2026 Champion of Champions

2026 Champion of Champions
Tournament information
Dates9–15 November 2026 (2026-11-09 – 2026-11-15)
VenueLeicester Arena
CityLeicester
CountryEngland
OrganisationMatchroom Sport
FormatNon-ranking event
Total prize fund£440,000
Winner's share£150,000
Defending champion Mark Selby (ENG)
2025

The 2026 Champion of Champions is an upcoming professional non-ranking snooker tournament that will take place from 9 to 15 November 2026 at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England. It will feature 16 participants, all of whom won significant tournaments since the previous year's event. Part of the 2026–27 snooker season, it will be the 16th edition of the Champion of Champions since the tournament was first held in 1978 and the 14th consecutive edition since it was revived in 2013. The winner will receive £150,000 from a total prize fund of £440,000.

Mark Selby will be the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 10–5 in the 2025 final.

Overview

The Champion of Champions is a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that was first held in 1978, when it was contested by four players at the Wembley Conference Centre in London.[1][2] The inaugural winner was Ray Reardon, who defeated Alex Higgins 11–9 in the final.[2] After its second staging in 1980, the tournament was not held again until 2013, since which time it has been staged annually.[3] As of the 2025 edition, the most successful player in its history was Ronnie O'Sullivan, who had won the title four times and been runner-up twice.[4]

The 2026 edition of the tournament—the 16th staging overall and the 14th consecutively since its revival in 2013—will take place from 9 to 15 November 2026 at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England.[3][4][5] Mark Selby will be the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 10–5 in the 2025 final.[6]

Qualification

Players qualified by winning events throughout the previous year. The full list of competitors is below. Events shown below in grey are for players who had already qualified for the event.[7][8]

Qualification table
Tournament Date of tournament final Winner
2025 Champion of Champions 16 November 2025  Mark Selby (ENG)
2025 Riyadh Season Championship 21 November 2025  Zhao Xintong (CHN)
2025 UK Championship 7 December 2025  Mark Selby (ENG)
2026 Masters 18 January 2026  Kyren Wilson (ENG)
2026 World Championship 4 May 2026  Wu Yize (CHN)
2026 German Masters 1 February 2026  Judd Trump (ENG)
2026 World Grand Prix 8 February 2026  Zhao Xintong (CHN)
2026 Players Championship 22 February 2025  Zhao Xintong (CHN)
2026 Tour Championship 5 April 2026  Zhao Xintong (CHN)
2025 International Championship 9 November 2025  Wu Yize (CHN)
2026 World Open 22 March 2026  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA)
2026 Wuhan Open 29 August 2026
TBC China event 4 October 2026
2025 Scottish Open 21 December 2025  Chris Wakelin (ENG)
2026 Welsh Open 1 March 2026  Barry Hawkins (ENG)
2026 Championship League 15 July 2026
2026 British Open 6 September 2026
2026 English Open 13 September 2026
2026 Northern Ireland Open 25 October 2026
2025 Shoot Out 13 December 2025  Alfie Burden (ENG)
2026 World Women's Championship 19 May 2026  Panchaya Channoi (THA)
2026 World Championship (runner-up) 4 May 2026  Shaun Murphy (ENG)
2026 Championship League 11 February 2026  Mark Selby (ENG)
2026 Shanghai Masters 2 August 2026
Player also qualified by winning another tournament

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this event is shown below:[9]

  • Winner: £150,000
  • Runner-up: £60,000
  • Semi-final: £30,000
  • Group runner-up: £17,500
  • Group semi-final: £12,500
  • Total: £440,000

References

  1. ^ "Snooker – World champion in semi-final faces Fagan". The Times. 2 November 1978. p. 13.
  2. ^ a b "Daily Mirror Champion of Champions (1978)". snooker.org. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b "History". Champion of Champions Snooker. Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b Day, Michael (12 April 2024). "Champion of Champions Snooker: Information and a Potted History". Totally Snookered. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Champion of Champions 2026". snooker.org. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  6. ^ "Selby beats Trump to become Champion of Champions for first time". World Snooker Tour. 16 November 2025. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  7. ^ "First Players Confirmed for the 2026 Champion of Champions as Qualifying Scheduled Announced". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  8. ^ "First Players Confirmed for the 2026 Champion of Champions as Qualifying Schedule Announced". championofchampionssnooker.co.uk. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  9. ^ "Tournament". Champion of Champions Snooker. Retrieved 24 April 2026.