Championship League
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Leicester Arena |
| Location | Leicester |
| Country | England |
| Established | 2008 |
| Organisation(s) | Matchroom Sport |
| Total prize fund | £533,000 £205,000[1] (invitational) £328,000[2] (ranking) |
| Recent edition | 2026 (invitational) 2025 (ranking) |
| Current champion |
|
The Championship League (officially the Championship League Snooker (CLS)) is a professional snooker tournament devised by Matchroom Sport, held in both ranking and non-ranking (known as Championship League Invitational) formats throughout the snooker season. It is one of the only main tour events that is not directly sanctioned by the World Snooker Tour, along with the Champion of Champions.
Mark Selby is the reigning champion of the invitational event, and Stephen Maguire is the reigning champion of the ranking event.
Overview
The tournament was initially set up as an invitational qualifier to the Premier League Snooker series, where there are no audience and matches are played behind closed doors, matches are allocated in groups and spread over the course of a month. Despite the discontinuation of the Premier League in 2012, it remained as a standalone event and has since kept the unique format. The tournament was originally held at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex until 2016[3] and has since been held in Coventry, Barnsley, Milton Keynes and currently in Leicester.
In June 2020 there was a one‑off, round‑robin, non‑ranking edition of the tournament.
A ranking version of the tournament began in the 2020–21 season and is held alongside the non-ranking version. In contrast to the invitational event, which is usually held during the second half of the snooker season, it is held as the first event of the season since 2021 and has the smallest prize fund of all ranking events.
Format
Invitational version
In the invitational, non‑ranking version, 25 players take part, although players often withdraw and are replaced by others. Players earn money for every frame won and there are also prizes for being a semi‑finalist, runner‑up and winner of each group, with more money involved in the winners' group. In the first two years all matches in the group stages were the best‑of‑four, meaning that the matches could end in a draw as all the four frames were played, and the semi‑finals and final were best‑of‑five.
The competition runs over eight groups, each consisting of seven players. From the league stage of the first seven groups the top four qualify for a play‑off, the winner of which qualifies for the winners' group. The bottom two players of each group are eliminated and the remaining four move to the next group, where they are joined by three more players until the seventh group. In each group, the players are ranked by the number of matches won, then by most frames won, and then by least frames lost. If two players are tied by these criteria, the player who won the match between them is ranked higher in the table. The winners play in the final group with the champion taking a place in the following season's Champion of Champions (the same year's Premier League before 2013).[3]
Ranking version
In the ranking version, 128 players take part in 32 rounds of group matches with each group consisting of four players. All matches are the best‑of‑four with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The 32 players that top the group tables qualify for the second stage, consisting of eight groups of four players, and the eight winners from the second stage qualify for the two final groups. In each group, the players are ranked by points scored, frame difference and then head‑to‑head results between players who are tied. Places that are still tied are then determined by the highest break made in the group. If the highest break is also tied, the next highest break made by the players is used. The winners of the two final groups play a best‑of‑five final. The champion takes a place in the same season's Champion of Champions.
Maximum breaks
There have been 24 maximum breaks in the history of the tournament.[4]
| No. | Season | Event | Group | Date | Player | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013–14 | 2014 | 2 | 8 January 2014 | Shaun Murphy (ENG) | [5] |
| 2 | 2014–15 | 2015 (1st) | 1 | 5 January 2015 | Barry Hawkins (ENG) | [6] |
| 3 | 2014–15 | 2015 (2nd) | 7 | 10 February 2015 | David Gilbert (ENG) | [7] |
| 4 | 2015–16 | 2016 | 6 | 25 February 2016 | Fergal O'Brien (IRL) | [8] |
| 5 | 2016–17 | 2017 (1st) | 3 | 10 January 2017 | Mark Davis (ENG) | [9] |
| 6 | 2016–17 | 2017 (2nd) | Winners | 2 March 2017 | Mark Davis (ENG) | [10] |
| 7 | 2017–18 | 2018 (1st) | 6 | 26 January 2018 | Martin Gould (ENG) | [11] |
| 8 | 2017–18 | 2018 (2nd) | 7 | 26 March 2018 | Luca Brecel (BEL) | [12] |
| 9 | 2018–19 | 2019[a] | 5 | 22 January 2019 | David Gilbert (ENG) | [13] |
| 10 | 2020–21 | 2020[b] (1st) | Stage 1, Group 2 | 13 September 2020 | Ryan Day (WAL) | [14] |
| 11 | 2020–21 | 2020[b] (2nd) | Stage 3, Group 2 | 30 October 2020 | John Higgins (SCO) | [15] |
| 12 | 2020–21 | 2021 | 1 | 4 January 2021 | Stuart Bingham (ENG) | [16] |
| 13 | 2023–24 | 2024 (1st) | 3 | 6 February 2024 | Kyren Wilson (ENG) | [17] |
| 14 | 2023–24 | 2024 (2nd) | 5 | 10 February 2024 | John Higgins (SCO) | [18] |
| 15 | 2023–24 | 2024[c] (3rd) | 7 | 29 February 2024 | Joe O'Connor (ENG) | [19] |
| 16 | 2024–25 | 2025 (1st) | 2 | 7 January 2025 | Jak Jones (WAL) | [20] |
| 17 | 2024–25 | 2025 (2nd) | 7 | 25 January 2025 | David Gilbert (ENG) | [21] |
| 18 | 2024–25 | 2025 (3rd) | Winners | 5 February 2025 | Mark Selby (ENG) | [22] |
| 19 | 2025–26 | 2025[b] | Stage 1, Group 29 | 17 July 2025 | Fan Zhengyi (CHN) | [23] |
| 20 | 2025–26 | 2026 (1st) | 1 | 2 January 2026 | Chris Wakelin (ENG) | [24] |
| 21 | 2025–26 | 2026 (2nd) | 4 | 8 January 2026 | Matthew Selt (ENG) | [25] |
| 22 | 2025–26 | 2026 (3rd) | 6 | 21 January 2026 | Xiao Guodong (CHN) | [26] |
| 23 | 2025–26 | 2026 (4th) | 6 | 21 January 2026 | Wu Yize (CHN) | [26] |
| 24 | 2025–26 | 2026 (5th) | 6 | 22 January 2026 | Zhao Xintong (CHN) | [27] |
Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for both the invitational and ranking versions of the Championship League is shown below.
Invitational version
|
|
- Maximum possible tournament total (since 2013): £205,000 (if all match results are 3–2)[1]
- Minimum possible tournament total (since 2013): £152,800 (if all match results are 3–0)[1]
Ranking version
|
|
|
|
- Tournament total: £328,000[2]
Note: The champion receives a total of £33,000 (£3,000 + £4,000 + £6,000 + £20,000).
Winners
Notes
- ^ the 147th official maximum break.
- ^ a b c Ranking tournament.
- ^ the 200th official maximum break.
- ^ A one-off, round-robin, non-ranking edition of the tournament was played in a different format to the usual event, in June 2020.
References
- ^ a b c "Championship League Snooker (Invitational)". championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Championship League Snooker (Ranking)". championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ a b Turner, Chris. "Matchroom Championship League". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ^ "147 Breaks: Full list". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Murphy 147 / Robertson Centuries Record". World Snooker Tour. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ "Hawkins makes 147 at CLS". World Snooker Tour. 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Xiao wins CLS7 / Gilbert makes 147". World Snooker Tour. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "O'Brien joins 147 club". World Snooker Tour. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Davis makes first 147 to win CLS group three". World Snooker Tour. 11 January 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Mark Davis makes 147 in Coventry". World Snooker Tour. 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Gould Makes Maiden 147". World Snooker Tour. 26 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Brecel joins 147 club". World Snooker Tour. 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Gilbert makes historic 147th maximum". World Snooker Tour. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Day starts season with 147". World Snooker Tour. 13 September 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Higgins makes 11th career maximum". World Snooker Tour. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Bingham makes eighth 147". World Snooker Tour. 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Wilson makes fifth 147". World Snooker Tour. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "Higgins makes 13th maximum". World Snooker Tour. 10 February 2024. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Joe O'Connor makes snooker's 200th 147". World Snooker Tour. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Jones joins 147 club, but Si Wins group". World Snooker Tour. 7 January 2025. Archived from the original on 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "Gilbert makes third maximum". World Snooker Tour. 25 January 2025. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Selby retains League title and makes maximum". World Snooker Tour. 5 February 2025. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "Fan-tastic 147". World Snooker Tour. 17 July 2025. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ Day, Michael (2 January 2026). "Chris Wakelin produces record-extending 147 maximum break on first snooker day of the new year". totallysnookered.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ "Selt makes first 147". World Snooker Tour. 9 January 2026. Archived from the original on 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Wu and Xiao make Championship League maximums". World Snooker Tour. 21 January 2026. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ^ "Wu wins group six as Zhao fires in maximum". World Snooker Tour. 22 January 2026. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2008)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2009)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2010)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2011)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2012)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2013)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2014)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2015)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2016)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2017)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2018)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2019)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2020)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Round-Robin (2020)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2021)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2022)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2023)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2024)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "Championship League – Winners Group (2025)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ^ "Championship League - Winners Group (2026)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "2020 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "2021 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "2022 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "2023 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "2024 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "2025 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.