Everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 Tour Championship as the top 12 players on the one-year ranking list bid for glory at Manchester Central between Monday 30th March and Sunday 5th April.
John Higgins captured the title 12 months ago, seeing off Mark Selby in an enthralling final, and both players are amongst the star-studded field once again this time around, along with the recently crowed World Open winner Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Snooker Tour Championship - Date
When is the 2026 Snooker Tour Championship?
The 2026 Snooker Tour Championship starts on Monday 30th March with the final scheduled for Sunday 5th April.
It's the final event on the calendar ahead of the start of the showpiece World Snooker Championship, which gets underway on Saturday 18th April.
Snooker Tour Championship - Prize Money
Winner (1): | £150,000 |
Runner-Up (1): | £60,000 |
Semi-Final Losers (2): | £30,000 |
Quarter-Final Losers (4): | £30,000 |
First Round Losers (4): | £20,000 |
The tournament has a total prize fund of £500,000, with £10,000 also going to the player who registers the highest break.
Snooker Tour Championship - Venue & Location
The Tour Championship has been a nomadic event but returns to the Manchester Central Convention Complex for a third consecutive year.
The former Manchester Central railway station was a thriving transport hub before trains stopped running in 1969.
Previous stagings of the Tour Championship have been held at Llandudno's Venue Cymru, the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, Newport's Celtic Manor Resort and Hull's Bonus Arena.
Snooker Tour Championship - Players
Who is playing in the 2026 Snooker Tour Championship?
Players ranked inside the top 12 of the one-year ranking list following the conclusion of the World Open event in China have received invites to the 2026 Snooker Tour Championship.
The following players are included in this year's event:
- Neil Robertson
- Zhao Xintong
- Mark Selby
- Shaun Murphy
- Judd Trump
- Mark Williams
- Wu Yize
- Barry Hawkins
- Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- Chris Wakelin
- John Higgins
- Mark Allen
Snooker Tour Championship - Draw
First Round
- Barry Hawkins (8) v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (9)
- Judd Trump (5) v Mark Allen (12)
- Mark Williams (6) v John Higgins (11)
- Wu Yize (7) v Chris Wakelin (10)
Quarter Finals
- Barry Hawkins (8) or Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Neil Robertson (1)
- Judd Trump (5) or Mark Allen (12) v Shaun Murphy (4)
- Mark Williams (6) or John Higgins (11) v Mark Selby (3)
- Wu Yize (7) or Chris Wakelin (10) v Zhao Xintong (2)
Snooker Tour Championship - Format
What is the format of the 2026 Snooker Tour Championship?
The Tour Championship sees the top 12 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 top four seeds, Neil Robertson, Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy, enter the competition in the quarter-finals, with players ranked between fifth and 12th facing off in the first round.
The four winners from those four ties will then make-up the last eight, along with the four top seeds.
Matches will be played as the best-of-19 frames throughout the competition.
Snooker Tour Championship - History
The Tour Championship is a relatively recent addition to the World Snooker Tour, having held its inaugural event in 2019.
The competition now features the twelve highest ranked players on the one-year ranking list, which reflects the total amount of prize money won at ranking events since the start of the season.
The Tour Championship is also the final leg of the three-event Players Series, following on from the World Grand Prix and the Players Championship.
Six players have reigned supreme in the competition since its maiden staging, including defending champion John Higgins and seven-time Crucible king Ronnie O'Sullivan, whilst Australian star Neil Robertson is the only double winner, having captured the crown in successive years in 2021 and 2022.
