Shaun Murphy will begin his British Open title defence against Reanne Evans when the 2026 tournament starts in Cheltenham on Monday, 31 August.
The seven-day ranking event runs until Sunday, 6 September at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse. Murphy returns as defending champion after beating Anthony McGill 10-7 in last year’s final, but the British Open’s random-draw format offers no protection for the leading names.
Judd Trump faces Dylan Emery, Ronnie O’Sullivan meets Mateusz Baranowski and reigning world champion Wu Yize takes on Liu Hongyu in their held-over opening matches. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Zhao Xintong, John Higgins and Mark Williams are also among the leading players beginning their campaigns in Cheltenham.
That combination of short early-round matches and an open draw gives the British Open a different feel from most ranking tournaments. There is no conventional seeded route towards the final. A major contender can find another leading player waiting in the next round.
For fans, that uncertainty is a major part of the attraction.
British Open 2026 dates and venue
The British Open takes place from 31 August to 6 September at The Centaur in Cheltenham.
Qualifying began much earlier. Most opening-round matches were completed at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester on 23 and 24 July, while matches involving the leading seeds took place over for the main venue.
The tournament arrives immediately after the Wuhan Open in China, giving several contenders little recovery time before returning to competitive action.
British fans will also have free-to-air television coverage. Paramount announced that 5 would broadcast the British Open as part of its agreement with World Snooker Tour, alongside the Players Championship and Tour Championship. Current listings also include British Open sessions on 5ACTION.
The latest tournament information and match details are available through the World Snooker Tour.
British Open draw brings immediate pressure
Murphy against Evans is the headline opening match for the defending champion.
Murphy won his first British Open title in 2025 after a demanding run that included victories over Neil Robertson, Trump and Selby before the final against McGill. He trailed McGill 7-6 before taking the final four frames to win 10-7.
His defence could become difficult almost immediately. The winner of Murphy against Evans is due to meet the winner of Mark Williams against David Gilbert in the last 64.
Trump starts against Emery, with Ricky Walden awaiting the winner. O’Sullivan’s meeting with Baranowski feeds into a second-round match against Jordan Brown.
World champion Wu could have an even more demanding second match. If he beats Liu, he will face the winner of Kyren Wilson against Florian Nüßle.
Some of the main held-over matches are:
| Player | Opponent | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Shaun Murphy | Reanne Evans | Opening round |
| Judd Trump | Dylan Emery | Opening round |
| Ronnie O’Sullivan | Mateusz Baranowski | Opening round |
| Wu Yize | Liu Hongyu | Opening round |
| Mark Selby | David Lilley | Opening round |
| John Higgins | Hossein Vafaei | Opening round |
| Neil Robertson | Pang Junxu | Opening round |
| Mark Williams | David Gilbert | Opening round |
| Zhao Xintong | Oliver Brown | Opening round |
The qualifying stage has already removed several established names. Chang Bingyu beat former world champion Stuart Bingham 4-0, Ricky Walden defeated Gary Wilson 4-1, and Jamie Clarke edged Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-3.
Liam Highfield also beat Stephen Maguire 4-1, while Sean O’Sullivan ended Jimmy White’s campaign with a 4-1 victory.
Those results underline the danger of a best-of-seven opening round. One poor session can end a player’s tournament before they have time to recover.
Judd Trump remains one of the leading contenders
Trump has a strong claim to enter Cheltenham among the main favourites despite a setback at the Wuhan Open.
He began August by winning the Shanghai Masters, beating Kyren Wilson 11-6 in the final. The victory followed wins over Barry Hawkins, John Higgins and Wu Yize during an impressive week in Shanghai.
World in Sport’s Judd Trump profile looks at how his attacking game has developed alongside a much stronger tactical side.
However, Chang Bingyu stopped Trump 5-1 in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals on Thursday, 27 August. That result also confirmed Trump would surrender the world number one position after the tournament.
The British Open format can reward Trump’s scoring power. It can also punish a slow start.
His first task against Emery looks manageable on paper, but a best-of-seven contest leaves little margin for error.
Mark Selby carries recent title form
Selby arrives as another serious contender after winning the China Open earlier this month.
The four-time world champion defeated Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in the Taiyuan final on 16 August. It was his 26th ranking title and made him the first player to win the China Open four times.
His run included convincing victories over Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham.
World in Sport covered the wider field and early-season form in its China Open 2026 preview.
Selby’s Wuhan Open ended against O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals, but the China Open title remains strong evidence of his current level.
David Lilley is his first British Open opponent.
Ronnie O’Sullivan arrives with momentum
O’Sullivan has also given supporters reason for optimism before Cheltenham.
The seven-time world champion reached the Wuhan Open semi-finals after beating Selby in the last eight. His run followed victories over Ashley Carty, Yao Pengcheng and Stephen Maguire.
That makes his opening match against Baranowski particularly interesting. O’Sullivan has often looked at his most dangerous when he finds rhythm across consecutive tournaments.
The shorter matches could suit him. They encourage attacking play and place a premium on converting early opportunities.
World in Sport’s Ronnie O’Sullivan profile examines the records and longevity that continue to make him one of snooker’s central figures at 50.
Wu Yize faces another test after becoming world champion
Wu enters the British Open as the reigning world champion after his Crucible success earlier this year.
His Wuhan Open ended much sooner than expected when Artemijs Zizins beat him 5-4. That defeat does not remove Wu from the list of contenders in Cheltenham, but it shows the depth of the current tour.
He first needs to negotiate an all-Chinese match against Liu Hongyu.
Victory could then put him against 2024 world champion Kyren Wilson, provided Wilson beats Nüßle.
Again, the draw offers no comfortable route.
Zhao Xintong and the wider field
Zhao should also feature prominently in the discussion.
He reached the Wuhan Open semi-finals this week and opens his British Open campaign against Oliver Brown. A victory sends him into a last-64 meeting with Daniel Wells.
Neil Robertson cannot be ignored either, although Pang Junxu represents a difficult first opponent.
Then there is Higgins against Vafaei, one of the strongest opening matches on the schedule. Vafaei has the scoring ability to trouble any opponent in a short format, while Higgins remains one of the best match players of his generation.
China Open runner-up Saengkham is already safely through qualifying after beating Ashley Hugill 4-2. He will face the winner of Higgins against Vafaei.
Chang is another player worth watching. He qualified by beating Bingham 4-0 and then produced a major result in Wuhan by defeating Trump 5-1 to reach the semi-finals.
That form makes his last-64 match against Chatchapong Nasa more significant than their rankings alone might suggest.
How the British Open format works
The British Open stands apart because it does not use a conventional fixed seeded bracket.
The draw is random, creating the possibility of leading players meeting far earlier than they would in a standard ranking tournament.
Matches remain short through the early stages. The opening rounds through to the last 16 are played over the best of seven frames.
The quarter-finals increase to the best of nine, followed by best-of-11 semi-finals. The championship match is a best-of-19 final.
For readers less familiar with frame scoring, fouls and the basic structure of the sport, World in Sport’s snooker rules explained guide covers the essentials.
That format can quickly change the shape of the tournament. A player needs only four frames to win most matches before the quarter-finals. A bad safety, missed black or one heavy-scoring visit from an opponent can therefore carry greater weight than it would in a longer contest.
British Open 2026 prize money
The British Open carries a total prize fund of £502,000.
The champion receives £100,000, while the runner-up earns £45,000. Losing semi-finalists receive £20,000 each and quarter-finalists take £12,000.
Players reaching the last 16 earn £9,000, with £6,000 available in the last 32 and £3,000 in the last 64. A further £5,000 goes to the player who makes the tournament’s highest break.
Those earnings also matter beyond one week in Cheltenham because ranking-event prize money feeds into the world-ranking system.
World in Sport’s snooker prize money and rankings guide explains how results affect a player’s position.
Murphy collected the same £100,000 winner’s prize last year when he lifted the Clive Everton Trophy for the first time.
What to watch for in Cheltenham
Murphy will have little time to ease into his title defence. Even if he gets past Evans, Williams or Gilbert could follow immediately.
Trump has the scoring game to move through short matches quickly, but his Wuhan defeat provides a reminder that reputation offers no protection in this format.
Selby brings the strongest recent ranking-title form after his China Open victory. O’Sullivan arrives following a run to the Wuhan semi-finals, while Zhao has also gone deep in China this week.
Wu carries the status of world champion, Robertson remains a major threat, and players such as Saengkham and Chang have already shown enough this month to trouble the established names.
That leaves the British Open difficult to call before a ball has been struck in Cheltenham.
For once, that uncertainty is not a problem with the draw. It is the point of it.
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