2025–26 snooker season
Series of snooker tournaments
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025–26 snooker season is an ongoing professional snooker season with tournaments played between June 2025 and May 2026, including the professional World Snooker Tour, the second-tier Q Tour and featured events from World Women's Snooker and World Seniors Tour.
(18 ranking events)
WPBSA Q Tour: 21
World Women's: 7
World Seniors: 11
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 30 June 2025 – 19 May 2026 |
| Tournaments | World Snooker Tour: 23 (18 ranking events) WPBSA Q Tour: 21 World Women's: 7 World Seniors: 11 |
| Triple Crown winners | |
| UK Championship | |
| Masters | |
| World Championship | |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
Overview
The professional tour produced 15 different ranking event winners, the most of any season,[1] with Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize the only players to win multiple ranking events. Jack Lisowski won his maiden ranking title at the 2025 Northern Ireland Open, defeating Judd Trump 9–8 in the final.[2] Wu secured his first ranking title at the 2025 International Championship, beating John Higgins 10–6 in the final,[3] and went on to win the 2026 World Snooker Championship, becoming the second-youngest World Champion after Stephen Hendry in 1990.[4] At the age of 48 years and 364 days, Alfie Burden claimed his first ranking title at the 2025 Shoot Out, becoming the oldest maiden winner of a ranking event.[5] Zhao Xintong became the first player to win all three Player Series tournaments in one season.[6] For the first time, three consecutive ranking finals—the 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters, 2025 Wuhan Open, and 2025 English Open—went to deciding frames.[7] The 2026 World Championship final was the fourth in the tournament's history to go to a deciding frame, following the finals of the 1985, 1994, and 2002 editions.
The Class of '92 continued to set records for their longevity in the sport. Mark Williams won the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix aged 50 years and 206 days, becoming the oldest ranking event winner; he surpassed Ray Reardon, who had won the 1982 Professional Players Tournament aged 50 years and 14 days.[8] At the 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters, aged 49 years and 253 days, Ronnie O'Sullivan became the oldest player to record an official maximum break.[9] At the 2026 Masters, aged 50 years and 245 days, John Higgins became the oldest finalist in any Triple Crown tournament, again surpassing Reardon, who had been 50 years and 114 days old when he played in the 1983 Masters final.[10] At the 2026 Players Championship, aged 50 years and 280 days, Higgins became the second-oldest finalist at any ranking tournament, surpassed only by Rex Williams, who had been 53 years and 98 days old when he played in the final of the 1986 Grand Prix.[11]
The season set a new record for the most maximum breaks in a single season, with 24, surpassing the previous record of 15 set in the previous season.[12] O'Sullivan became the first player to make two maximum breaks in a one-session match, or on the same day, when he compiled the 16th and 17th maximums of his career in his 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters semi-final against Chris Wakelin.[9] O'Sullivan subsequently made the highest break in professional snooker history, a 16-red clearance of 153 in his quarter-final match against Ryan Day at the 2026 World Open. It was only the second break exceeding 147 in professional competition, following Jamie Burnett's 148 in the qualifying rounds of the 2004 UK Championship.[13] At the 2025 International Championship qualifiers in Sheffield, Neil Robertson made the 1,000th century break of his career, becoming the fourth player to reach that milestone, after O'Sullivan, Higgins, and Trump.[14] At the main stage of the same tournament, Bai Yulu made a century of 145, setting a new record for the highest break by a female player in professional competition.[15]
Players
The World Snooker Tour includes the top 64 players from the prize money rankings after the 2025 World Championship, plus the additional 31 players[a] who earned a two-year card the previous year. Those 95 players were joined by the 34 players who acquired a two-year tour card this year to form a 128-player[b] tour for the 2025–26 season.[16]
New professional players
Zhao Xintong won the 2025 World Snooker Championship as an amateur and re-joined the top 64 in the official world rankings to secure professional status for the season.[c]
The players listed below received a two-year tour card for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons.[16]
Calendar
The following tables outline the dates and results for all the World Snooker Tour, World Women's Snooker Tour, World Seniors Tour, Q Tour, and other events in the season.[35][36]
World Snooker Tour
| Ranking event |
| † Non-ranking event |
Note: This calendar only includes events that have been confirmed by the World Snooker Tour, and is subject to change at any time during the season.
WPBSA Q Tour
| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun | 22 Jun | Americas – Event 1 | Iate Club in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 5–1 | [59] | ||
| 27 Jun | 29 Jun | Asia Pacific – Event 1 | Pot Black North Perth in Perth, Australia | 5–0 | [60] | ||
| 11 Jul | 13 Jul | Asia Pacific – Event 2 | Cuthberts Green in Christchurch, New Zealand | 5–1 | [61] | ||
| 1 Aug | 3 Aug | Asia Pacific – Event 3 | Commercial Club Albury in Albury, Australia | 4–0 | [62] | ||
| 28 Aug | 31 Aug | Europe – Event 1 | Snookerhallen in Stockholm, Sweden | 4–2 | [63] | ||
| 21 Sep | 24 Sep | Middle East – Event 1 | Cue Sports Academy in Dubai, UAE | 4–2 | [64] | ||
| 25 Sep | 28 Sep | Middle East – Event 2 | Cue Sports Academy in Dubai, UAE | 4–2 | [65] | ||
| 25 Sep | 28 Sep | Europe – Event 2 | Austrian Snooker Academy in Vienna, Austria | 4–3 | [66] | ||
| 9 Oct | 12 Oct | Asia Pacific – Event 4 | Mounties in Sydney, Australia | 6–4 | [67] | ||
| 9 Oct | 12 Oct | Europe – Event 3 | The Grand Blue Fafa Resort in Kavajë, Albania | 4–3 | [68] | ||
| 29 Oct | 1 Nov | Europe – Event 4 | Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England | 4–2 | [69] | ||
| 30 Oct | 2 Nov | Americas – Event 2 | H Niterói Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 5–0 | [70] | ||
| 4 Dec | 7 Dec | Europe – Event 5 | Bulgarian Snooker Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria | 4–2 | [71] | ||
| 10 Jan | 12 Jan | Americas – Event 3 | The Corner Bank in Toronto, Canada | 4–1 | [72] | ||
| 20 Jan | 23 Jan | Middle East – Event 3 | Cue Sports Academy in Dubai, UAE | 4–2 | [73] | ||
| 23 Jan | 26 Jan | Asia Pacific – Event 5 | Redcliffe Snooker Club in Brisbane, Australia | 5–1 | [74] | ||
| 24 Jan | 27 Jan | Middle East – Event 4 | Cue Sports Academy in Dubai, UAE | 4–1 | [75] | ||
| 12 Feb | 15 Feb | Europe – Event 6 | Delta Moon Snooker Club in Mons, Belgium | 4–1 | [76] | ||
| 13 Feb | 16 Feb | Americas – Event 4 | California Snooker Academy in San Jose, USA | 5–4 | [77] | ||
| 26 Feb | 1 Mar | Europe – Event 7 | Landywood Snooker Club in Great Wyrley, England | 4–2 | [78] | ||
| 15 Mar | 17 Mar | Global Play-Offs | Palace Hotel in Gandia, Spain | 10–8 | [79] | ||
| 10–5 | |||||||
| 10–7 |
| Ranking event (Q Tour Europe) |
| Non-ranking event (Q Tour Global) |
World Women's Snooker Tour
| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug | 31 Aug | UK Women's Championship | Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England | 4–2 | [80] | ||
| 4 Oct | 7 Oct | Australian Women's Open | Mounties in Sydney, Australia | 4–1 | [81] | ||
| 27 Oct | 30 Oct | Thai Women's Open | Hi-End Snooker Club in Bangkok, Thailand | 5–1 | [82] | ||
| 28 Nov | 30 Nov | Irish Women's Open | Snooker & Billiards Ireland HQ in Carlow, Ireland | 4–2 | [83] | ||
| 19 Jan | 23 Jan | WSF Women's Championship | Marinela in Sofia, Bulgaria | 4–0 | [84] | ||
| 6 Feb | 8 Feb | Belgian Women's Open | Trickshot Club in Bruges, Belgium | 4–2 | [85] | ||
| 27 Mar | 29 Mar | British Women's Open | Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, England | 4–2 | [86] | ||
| 12 May | 19 May | World Women's Championship | Changping Snooker Centre in Dongguan, China | 6–2 | [87] |
World Seniors Tour
| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug | 17 Aug | Seniors Tour – Event 1 | Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading, England | 4–1 | [88] | ||
| 26 Sep | 28 Sep | Seniors Tour – Event 2 | 4–1 | [89] | |||
| 10 Oct | 12 Oct | Seniors Tour – Event 3 | 4–2 | [90] | |||
| 21 Nov | 23 Nov | Seniors Tour – Event 4 | 4–3 | [91] | |||
| 12 Dec | 14 Dec | Seniors Tour – Event 5 | 4–2 | [92] | |||
| 26 Dec | 28 Dec | British Seniors Open | Vaillant Live in Derby, England | 7–5 | [93] | ||
| 16 Jan | 18 Jan | Seniors Tour – Event 6 | Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading, England | 4–0 | [94] | ||
| 6 Feb | 8 Feb | Seniors Tour – Event 7 | 4–1 | [95] | |||
| 6 Mar | 8 Mar | Seniors Tour – Event 8 | 4–2 | [96] | |||
| 3 Apr | 5 Apr | Seniors Tour – Event 9 | 4–0 | [97] | |||
| 6 May | 10 May | World Seniors Championship | Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England | 10–4 | [98] |
Other events
| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug | 13 Aug | World Games – Women's six-reds | Civil Aviation Flight University of China in Chengdu, China | 2–0 | [99] | ||
| 10 Aug | 14 Aug | World Games – Men's singles | 2–1 | ||||
| 3 Sep | 7 Sep | Pan American Snooker Championship | Aryan Snooker Club in Sacramento, USA | 5–2 | [100] | ||
| 5 Sep | 9 Sep | Pink Ribbon | Landywood Snooker Club in Great Wyrley, England | 5–3 | [101] | ||
| 17 Nov | 19 Nov | Snooker 900 – Professionals League | Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading, England | R-R | [102] | ||
| 24 Nov | 25 Nov | Snooker 900 – Crucible Cup | 7–5 | [103] | |||
| 9 Dec | 20 Dec | SEA Games – Men's singles | Ambassador City Jomtien Hotel in Chonburi, Thailand | 4–2 | [104][105] | ||
| SEA Games – Men's six-red singles | 5–2 | ||||||
| SEA Games – Women's singles | 3–1 | ||||||
| SEA Games – Women's six-red singles | 3–2 | ||||||
| SEA Games – Men's team | 3–1 | ||||||
| SEA Games – Men's six-red team | 4–1 | ||||||
| SEA Games – Women's team | 3–0 | ||||||
| SEA Games – Women's six-red team | 3–2 | ||||||
| 11 Apr | 12 Apr | Snooker 900 – John Virgo Trophy | Goffs in County Kildare, Ireland | 6–0 | [106][107][108] | ||
| 12 May | 17 May | Snooker 900 – Global Championship | Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading, England | 10–5 | [109][110] |
Tournament rankings
World ranking points
The ranking points for reaching different stages of each ranking tournament are listed below.
Round Tournament |
R144 | R128 | R112 | R96 | R80 | R64 | R48 | R32 | R24 | R16 | R12 | QF | R6 | SF | F | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship League | N/a | 0 [note 1] |
N/a | 1,000 [note 2] |
N/a | 2,000 [note 3] |
N/a | 4,000 [note 4] |
5,000 [note 5] |
6,000 [note 6] |
N/a | 8,000 [note 7] |
9,000 [note 8] |
11,000 [note 9] |
23,000 | 33,000 |
| Saudi Arabia Masters | 0 | N/a | 4,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 7,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 11,000 | 20,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 30,000 | N/a | 50,000 | N/a | 100,000 | 200,000 | 500,000 |
| Wuhan Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 4,500 | N/a | 8,000 | N/a | 12,000 | N/a | 16,000 | N/a | 30,000 | 63,000 | 140,000 |
| English Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | 1,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 3,600 [note 10] |
N/a | 5,400 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 13,200 | N/a | 21,000 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| British Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 3,000 | N/a | 6,000 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 12,000 | N/a | 20,000 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| Xi'an Grand Prix | N/a | 0 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 5,350 | N/a | 9,400 | N/a | 14,000 | N/a | 22,350 | N/a | 34,500 | 76,000 | 177,000 |
| Northern Ireland Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | 1,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 3,600 [note 10] |
N/a | 5,400 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 13,200 | N/a | 21,000 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| International Championship | N/a | 0 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 5,000 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 14,000 | N/a | 22,000 | N/a | 33,000 | 75,000 | 175,000 |
| UK Championship | 0 | N/a | 2,500 [note 10] |
N/a | 5,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 7,500 | 10,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 15,000 | N/a | 25,000 | N/a | 50,000 | 100,000 | 250,000 |
| Shoot Out | N/a | 0 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 500 | N/a | 1,000 | N/a | 2,000 | N/a | 4,000 | N/a | 8,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| Scottish Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | 1,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 3,600 [note 10] |
N/a | 5,400 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 13,200 | N/a | 21,000 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| German Masters | N/a | 0 | N/a | 1,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 3,600 [note 10] |
N/a | 5,400 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 13,200 | N/a | 21,000 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| World Grand Prix | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 10,000 | N/a | 15,000 | N/a | 20,000 | N/a | 35,000 | 80,000 | 180,000 |
| Players Championship | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 15,000 | N/a | 20,000 | N/a | 35,000 | 70,000 | 150,000 |
| Welsh Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | 1,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 3,600 [note 10] |
N/a | 5,400 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 13,200 | N/a | 21,000 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| World Open | N/a | 0 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 5,000 | N/a | 9,000 | N/a | 14,000 | N/a | 22,000 | N/a | 33,000 | 75,000 | 175,000 |
| Tour Championship | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 20,000 | 30,000 | N/a | 40,000 | 60,000 | 150,000 |
| World Championship | 0 | N/a | 5,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 10,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 15,000 | 20,000 [note 10] |
N/a | 30,000 | N/a | 50,000 | N/a | 100,000 | 200,000 | 500,000 |
Player of the Month Award
The Player of the Month award was launched this season by WPBSA Players, the representative for snooker players within the WPBSA. The award recognises outstanding performance and is voted by fellow players.
| Month | Winner | Best finish | Win rate | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun | Only qualifying matches played | 100% (2/2) | [111] | |
| Jul | Winner (Championship League) | 71.4% (5/7)[f] | [112] | |
| Aug | Runner-up[g] (Saudi Arabia Masters) | 80% (4/5) | [113] | |
| Sep | Winner (British Open) | 90.9% (10/11) | [114] | |
| Oct | Winner (Northern Ireland Open) | 100% (6/6) | [115] | |
| Nov | Winner (International Championship) | 100% (7/7) | [116] | |
| Dec | Winner (UK Championship) | 88.9% (8/9) | [117] | |
| Jan | Winner (Masters) | 71.4% (10/14) | [118] | |
| Feb | Winner (World Grand Prix and Players Championship) | 91.6% (11/12) | [119] | |
| Mar | Winner (World Open) | 85.8% (6/7) | [120] | |
| Apr | Last 32[h] (World Championship) | 75% (3/4) | [121] | |
Notes
- Lei Peifan was in the top 64 on the season-end ranking list, reducing this number from 32 to 31.
- Although the tour was scheduled to contain 129 players, Graeme Dott was suspended just before the conclusion of the 2024–25 snooker season and remained so for the entirety of the 2025–26 season.
- Zhao Xintong was previously the highest ranked player on the Q Tour rankings, but his performances in the 2025 World Snooker Championship removed him from the list as he re-joined the Top 64 of the official rankings in 11th place.
- The champion of the event, Liam Highfield, had already earned a professional tour card via the Q Tour Playoffs.[20]
- The Women's World Champion, Bai Yulu, had already gained a tour card for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons the previous year.
- Stephen Maguire had 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in 10 Championship League matches. 3 wins in 3 matches were during the first group stage on 30 June.
- Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player to make two maximums in a one-session match or on the same day in his 6–3 Saudi Arabia Masters semi-final victory over Chris Wakelin on 15 August.
- Antoni Kowalski became the first Polish player to reach the main stages of the World Championship, avoiding relegation from the professional tour in the process.[121]
- First stage fourth-placed
- First stage third-placed
- First stage runner-up
- Second stage fourth-placed
- Second stage third-placed
- Second stage runner-up
- Third stage fourth-placed
- Third stage third-placed
- Third stage runner-up
- Players who lose their first match receive no ranking points.