Seeding is used in professional snooker to structure tournament draws and manage entry stages.
It determines which players receive favourable positions based on their ranking or recent performance.
Understanding how seeding works helps explain why players enter events at different rounds and how early matchups are decided.
What is seeding in snooker?
Seeding is the process of assigning ranked positions to players within a tournament draw.
Seeded players are placed in specific positions to prevent the highest-ranked competitors from meeting in the early rounds. This is designed to reward consistent performance while maintaining competitive balance.
How seeds are determined
In most professional events, seeds are based on the official world rankings.
Typically:
- Rankings are taken from a fixed cut-off point before the tournament
- Higher-ranked players receive higher seed numbers
- Seeding is updated as rankings change across the season
Some events may use alternative criteria, such as a one-year rankings list, depending on the tournament rules.
On the World Snooker Tour, many tournaments also apply protected seeding positions.
In most events, the defending champion is assigned the number one seed, while the reigning world champion is assigned the number two seed, regardless of their exact ranking position at the cut-off point.
Number of seeds in a tournament
The number of seeded players varies by event.
Common seeding structures include:
- Top 16 players seeded into the main stages
- Smaller events with fewer seeded positions
- Expanded seedings in large-field tournaments
The number of seeds directly affects how many players receive byes or delayed entry points.
Seeding and entry rounds
Seeding often determines where a player enters the tournament.
In many ranking events:
- Top seeds may enter at the last 32 or last 64 stage
- Lower-ranked players begin in earlier qualifying rounds
- Unseeded players must progress through more matches
This structure rewards ranking position while keeping entry open to all tour professionals.
Seeding within the draw
Once seeds are assigned:
- The highest seed is placed at the top of the draw
- The second-highest seed is placed at the opposite end
- Remaining seeds are distributed to avoid early clashes
This ensures that top-ranked players can only meet in later rounds, assuming they continue to win.
Changes between tournaments
Seeding is not fixed across a season.
- Rankings update regularly
- A player’s seeding position can change from event to event
- Recent results can quickly improve or damage seeding status
This makes consistency across tournaments important for maintaining favourable draws.
Seeding versus ranking
Seeding and ranking are closely linked but not identical.
- Rankings reflect prize money earned over a rolling period
- Seeding applies those rankings to a specific tournament draw
- A player may be ranked but not seeded if the event uses limited seed positions
Seeding is therefore a tournament-specific application of ranking data.
Common misunderstandings
Seeding guarantees easier matches
Seeding influences draw position but does not guarantee success.
Only top players are seeded
The number of seeded players depends on the tournament format.
Seeding is the same for every event
Different tournaments apply seeding rules differently.