The 2026 Shenzhen Open runs from 28 September to 4 October in Shenzhen, China, marking the newest ranking event on the World Snooker Tour calendar. Bookmark this page for everything you need going in — dates, format, prize money, and the players carrying form into the venue stages. Follow every match live once play begins via Snooker247's live scores hub.

Key Details

Dates: 28 September – 4 October 2026 City: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China Event type: Ranking event Prize fund: £850,000 total, with £177,000 going to the champion Defending champion: Mark Williams (as reigning Xi'an Grand Prix winner) Qualifiers: 19–22 July 2026, Mattioli Arena, Leicester

A New Name, Not a New Slot

The Shenzhen Open replaces the Xi'an Grand Prix on this season's calendar. Rather than adding an extra ranking event, the World Snooker Tour has relocated and rebranded the tournament, moving it roughly 700 miles southeast from Shaanxi Province to Guangdong. The switch carries some symbolism too — Shenzhen is home to reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong, giving the tournament a natural local hero heading into its debut under the new name.

Despite the rebrand, Mark Williams retains defending-champion status after his win at last year's Xi'an Grand Prix, where he beat Shaun Murphy in the final to become the oldest player ever to win a ranking event.

Format and Draw

The Shenzhen Open uses the tiered qualifying structure now common across this season's China-based events, matching the system already seen at the China Open and Wuhan Open. The top 16 seeds go straight into the round of 64 with their opening matches held over to the venue stage in China, while players ranked 17–32 also enter at the last-64 stage but had to win their opening matches in Leicester qualifying first. Everyone else worked through the earlier qualifying rounds to book a place in the draw.

Qualifying threw up some notable exits. Two-time world champion Luca Brecel and recent Championship League winner Jak Jones both went out early, while top qualifying seed Jack Lisowski suffered a shock loss — extending a difficult run that has now seen him miss out on qualification for the China, Wuhan, and Shenzhen Opens in succession. Players who did come through include Stuart Bingham, Ali Carter, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Stephen Maguire, Gary Wilson, and Jackson Page.

Players to Watch

Mark Williams arrives as defending champion under the tournament's previous name, and his 2025 win proved he's still capable of going deep at a big event well into his 50s.

Zhao Xintong carries the hometown storyline as world champion and a Shenzhen native — expect a vocal crowd behind him from round one.

Elliot Slessor enters in form after a standout deciding-frame win over Chang Bingyu in qualifying, a match that produced five century breaks between the two players.

Stuart Bingham, Ali Carter, and Gary Wilson all qualified confidently and will look to build on strong starts to the 2026–27 season.

Why It Matters This Season

The Shenzhen Open is one of seven professional events scheduled in the Far East this season, alongside the Shanghai Masters, China Open, Wuhan Open, International Championship, World Grand Prix, and World Open — underlining how central China has become to the modern snooker calendar. With qualifying already producing shocks, the venue stages look set to continue a season that's been unpredictable from the very first ranking event.

What's Next

After Shenzhen wraps up on 4 October, attention turns to the Northern Ireland Open (18–25 October, Belfast) and the International Championship (31 October–7 November, Nanjing) as the season moves into its autumn stretch.

Check back for results and reaction as the Shenzhen Open gets underway, or follow live scores here as matches unfold.