2026 World Open (snooker)


The 2026 World Open is an upcoming professional snooker tournament that will take place from 16 to 22 March 2026 in Yushan, China. Qualifiers will take place from 10 to 12 February at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. The 11th edition of the tournament since it was rebranded as the World Open in 2010, it will be the 16th ranking event of the 202526 snooker season, following the 2026 Welsh Open and preceding the 2026 Tour Championship. The winner will receive £175,000 from a total prize fund of £825,000.
John Higgins will be the defending champion, having defeated Joe O'Connor 106 in the 2025 final.

Overview

The tournament was first staged in 1982 as the Professional Players Tournament. Held as the Grand Prix from 1984 to 2000, as the LG Cup from 2001 to 2003, and again as the Grand Prix from 2004 to 2009, the tournament was rebranded as the World Open in 2010. Until 2004, the tournament was played in England, and from 2005 to 2010, it was held in Scotland. No edition was staged in 2011, and in 2012 the tournament moved to China. The event was not held in 2015, and it was also cancelled from 2020 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2026 edition of the tournament—its 11th staging since it became the World Open in 2010—will take place from 16 to 22 March in Yushan, China. Qualifiers will take place from 10 to 12 February at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. It will be the 16th ranking event of the 202526 snooker season, following the 2026 Welsh Open and preceding the 2026 Tour Championship. John Higgins will be the defending champion, having defeated Joe O'Connor 106 in the 2025 final.

Format

All matches will be played as the best of nine frames up to and including the quarter-finals. The semi-finals will be the best of 11 frames and the final will be a best of 19-frame match played over two sessions.

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:
  • Winner: £175,000
  • Runner-up: £75,000
  • Semi-final: £33,000
  • Quarter-final: £22,000
  • Last 16: £14,000
  • Last 32: £9,000
  • Last 64: £5,000
  • Highest break: £5,000
  • Total: £825,000