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's everything you need to know about this year's tournament which gets underway on Sunday 20th November, 2024.
Northern Ireland Open - Dates
The 2026 Northern Ireland Open starts on Sunday 18th October and the final will take place on Sunday 26th October 2026.
Northern Ireland Open - Schedule
Matches get underway at 10:00, 13:00, 14:00, 19:00 and 20:00 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 2026.
The tournament has been held in the Northern Irish capital since 2016, with only the 2020 renewal moving away from the city.
Northern Ireland Open - How to watch and live streaming
Discovery+ have the broadcast rights with matches to be shown on their platform, as well as various other platforms depending on your location.
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 for the first time, before the Antrim Ace successfully defended his crown a year later.
Judd trump reigned supreme in 2023, establishing himself as a four time winner, having previously lifted the trophy in 2018, 2019 and 2020, before being defeated in the 2024 final by Kyren Wilson.
Mark King, Mark Williams and Jack Lisowski are the only other three winners of the prestigious competition.
Northern Ireland Open - Format
64 players from the Pro Tour enter the main draw following two pre-qualifying rounds.
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
- Winner: £100,000
- Runner-up: £45,000
- Semi-finals: £21,000
- Quarter-finals: £13,200
- Last 16: £9,000
- Last 32 (Round 4): £5,400
- Last 64 (Round 3): £3,600
- Last 96 (Round 2): £1,000
- Highest Break: £5,000
- Total prize fund: £550,400
