Players Championship Snooker: Start date, draw, times, venue, format, prize money breakdown, history & more
Everything you need to know ahead of the 2027 Players Championship as the top 16 players on the one-year ranking list battle it out.
Zhao Xintong is the current champion after defeating the veteran John Higgins in the 2026 final.
Date
The dates for the 2027 Players Championship are yet to be revealed but based on previous stagings it is expected to be held in mid-February.
Prize Money
Winner (1): | £150,000 |
Runner-Up (1): | £70,000 |
Semi-Final Losers (2): | £35,000 |
Quarter-Final Losers (4): | £20,000 |
Last 16 Losers (8): | £15,000 |
Highest Break: | £10,000 |
The tournament has a total prize fund of £500,000, with £150,000 going to the winner, and the runner-up taking home £70,000.
Venue & Location
A venue for the the 2027 Players Championship is yet to be confirmed but may well be held at the Telford International Centre for a fourth successive year following the success of the 2026 edition.
The Players Championship has previously been staged at various venues around the country, including the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, the Convention Centre in Southport, the Guild Hall in Preston as well as the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton.
Players
Players ranked inside the top 16 of the one-year ranking list will receive invites to the Players Championship, with the cut-off point being after the Welsh Open.
The 16 players making up the field in 2027 are to be determined
Format
The Players Championship sees the top 16 players in the world do battle and they are seeded by the amount of points they have secured in the one-year ranking list.
The matches will be played as the best-of-11 frames until the final, which is best-of-19 frames and played over two sessions.
History
The Players Championship is a ranking event which was first staged back in 2011.
Previously known as the Players Tour Championship Finals up until 2016, the competition was rebranded as the Players Championship in 2017 and now forms part of the three-event Players Series, alongside the World Grand Prix and Tour Championship.
Zhao Xintong is the reigning champion after defeating John Higgins in February 2026 to claim the title for the first time in his career.
Since its change there have been just two players who have landed the title on more than one occasion, those being Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan, both of whom captured each of their two titles between 2017 and 2020.
In more recent years, Higgins, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Kyren Wilson have added their names to the list.
Check out all of the previous Players Championship Snooker winners.
