The preliminary calendar for the 2026/2027 snooker season has been released by WST. Check out the full schedule here.
The
Snooker World Championship has barely come to a close, but fans of our beloved sport are still in for a treat after just a small break. The snooker season 2026/2027 begins with qualifiers in just a month, with the first big event coming as early as July.
The World Snooker Tour (often called WST) who runs professional snooker has just now released the preliminary calendar for the 2026/2027 snooker season. At a quick glance, the biggest changes compared to seasons past come when looking at Saudi Arabia and China.
All the big three "Triple Crown" tournaments remain in their usual slots, with of course the World Championships yet again serving as the season finale in April and May. The UK Championship will be played in November-December, while The Masters takes place in January.
The Players Series- and Home Nations -tournaments seem to also be located similar to previous seasons. The English, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh Opens can all be found from the preliminary schedule as well. The World Grand Prix is to be played in Hong Kong, The Players Championship in Telford while the Tour Championship will take place in Manchester.
The biggest news from the preliminary calendar is the return of The Chinese Open. The tournament previously took place between 2005-2019, but their run in the calendar was cut short due to the pandemic, and it hasn't been seen since on the tour.
Now it's added to the 2026/2027 snooker season schedule in August between the 8.-16., and the prize money pool for the tournament is a staggering 1,2 million pounds. The Chinese Open is always fondly remembered for its inaugural edition, where just an 18-year old
Ding Junhui burst onto the scene, toppling snooker legend
Stephen Hendry in the final.
Perhaps the most notable absence of the new calendar is the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The Saudi tournament was originally meant to have a 10-year contract, and with the massive prize money pool of 2,3 million pounds it was unofficially dubbed "the fourth major tournament". The winner received half a million pounds each year, which is of course the same prize that the World Championship winner pockets.
Now World Snooker Tour has confirmed, that the tournament will not be continuing.
- After talks with the Saudi Arabian Snooker Federation and Matchroom, it's been commonly agreed that the Saudi Arabian Masters will no longer take place,
WST's release stated.
The golden ball special tournament is also gone, so no Riyadh Season Snooker Championship this year either.
The new season starts with Q School tournaments in May, after which we'll get to enjoy the Champions League along with a number of qualifiers to different ranking events. The first big tournament of the season is the Shanghai Masters, which starts on the 27th of July.
The final calendar and schedule for the 2026/2027 snooker season will be released later by the World Snooker Tour. You can find the preliminary calendar in full below.
Preliminary calendar - Snooker season 2026/2027 schedule
May 2026
13.–24.5.: Asia-Oceania Q School – Bangkok, Thaimaa
20.–31.5.: Q School – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
June 2026
10.–14.6.: Qualifiers – China Open – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
15.–18.6.: Qualifiers – Wuhan Open – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
22.–27.6.: Championship League Snooker (Stage 1) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
29.6.–4.7.: Championship League Snooker (Stage 1) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
July 2026
6.–11.7.: Championship League Snooker (Stage 1 & 2) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
13.–15.7.: Championship League Snooker (Stage 2, 3 & Final) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
19.–22.7.: Qualifiers – Xi’an Grand Prix – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
23.–24.7.: Qualifiers – British Open – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
25.–26.7.: Qualifiers – English Open – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
27.7.–2.8.: Shanghai Masters – Shanghai, China
August 2026
8.–16.8.: China Open – Taiyuan City, China
23.–29.8.: Wuhan Open – Wuhan, China
31.8.–6.9.: British Open – The Centaur, Cheltenham
September 2026
7.–13.9.: English Open – Brentwood Centre, Brentwood
13.–16.9.: Qualifiers – Northern Ireland Open – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
17.–19.9.: Qualifiers – International Championship – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
20.–23.9.: Qualifiers – Scottish Open – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
28.9.–4.10.: Xi’an Grand Prix – Arena and city TBC
October 2026
18.–25.10.: Northern Ireland Open – Waterfront Hall, Belfast
31.10.–7.11.: International Championship – Nanjing, China
November 2026
9.–15.11.: Champion of Champions – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
16.–19.11.: Qualifiers – German Masters – Robin Park, Wigan
19.–21.11.: Possible tournament – TBA
21.–26.11.: Qualifiers – UK Championship – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
28.11.–6.12.: UK Championship – York Barbican, York
December 2026
9.–12.12.: Shoot Out – Tower Circus, Blackpool
14.–20.12.: Scottish Open – Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh
21.–22.12.: Championship League Snooker (Group 1) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
January 2027
2.–9.1.: Championship League Snooker (Groups 2–5) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
10.–17.1.: The Masters – Alexandra Palace, London
18.–23.1.: Championship League Snooker (Groups 6–7 & Winner) – Mattioli Arena, Leicester
25.–31.1.: German Masters – Tempodrom, Berlin
February 2027
2.–3.2.: Qualifiers – Welsh Open – Ponds Forge, Sheffield
4.–6.2.: Qualifiers – World Open – Ponds Forge, Sheffield
8.–14.2.: Welsh Open – Venue Cymru, Wales
16.–21.2.: World Grand Prix – Kai Tak Arena, Hongkong
March 2027
2.–7.3.: Players Championship – Telford International Centre
15.–21.3.: World Open – Yushan, China
29.3.–4.4.: Tour Championship – Manchester Central, Manchester
April 2027
5.–14.4.: Snooker World Championshi Qualifiers – EIS, Sheffield
17.4.–3.5.: Snooker World Championship 2027 – The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Source:
WST 
