Northern Ireland Open: Dates, schedule, players, history & more

The Northern Ireland opening is one of the four ranking events that make up the Home Nations Series, which is part of the professional snooker tour. 

Here is everything you need to know about the tournament, which is traditionally held at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

What	Northern Ireland Open
Where	Waterfront Hall, Belfast
When	Sunday 22nd October to Sunday 29th October 202
How to watch	bet365 Live Sports Streaming & Eurosport

Northern Ireland Open dates

The 2023 Northern Ireland Open starts on Sunday 22nd October, 2023, with the final taking place on Sunday 29th October, 2023. The dates of the event vary from year-to-year and details can be found on the WST tournament calendar. 

Qualifying for the event will take place from 17th to 20th October, 2023 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.

Northern Ireland Open schedule

Matches get underway at 10:00, 13:00 and 19:00 and are played throughout the day. The early rounds of the event are played on a multi-table system and the matches increase in length as the tournament progresses. 

Northern Ireland Open venue

The Northern Ireland Open’s home is in Belfast and it will once again return to the Waterfront Hall in 2023. The tournament has been held in the Northern Irish capital since 2016, with only the 2020 renewal moving away from the fantastic city. 

Northern Ireland Open how to watch

Eurosport have the broadcast rights with matches to be shown on their TV channels and the Eurosport Player online. The tournament is also available to watch via bet365’s live streaming service. 

Northern Ireland Open previous winners

In 2021 home hero Mark Allen sent the Belfast crowd wild when lifting the trophy on home soil. The Antrim Ace successfully defended his crown last year and the Pistol enters the 2023 event looking for a hat-trick of titles. 

That was a feat that was achieved by Judd Trump, who won the Northern Ireland Open in 2018, 2019, 2020. Mark King and Mark Williams are the other cuemen to have lifted the Belfast crown. 

Northern Ireland Open format

Sixty-four players from the Pro Tour enter the main draw following two pre-qualifying rounds, which in 2023 took place at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield.

The current top-16-ranked players will play their qualification matches at the venue for the televised stages of the tournament, with those encounters, together with matches in rounds one, two and three being played over the best of seven frames. 

That increases to nine in the quarter-finals and further up to 11 for the last-four matches, while the final will be contested over 17 frames.

Northern Ireland Open trophy

Players in the Northern Ireland Open battle it out for the Alex Higgins Trophy. The late two-time world champion was born and raised in Belfast and his memories continue to live on through the sport. 

Northern Ireland Open prize money

The winner will scoop a cheque of £80,000 with the runner-up taking £35,000. Reaching the tournament itself will be worth £3,000 while there is a highest break pot of £5,000. In total, £427,000 is on offer to the 64 players who reach the tournament proper in Belfast.