watch the English Open live, depending on your location.
UK and Ireland
TNT Sports and HBO Max
WST Play (table one)
Mainland Europe and selected countries
Eurosport and HBO Max
China
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
Sportcast
All other territories
WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
