2026 Welsh Open (snooker)

2026 BetVictor Welsh Open
Part of the Home Nations Series
Tournament information
Dates23 February – 1 March 2026 (2026-02-23 – 2026-03-01)
VenueVenue Cymru
CityLlandudno
CountryWales
OrganisationWorld Snooker Tour
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£550,400
Winner's share£100,000
Defending champion Mark Selby (ENG)
← 2025

The 2026 Welsh Open (officially the 2026 BetVictor Welsh Open) is an upcoming professional snooker tournament that will take place from 23 February to 1 March 2026 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Qualifying took place from 9 to 10 January at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. The 35th consecutive edition of the Welsh Open since it was first staged in 1992, the tournament will be the 15th ranking event of the 2025‍–‍26 snooker season, following the 2026 Players Championship and preceding the 2026 World Open. It will be the fourth and final tournament in the season's Home Nations Series, following the 2025 English Open, the 2025 Northern Ireland Open, and the 2025 Scottish Open. The winner will receive £100,000 from a total prize fund of £550,400.

Mark Selby will be the defending champion, having defeated Stephen Maguire 9‍–‍6 in the 2025 final.

Overview

The Welsh Open replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, a non-ranking tournament open only to Welsh players that was held in 1922, in 1977, and annually from 1980 to 1991.[1][2] Open to players of any nationality, the Welsh Open began in 1992 and is now the third-longest-running ranking event, after the World Snooker Championship and the UK Championship.[3] The inaugural winner was Stephen Hendry, who defeated Darren Morgan 9–3 in the 1992 final.[4]

During the 2016–17 snooker season, the Welsh Open became part of the newly created Home Nations Series, alongside the English Open, the Northern Ireland Open, and the Scottish Open.[5] At that time, the trophy was named the Ray Reardon Trophy to honour the six-time world champion from Tredegar.[6] Reardon died in 2024, aged 91.[7]

The 2026 edition of the tournament—its 35th consecutive staging since the inaugural edition in 1992—will take place from 23 February to 1 March 2026 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales, the fourth consecutive year the tournament is being staged at the venue.[8][9] Qualifying took place from 9 to 10 January at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.[8][10] It will be the 15th ranking event of the 2025–26 snooker season, following the 2026 Players Championship and preceding the 2026 World Open, as well as the fourth and final tournament in the season's Home Nations Series, following the 2025 English Open, the 2025 Northern Ireland Open, and the 2025 Scottish Open.[11] Mark Selby will be the defending champion, having defeated Stephen Maguire 9‍–‍6 in the 2025 final to win his second Welsh Open title.[12]

Format

The tournament will use a tiered format first implemented for the Home Nations Series in the 2024–25 snooker season.[13] In the first qualifying round, players seeded 65‍–‍96 will face those seeded 97 and under, including selected amateurs. In the second qualifying round, the 32 winners from the first qualifying round will face players seeded 33‍–‍64. At the last-64 stage, the 32 winners from the second qualifying round will face the top 32 seeds.

All matches will be played as the best of seven frames until the quarter‑finals, which will be the best of nine. The semi‑finals will be the best of 11, and the final will be a best‑of‑17-frame match played over two sessions.

Broadcasters

The qualifying rounds were broadcast in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Austria by Discovery+ and in other European territories by HBO Max. They were broadcast in mainland China by the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy Douyin, Huya Live, and Migu. In all other territories (including Ireland) they were streamed by WST Play.[14]

The main stage will be broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC Wales and BBC Red Button, and streamed on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. It will also be broadcast in the UK and Ireland by TNT Sports and Discovery+. It will be broadcast in mainland Europe by Eurosport, with streaming coverage on Discovery+ in Germany, Italy, and Austria and on HBO Max in other European territories. It will be broadcast in mainland China by the same broadcasters as the qualifying rounds, in Hong Kong by Now TV, in Malaysia and Brunei by Astro SuperSport, in Thailand by TrueSports, in Taiwan by Sportcast, in the Philippines by TAP Sports, and in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya by SportyTV. In territories where no other coverage is available, the tournament will be streamed by WST Play.[15]

Prize fund

The prize fund for the tournament is detailed below.[3] In addition, the player who wins the most cumulative prize money across the season's four Home Nations Series events will receive a bonus of £150,000.[16]

  • Winner: £100,000
  • Runner-up: £45,000
  • Semi-final: £21,000
  • Quarter-final: £13,200
  • Last 16: £9,000
  • Last 32: £5,400
  • Last 64: £3,600
  • Last 96: £1,000
  • Highest break: £5,000
  • Total: £550,400

Summary

Qualifying

In the first qualifying round, veteran player Jimmy White, aged 63, made three half-century breaks as he defeated Sunny Akani 4–1, while 14-year-old Michał Szubarczyk advanced with a whitewash victory over Hatem Yassen. Marco Fu lost the first two frames against Xu Yichen, but he produced breaks of 76, 56, 100, and 95 as he recovered to secure a 4–3 victory. Liam Pullen made a century break of 102 as he beat Ken Doherty 4–1.[17]

In the second qualifying round, Luca Brecel, who had fallen to 43rd in the world rankings since winning the 2023 World Championship, took the first two frames against Farakh Ajaib. Brecel lost the next three frames but recovered to win the match in a deciding frame. Lyu Haotian made a century of 139 as he won the first two frames against Sam Craigie, but Craigie won the match in a deciding frame. Bulcsú Révész whitewashed Noppon Saengkham, while Alexander Ursenbacher defeated Matthew Selt 4–2, and Szubarczyk defeated Jamie Jones by the same score. Amir Sarkhosh recovered from 1–3 behind to beat Scott Donaldson in a decider, while Mitchell Mann defeated Matthew Stevens 4–2. Liam Pullen beat the 2023 winner Robert Milkins in a deciding frame, while White failed to reach the main stage, losing 1–4 to David Lilley. Fu also failed to reach the main stage, losing in a deciding frame to Robbie Williams.[18][10]

Main draw

The results of the main draw are shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeds, an "a" indicates amateur players who were not on the main World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners.

Top half

Last 64
Best of 7 frames		Last 32
Best of 7 frames		Last 16
Best of 7 frames		Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames		Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
 Mark Selby (ENG) (1)
 Jiang Jun (CHN)
 Yuan Sijun (CHN) (28)
 Julien Leclercq (BEL)
 Si Jiahui (CHN) (13)
 Robbie Williams (ENG)
 Stephen Maguire (SCO) (22)
 Ricky Walden (ENG)
 Joe O'Connor (ENG) (23)
 Aaron Hill (IRL)
 Wu Yize (CHN) (10)
 Ben Mertens (BEL)
 Lei Peifan (CHN) (26)
 Dylan Emery (WAL)
 Mark Allen (NIR) (8)
 David Grace (ENG)
 Mark Williams (WAL) (5)
 Michael Holt (ENG)
 Tom Ford (ENG) (25)
 Martin O'Donnell (ENG)
 Barry Hawkins (ENG) (12)
 David Lilley (ENG)
 Pang Junxu (CHN) (24)
 Antoni Kowalski (POL)
 Ali Carter (ENG) (18)
 Anthony McGill (SCO)
 Jak Jones (WAL) (16)
 Liam Highfield (ENG)
 Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (29)
 Artemijs Žižins (LAT)
 Neil Robertson (AUS) (4)
 Michał Szubarczyk (POL)

Bottom half

Last 64
Best of 7 frames		Last 32
Best of 7 frames		Last 16
Best of 7 frames		Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames		Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
 Kyren Wilson (ENG) (3)
 Liu Hongyu (CHN)
 Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (27)
 Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI)
 Gary Wilson (ENG) (14)
 Amir Sarkhosh (IRN)
 Elliot Slessor (ENG) (17)
 Sam Craigie (ENG)
 Zhang Anda (CHN) (20)
 Mitchell Mann (ENG)
 Chris Wakelin (ENG) (11)
 Liam Pullen (ENG)
 Ryan Day (WAL) (32)
 Bulcsú Révész (HUN)
 John Higgins (SCO) (6)
 Liu Wenwei (CHN)
 Shaun Murphy (ENG) (7)
 Chang Bingyu (CHN)
 Jackson Page (WAL) (30)
 Luca Brecel (BEL)
 Xiao Guodong (CHN) (9)
 Long Zehuang (CHN)
 Jack Lisowski (ENG) (19)
 Louis Heathcote (ENG)
 David Gilbert (ENG) (21)
 Robbie McGuigan (NIR)
 Stuart Bingham (ENG) (15)
 Gao Yang (CHN)
 Jimmy Robertson (ENG) (31)
 Stan Moody (ENG)
 Zhao Xintong (CHN) (2)
 Fan Zhengyi (CHN)
Note: w/d=withdrawn; w/o=walkover

Qualifying rounds

The results of the early rounds are shown below.

Round 1 (Last 128)
Best of 7 frames		Round 2 (Last 96)
Best of 7 frames
 Jiang Jun (CHN) (79)4 Oliver Lines (ENG) (55)3
 Florian Nuessle (AUT) (128)2 Jiang Jun (CHN) (79)4
 Julien Leclercq (BEL) (75)4 Ben Woollaston (ENG) (33)3
 Ashley Hugill (ENG) (a)2 Julien Leclercq (BEL) (75)4
 Marco Fu (HKG) (91)4 Robbie Williams (ENG) (52)4
 Xu Yichen (CHN) (112)3 Marco Fu (HKG) (91)3
 Liam Davies (WAL) (73)4 Ricky Walden (ENG) (45)4
 Umut Dikme (GER) (a)2 Liam Davies (WAL) (73)2
 Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) (83)4 Aaron Hill (IRL) (39)4
 Mateusz Baranowski (POL) (107)3 Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) (83)3
 Iulian Boiko (UKR) (78)4 Ben Mertens (BEL) (64)4
 Chatchapong Nasa (THA) (115)2 Iulian Boiko (UKR) (78)2
 Dylan Emery (WAL) (90)4 Xu Si (CHN) (36)1
 Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (106)1 Dylan Emery (WAL) (90)4
 David Grace (ENG) (92)4 Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND) (62)1
 Liam Graham (SCO) (108)1 David Grace (ENG) (92)4
 Huang Jiahao (CHN) (81)4 Michael Holt (ENG) (58)4
 Patrick Whelan (ENG) (a)2 Huang Jiahao (CHN) (81)2
 Wang Yuchen (CHN) (65)4 Martin O'Donnell (ENG) (42)4
 Mink Nutcharut (THA) (120)2 Wang Yuchen (CHN) (65)3
 Sunny Akani (THA) (69)1 David Lilley (ENG) (49)4
 Jimmy White (ENG) (124)4 Jimmy White (ENG) (124)1
 Antoni Kowalski (POL) (68)4 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (37)1
 Connor Benzey (ENG) (119)0 Antoni Kowalski (POL) (68)4
 Haris Tahir (PAK) (84)4 Anthony McGill (SCO) (44)4
 Bai Yulu (CHN) (103)3 Haris Tahir (PAK) (84)2
 Liam Highfield (ENG) (89)4 Sanderson Lam (ENG) (63)1
 Ng On-yee (HKG) (122)0 Liam Highfield (ENG) (89)4
 Artemijs Žižins (LVA) (72)4 He Guoqiang (CHN) (41)2
 Ross Muir (SCO) (109)3 Artemijs Žižins (LAT) (72)4
 Michał Szubarczyk (POL) (93)4 Jamie Jones (WAL) (57)2
 Hatem Yassen (EGY) (113)0 Michał Szubarczyk (POL) (93)4
Round 1 (Last 128)
Best of 7 frames		Round 2 (Last 96)
Best of 7 frames
 Duane Jones (WAL) (66)4 Liu Hongyu (CHN) (56)4
 Kreishh Gurbaxani (IND) (123)0 Duane Jones (WAL) (66)2
 Steven Hallworth (ENG) (88)3 Matthew Selt (ENG) (34)2
 Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) (117)4 Alexander Ursenbacher (SWI) (117)4
 Amir Sarkhosh (IRN) (74)4 Scott Donaldson (SCO) (50)3
 Riley Powell (WAL) (a)3 Amir Sarkhosh (IRN) (74)4
 Sam Craigie (ENG) (86)4 Lyu Haotian (CHN) (48)3
 Zhao Hanyang (CHN) (110)1 Sam Craigie (ENG) (86)4
 Mitchell Mann (ENG) (77)4 Matthew Stevens (WAL) (46)2
 Fergal Quinn (NIR) (125)3 Mitchell Mann (ENG) (77)4
 Liam Pullen (ENG) (80)4 Robert Milkins (ENG) (54)3
 Ken Doherty (IRL) (104)1 Liam Pullen (ENG) (80)4
 Bulcsú Révész (HUN) (82)4 Noppon Saengkham (THA) (35)0
 Oliver Briffett-Payne (WAL) (a)2 Bulcsú Révész (HUN) (82)4
 Gong Chenzhi (CHN) (67)3 Mark Davis (ENG) (60)2
 Liu Wenwei (CHN) (111)4 Liu Wenwei (CHN) (111)4
 Lan Yuhao (CHN) (96)2 Chang Bingyu (CHN) (59)4
 Mohammed Shehab (UAE) (121)4 Mohammed Shehab (UAE) (121)1
 Farakh Ajaib (PAK) (76)4 Luca Brecel (BEL) (40)4
 Leone Crowley (IRL) (116)0 Farakh Ajaib (PAK) (76)3
 Allan Taylor (ENG) (71)4 Long Zehuang (CHN) (51)4
 Oliver Brown (ENG) (118)3 Allan Taylor (ENG) (71)2
 Louis Heathcote (ENG) (70)4 Zak Surety (ENG) (43)3
 Jonas Luz (BRA) (114)1 Louis Heathcote (ENG) (70)4
 Robbie McGuigan (NIR) (85)w/o Daniel Wells (WAL) (38)1
 Reanne Evans (ENG) (102)w/d Robbie McGuigan (NIR) (85)4
 Haydon Pinhey (ENG) (87)2 Jordan Brown (NIR) (61)1
 Gao Yang (CHN) (105)4 Gao Yang (CHN) (105)4
 Ian Burns (ENG) (94)4 Stan Moody (ENG) (47)4
 Mahmoud El Hareedy (EGY) (129)0 Ian Burns (ENG) (94)1
 Chris Totten (SCO) (95)2 Fan Zhengyi (CHN) (53)4
 Sahil Nayyar (CAN) (126)4 Sahil Nayyar (CAN) (126)0

Century breaks

Qualifying stage centuries

A total of 33 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Sheffield.[19]

References

  1. ^ Snooker Scene, September 1977, p. 10
  2. ^ Turner, Chris. "Welsh Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  3. ^ a b "BetVictor Welsh Open". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Hall of Fame - snooker.org". www.snooker.org. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  5. ^ Hafez, Shamoon (26 May 2016). "World Snooker Tour sees increase in ranking events and prize money". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Welsh Open Snooker trophy named after legend Ray Reardon". BBC Sport. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Ray Reardon: Six-time world snooker champion dies aged 91". BBC Sport. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Tournaments 2025–26". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  9. ^ Hunt, Ian (22 June 2022). "Welsh Open: Tournament moving to Llandudno in 2023". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Welsh Open Qualifiers 2026 - snooker.org". www.snooker.org. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Calendar 2025/2026 - snooker.org". www.snooker.org. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Mark Selby beats Stephen Maguire to win second Welsh Open title". BBC Sport. 16 February 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Tiered format for Home Nations and German Masters in 2024/25". World Snooker Tour. 5 April 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  14. ^ "How to watch this week's qualifiers". World Snooker Tour. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  15. ^ "How to watch the 2026 BetVictor Welsh Open". World Snooker Tour. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  16. ^ Day, Michael (9 September 2025). "2025 English Open Snooker: Draw, format, order of play, prize money, how to watch". Totally Snookered. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  17. ^ "BetVictor Welsh Open qualifiers day one". World Snooker Tour. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  18. ^ "BetVictor Welsh Open qualifiers day two". World Snooker Tour. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Centuries: Welsh Open Qualifiers – 33". snookerinfo.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
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