2026 World Snooker Championship qualifying draw, schedule and how to watch

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Former finalist Ali Carter will compete at World Snooker Championship qualifying (Picture: Getty Images)

The World Snooker Championship gets underway on Monday as the qualifiers begin at the English Institute of Sport.

It is only down the road from the Crucible, but it feels a million miles away for the players scrapping it out to get to the iconic theatre.

Just the top 16 in the world rankings go straight to the Crucible, meaning 16 qualifiers will meet them there after their efforts at the EIS.

There are plenty of big names involved in qualifying, including former world champions Luca Brecel, Stuart Bingham and Ken Doherty.

There are also ranking event winners this season, with the likes of Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh involved.

Among the hopefuls are also talented potential debutants at the Crucible, including Stan Moody, Aaron Hill and Chang Bingyu.

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Just last year a qualifier won the World Championship in the form of Zhao Xintong, who entered at round one and went all the way to lifting the title.

Halo World Snooker Championship 2025 - Day Seventeen

Zhao Xintong is defending champion at this year’s World Championship (Picture: Getty Images)

The tiered system sees players ranked 81 and below come in at the first stage and would need to win four matches to reach the Crucible.

Players ranked 49-80 come in at round two and 17-48 at round three, with those cueists needing to win just two matches.

World Snooker Championship qualifiers draw and schedule

Monday April 6

10am
Yao Pengcheng v Ryan Davies
Huang Jiahao v Leone Crowley
Bai Yulu v Daniel Womersley
Gao Yang v Jimmy White
Jonas Luz v Peter Lines
Mitchell Mann v Wang Xinbo
Michal Szubarczyk v Onyee Ng
Robbie McGuigan v Hammad Miah

2.30pm
Ross Muir v Michael Larkov
Haris Tahir v Connor Benzey
Mateusz Baranowski v Florian Nuessle
Liam Pullen v Alfie Burden
Cheung Ka Wai v Ashley Carty
Ken Doherty v Patrick Whelan
Dylan Emery v Anton Kazakov
Reanne Evans v Vladislav Gradinari

7pm
Yao Pengcheng v Ryan Davies
Huang Jiahao v Leone Crowley
Bai Yulu v Daniel Womersley
Gao Yang v Jimmy White
Jonas Luz v Peter Lines
Mitchell Mann v Xinbo Wang
Michal Szubarczyk v Onyee Ng
Robbie McGuigan v Hammad Miah

World Championship Qualifiers 2025 - Day 5

Jimmy White is looking to reach the Crucible at 63 years old (Picture: Getty Images)

Tuesday April 7

10am
Bulcsú Revesz v Craig Steadman
Chris Totten v Daniel Boyes
Steven Hallworth v Kreishh Gurbaxani
Marco Fu v Mink Nutcharut
Liam Graham v Oliver Sykes
Xu Yichen v Stuart Carrington
Ian Burns v Sahil Nayyar

7pm
Bulcsú Revesz v Craig Steadman
Chris Totten v Daniel Boyes
Steven Hallworth v Kreishh Gurbaxani
Marco Fu v Mink Nutcharut
Liam Graham v Oliver Sykes
Xu Yichen v Stuart Carrington
Ian Burns v Sahil Nayyar

Wednesday April 8

10am
Liu Wenwei v Mark Lloyd
David Grace v Ashley Hugill
Hatem Yassen v Fergal Quinn
Lan Yuhao v Chatchapong Nasa
Haydon Pinhey v Jamie Clarke
Zhao Hanyang v Mahmoud El Hareedy
Liam Highfield v Oliver Brown
Farakh Ajaib v Umut Dikme

2.30pm
Gong Chenzhi v McGuigan / Miah
David Lilley v Yao / Davies
Iulian Boiko v Mann / Wang
Michael Holt v Bai / Womersley
Duane Jones v Huang / Crowley
Mark Davis v Gao / White
Sanderson Lam v Szubarczyk / Ng
Scott Donaldson v Luz / Lines

7pm
Liu Wenwei v Mark Lloyd
David Grace v Ashley Hugill
Hatem Yassen v Fergal Quinn
Lan Yuhao v Chatchapong Nasa
Haydon Pinhey v Jamie Clarke
Zhao Hanyang v Mahmoud El Hareedy
Liam Highfield v Oliver Brown
Farakh Ajaib v Umut Dikme

Mark Davis has come through qualifying 11 times (Picture: Getty Images)

Thursday April 9

10am
Artemijs Zizins v Emery / Kazakov
Robert Milkins v Doherty / Whelan
Jamie Jones v Evans / Gradinari
Jiang Jun v Ka Wai / Carty
Antoni Kowalski v Tahir / Benzey
Amir Sarkhosh v Pullen / Burden
Ricky Walden v Baranowski / Nuessle
Robbie Williams v Muir / Larkov

7pm
Artemijs Zizins v Emery / Kazakov
Robert Milkins v Doherty / Whelan
Jamie Jones v Evans / Gradinari
Jiang Jun v Ka Wai / Carty
Antoni Kowalski v Tahir / Benzey
Amir Sarkhosh v Pullen / Burden
Ricky Walden v Baranowski / Nuessle
Robbie Williams v Muir / Larkov

Chang Bingyu has produced some immense performances this season (Picture: Getty Images)

Friday April 10

10am
Jordan Brown v Burns / Nayyar
Liu Hongyu v Xu / Carrington
Ishpreet Singh Chadha v Totten / Boyes
Louis Heathcote v Revesz / Steadman
Lyu Haotian v Graham / Sykes
Liam Davies v Fu / Nutcharut
Allan Taylor v Hallworth / Gurbaxani
Chang Bingyu v Ratmukda

2.30pm
Long Zehuang v Yassen / Quinn
Ben Mertens v Pinhey / Clarke
Martin O’Donnell v Zhao / El Hareedy
Wang Yuchen v Highfield / Brown
Oliver Lines v Liu / Lloyd
Sam Craigie v Ajaib / Dikme
Fan Zhengyi v Lan / Nasa
Julien Leclercq v Grace / Hugill

7pm
Jordan Brown v Burns / Nayyar
Liu Hongyu v Xu / Carrington
Ishpreet Singh Chadha v Totten / Boyes
Louis Heathcote v Revesz / Steadman
Lyu Haotian v Graham / Sykes
Liam Davies v Fu / Nutcharut
Allan Taylor v Hallworth / Gurbaxani
Chang Bingyu vRatmukda

Saturday April 11

10am
Matthew Stevens v Luz/Lines/Donaldson
Stuart Bingham v Mann/Wang/Boiko
Tom Ford v Gao/White/Davis
Aaron Hill v Yao/Davies/Lilley
Hossein Vafaei v Szubarczyk/Ng/Lam
David Gilbert v Huang/Crowley/D Jones
Zhou Yuelong v McGuigan/Miah/Gong
Daniel Wells v Bai/Womersley/Holt

7pm
Matthew Stevens v Luz/Lines/Donaldson
Stuart Bingham v Mann/Wang/Boiko
Tom Ford v Gao/White/Davis
Aaron Hill v Yao/Davies/Lilley
Hossein Vafaei v Szubarczyk/Ng/Lam
David Gilbert v Huang/Crowley/D Jones
Zhou Yuelong v McGuigan/Miah/Gong
Daniel Wells v Bai/Womersley/Holt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh won the World Open last month (Picture: Getty Images)

Sunday April 12

10am
Matthew Selt v Evans/Gradinari/Jamie Jones
Stan Moody v Muir/Larkov/R Williams
Pang Junxu v Emery/Kazakov/Zizins
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Pullen/Burden/Sarkhosh
Joe O’Connor v Tahir/Benzey/Kowalski
Jackson Page v Doherty/Whelan/Milkins
Noppon Saengkham v Baranowski/Nuessle
Elliot Slessor v Cheung/Carty/Jiang

2.30pm
Jak Jones v Fu/Nutcharut/L Davies
Luca Brecel v Ratmukda/Chang
Zhang Anda v Revesz/Steadman/Heathcote
Xu Si v Xu Yichen/Carrington/Liu
Ryan Day v Totten/Boyes/Singh Chadha
Gary Wilson v Hallworth/Gurbaxani/Taylor
Lei Peifan v Burns/Nayyar/Brown
Zak Surety v Graham/Sykes/Lyu

7pm
Matthew Selt v Evans/Gradinari/Jamie Jones
Stan Moody v Muir/Larkov/R Williams
Pang Junxu v Emery/Kazakov/Zizins
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Pullen/Burden/Sarkhosh
Joe O’Connor v Tahir/Benzey/Kowalski
Jackson Page v Doherty/Whelan/Milkins
Noppon Saengkham v Baranowski/Nuessle
Elliot Slessor v Cheung/Carty/Jiang

Jack Lisowski won the Northern Ireland Open this season (Picture: Getty Images)

Monday April 13

10am
Ben Woollaston v Liu/Lloyd/O Lines
Stephen Maguire v Highfield/O Brown/Wang
Anthony McGill v Zhao Hanyang/El Hareedy/O’Donnell
He Guoqiang v Yassen/Quinn/Long
Ali Carter v Grace/Hugill/Leclercq
Yuan Sijun v Pinhey/Clarke/Mertens
Jimmy Robertson v Lan/Nasa/Fan
Jack Lisowski v Ajaib/Dikme/Craigie

7pm
Ben Woollaston v Liu/Lloyd/O Lines
Stephen Maguire v Highfield/O Brown/Wang
Anthony McGill v Zhao Hanyang/El Hareedy/O’Donnell
He Guoqiang v Yassen/Quinn/Long
Ali Carter v Grace/Hugill/Leclercq
Yuan Sijun v Pinhey/Clarke/Mertens
Jimmy Robertson v Lan/Nasa/Fan
Jack Lisowski v Ajaib/Dikme/Craigie

Tuesday April 14 & Wednesday April 15 – Judgement Days

11am & 5pm