The 2025 International Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 2 to 9 November 2025 at the South New City National Fitness Center (SNCNFC) in Nanjing, China. Qualifiers took place from 30 September to 2 October at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. The 11th edition of the International Championship since it was first staged in 2012, it was the eighth ranking event of the 2025âÂÂ26 snooker season, following the 2025 Northern Ireland Open and preceding the 2025 UK Championship.
The tournament was broadcast by local channels in China and elsewhere in Asia, by TNT Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Eurosport in mainland Europe, and by WST Play in all other territories. The winner received ã175,000 from a total prize fund of ã825,000.
Ding Junhui was the defending champion, having defeated Chris Wakelin 10âÂÂ7 in the 2024 final, but he lost 2âÂÂ6 to Shaun Murphy in the fourth round. The final was contested between John Higgins and Wu Yize, who respectively reached the 59th and 3rd ranking finals of their professional careers. The age difference between 50-year-old Higgins and 22-year-old Wu was the fourth-largest of any ranking final in snooker history. Wu defeated Higgins 10âÂÂ6 to win his maiden ranking title, following defeats in his two previous ranking finals. The ninth different player from mainland China to win a ranking title, he advanced from 22nd to a career high of 13th place in the world rankings after the event, entering the top 16 for the first time.
The tournament produced a record 160 century breaks, 37 during the qualifying matches in Sheffield and 123 at the main venue in Nanjing, surpassing the previous record of 155 set at the 2023 event. Wu made the most centuries during the tournament, with 14. Two maximum breaks were compiled at the event: Gary Wilson made the sixth maximum of his career during his 6âÂÂ3 win over Artemijs à ½ià ¾ins in the Sheffield qualifiers, and Zak Surety made the second maximum of his career in his 65 win over Aaron Hill in the third round. These were respectively the 11th and 14th maximums of the season and the 228th and 231st official maximums in professional snooker history. During his 6âÂÂ1 win over Umut Dikme in the Sheffield qualifiers, Neil Robertson became the fourth player to reach the milestone of 1,000 career century breaks, following Ronnie O'Sullivan, Higgins, and Judd Trump. During her pre-qualifying match in Nanjing, Bai Yulu compiled a century of 145, the highest break ever made by a female player in professional competition.
The International Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament held in China. It first took place in 2012 and the inaugural champion was Judd Trump, who defeated Neil Robertson 10âÂÂ8 in the final. Staged from 2012 to 2014 in Chengdu and from 2015 to 2019 in Daqing, the tournament was not held from 2020 to 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following its return to the calendar, the tournament was staged in Tianjin in 2023 and Nanjing in 2024.
The 2025 edition of the tournamentâÂÂthe 11th staging of the eventâÂÂtook place from 2 to 9 November at the South New City National Fitness Center (SNCNFC) in Nanjing. Qualifiers took place from 30 September to 2 October at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. It was the eighth ranking event of the 2025âÂÂ26 snooker season, following the 2025 Northern Ireland Open and preceding the 2025 UK Championship. It was also the last event to determine the top 16 players who were seeded through to the main stage of the 2025 UK Championship. Ding Junhui was the defending champion, having defeated Chris Wakelin 10âÂÂ7 in the 2024 final.
Matches were played as the best of 11 until the semiâÂÂfinals, which were played as the best of 17 frames, held over two . The final was the best of 19 frames, also held over two sessions.
Marco Fu withdrew from the tournament before the qualifiers after suffering a fractured elbow. He was replaced in the qualifying draw by amateur player Umut Dikme. Mark Williams, Ali Carter, Sam Craigie, Ken Doherty, and David Gilbert all withdrew before the event's main stage. Their respective opponents, Anthony McGill, Aaron Hill, Jimmy Robertson, Neil Robertson, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, all received byes to the last 32.
The qualifying round was broadcast in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Austria by Discovery+ and in other European territories by HBO Max. It was broadcast in mainland China by the CBSAâÂÂWPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSAâÂÂWPBSA Academy Douyin, Huya Live and . In all other territories (including Ireland) it was streamed by WST Play.
The main stage was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland by TNT Sports and Discovery+. It was broadcast in mainland Europe by Eurosport, with streaming coverage on Discovery+ in Germany, Italy, and Austria and on HBO Max in other European territories. It was broadcast in mainland China by the same broadcasters as the qualifying rounds and in Macau by CCTV-5. It was broadcast in Hong Kong by Now TV, in Thailand by TrueSports, and in Taiwan by Sportcast. In territories where no other coverage was available, the tournament was streamed by WST Play.
The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:
In the Sheffield qualifiers, Neil Robertson made the 1,000th century break of his professional career during his 6âÂÂ1 win over Umut Dikme. He became the fourth player in snooker history to reach the milestone of 1,000 centuries, following Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins, and Judd Trump. Higgins led the world number 103 Liam Pullen 3âÂÂ0, but PullenâÂÂwho had recently defeated Higgins in the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix qualifiersâÂÂwon four consecutive frames to lead 4âÂÂ3 and also led 5âÂÂ4. Higgins recovered to win the match in a . Ben Mertens made two century breaks of 132 and 124 as he defeated Matthew Selt 6âÂÂ3, and Mark Selby also made two centuries of 124 and 131 in his whitewash win over Steven Hallworth. Jack Lisowski made two centuries of 101 and 128 and four other as he beat Bulcsú Révész 6âÂÂ2. Veteran player Ken Doherty took a 5âÂÂ3 lead over Stan Moody, a player 37 years his junior, but Moody made breaks of 76 and 51 to level at 5âÂÂ5. Doherty won the decider, but he subsequently withdrew from the event. Liu Wenwei, who had recently turned professional, took the first three frames against Luca Brecel and went on to lead 4âÂÂ1 and 5âÂÂ2. Brecel won the next two frames, but Liu secured a 6âÂÂ4 victory in the tenth. Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams both won their qualifying matches 6âÂÂ2, over Gong Chenzhi and Iulian Boiko respectively, although Williams subsequently withdrew from the main stage.
Gary Wilson made the sixth maximum break of his career in the final frame of his 6âÂÂ3 victory over Artemijs à ½ià ¾ins, having made a 133 break earlier in the match. It was the 11th maximum of the season and the 228th in professional snooker history. Mark Allen, recent winner of the 2025 English Open, trailed the world number 84 Mitchell Mann 2âÂÂ4. Allen made breaks of 85 and 82 as he tied the scores at 4âÂÂ4, but Mann, who had reached the quarter-finals of the previous week's 2025 British Open, won the next two frames to secure a 6âÂÂ4 victory. Sam Craigie made a century of 128 as he beat Joe O'Connor 6âÂÂ1, but he later withdrew from the tournament. Liam Highfield trailed Jackson Page 1âÂÂ3 but recovered to win the match in a deciding frame. Michaà  Szubarczyk, aged 14, the youngest ever professional player, defeated Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6âÂÂ4. Shaun Murphy, recent winner of the 2025 British Open, made a century of 120 in his 6âÂÂ1 win over Yao Pengcheng, while Stephen Maguire came from 2âÂÂ4 behind to beat Kreishh Gurbaxani in a deciding frame. Ali Carter whitewashed Liam Graham but subsequently withdrew from the main stage. Michael Holt beat Reanne Evans 6âÂÂ2, and Aaron Hill advanced with a 6âÂÂ1 win over fellow Cork player Leone Crowley.
In the held-over qualifiers played in Nanjing, O'Sullivan trailed Allan Taylor 1âÂÂ3 and 2âÂÂ4 but then made three consecutive centuries of 100, 119, and 129 to take the lead at 5âÂÂ4. Taylor forced a decider, but O'Sullivan secured victory with his fourth century of the match, a 128. "I'm enjoying playing more than I have done for maybe over a decade," he said afterwards. "When I click into gear, that raises the temperature in there a little bit." By reaching the final of the previous ranking event, the 2025 Northern Ireland Open, the world number one Judd Trump had advanced beyond the last 16 of a ranking tournament for the first time that season. He was tied at 4âÂÂ4 with Dylan Emery but then won two consecutive frames for a 6âÂÂ4 victory. Bai Yulu, the reigning World Women's Champion, made a of 145 in her pre-qualifying match against 14-year-old amateur wildcard player Wang Xinzhong, setting a new record for the highest break by a female player in professional competition. The record had previously been held by Ng On-yee, who made a 137 break at the 2025 English Open. Wang defeated Bai in a deciding frame; later that day, he reached the last 64 with a 6âÂÂ1 win over Robbie Williams. Zhao Xintong, the reigning World Champion, made a 135 break in his 6âÂÂ1 win over Oliver Brown. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh whitewashed Xu Jiarui, while the defending champion Ding Junhui made four century breaks as he whitewashed David Grace.
The previous year's runner-up Chris Wakelin lost 2âÂÂ6 to the world number 111 Jiang Jun, while Selby defeated Liu Hongyu in a deciding frame. Higgins made breaks of 86, 66, and 56 during his 6âÂÂ2 win over Oliver Lines, saying afterwards that "[Lines] really struggled and I just picked up the pieces." Kyren Wilson made a highest break of 95 as he beat David Lilley 6âÂÂ2, Trump defeated Matthew Stevens 6âÂÂ3, and Zak Surety advanced with a 6âÂÂ1 win over Xiao Guodong. Continuing his title defence, Ding made two further centuries of 134 and 112 as he defeated Holt 6âÂÂ1, meaning that he had won twelve of the first thirteen frames he had played at the event, six of them with century breaks. O'Sullivan lost the first two frames against Sanderson Lam but then took six in a row for a 6âÂÂ2 victory. Having recently claimed his maiden ranking title at the 2025 Northern Ireland Open, Lisowski made four centuries of 127, 103, 115, and 130 in his 6âÂÂ4 win over Louis Heathcote, who also produced a century of 136 in the match. Zhao made a highest break of 111 as he beat Fan Zhengyi 6âÂÂ3. Barry Hawkins defeated Huang Jiahao in a deciding frame after Huang had made breaks of 110 and 130 in the match.
Murphy won the first three frames against the 14-year-old wildcard Wang, who then made breaks of 81, 100, and 58 to tie the scores at 3âÂÂ3. Murphy won frame seven with a 77 break, but Wang made breaks of 105 and 74 as he took a 5âÂÂ4 lead. After Wang missed a off in frame 10, Murphy tied the scores with a break of 72 and then took the decider with an 89 break. After the match, Murphy said: "I've never seen anything like that. I was good at 14. [O'Sullivan] was good at 14, as were many others. I think that young man may well be the best 14-year-old I've ever seen. He has everything. I kept waiting for him to crack but he played like someone who has 20 titles and doesn't have a care in the world. I think I've just seen the future of snooker." Highfield made back-to-back centuries of 117 and 102 as he defeated Pang Junxu 6âÂÂ4. Hossein Vafaei, Jak Jones, and Slessor each made three century breaks in their respective matches as they all advanced to the last 32.
Surety made the second maximum break of his professional career in his 65 win over Hill. It was the 14th maximum of the season and the 231st official maximum in snooker history. Lisowski made breaks of 72, 75, 113, 88, and 63 as he took a 5âÂÂ3 lead over O'Sullivan. Lisowski had match-winning opportunities in the ninth and tenth frames, but O'Sullivan won both frames to tie the scores at 5âÂÂ5. Both players missed opportunities to win the deciding frame before Lisowski secured victory on the by clearing from to black, potting the winning black along the . It was the first time Lisowski had beaten O'Sullivan, having lost 1âÂÂ6 in three of their four previous meetings. "I sort of collapsed over the line," said Lisowski afterwards. "I got lucky when it mattered a few times at the end. I was doing alright to 5âÂÂ3 up, then I started thinking I could beat [O'Sullivan]. That is such a big deal. I've watched him since being a child. I've never gotten close to him." Hawkins defeated Jak Jones, Trump won over Noppon Saengkham, and Higgins beat Vafaei, all by 6âÂÂ3 scorelines. Zhao took a 2âÂÂ0 ahead over Lei Peifan, but Lei won five of the next seven frames for a 5âÂÂ4 lead. However, Zhao tied the scores with a 96 break and then made a 62 break in the decider to advance. Si Jiahui made centuries of 138 and 110 as he whitewashed Gary Wilson, and Maguire made centuries of 104 and 116 as he defeated the world number two Kyren Wilson. Wu Yize made three consecutive centuries of 113, 137, and 119 as he beat Zhang Anda 6âÂÂ3. Zhang's defeat meant that he fell out of the top 16 in the world rankings after the event, falling from 15th to 23rd as his prize money from winning the 2023 event no longer counted towards his ranking.
The defending champion Ding made back-to-back centuries of 131 and 138 as he took a 4âÂÂ0 lead over Highfield at the mid-session interval, and then extended his lead to 5âÂÂ1. Highfield won three consecutive frames to reduce Ding's lead to one, but Ding secured a 6âÂÂ4 victory with an 85 break in the tenth frame. Murphy made a century of 140 as he defeated Slessor 6âÂÂ4, and Selby compiled a century of 132 as he beat Daniel Wells 6âÂÂ3. Yuan Sijun took a 2âÂÂ1 lead over Neil Robertson, but Robertson won five of the next six frames for a 6âÂÂ3 victory. Jiang made a 135 break as he took a 5âÂÂ3 lead over He Guoqiang, but He made back-to-back centuries of 109 and 118 to tie the scores at 5âÂÂ5 and force a deciding frame. Jiang won the decider to progress. Scott Donaldson made a century of 132 as he beat Un-Nooh 6âÂÂ4.
The world number one Trump led the world number 22 Wu 4âÂÂ0 at the mid-session interval. However, Wu then won six consecutive frames, making breaks of 62, 109, 88, 92, 86, and 80, as he secured a 6âÂÂ4 victory and reached his seventh ranking quarter-final. Trump scored only 18 points in the last six frames of the match. "I attacked really well today," Wu said afterwards. "I barely made any mistakes and once I was given opportunities I just took them. He certainly put me under a lot of pressure." Facing Lisowski, Hawkins made breaks including 123, 91, and 132 as he took a 4âÂÂ0 lead. After the mid-session interval, Lisowski produced three consecutive centuries of 141, 100, and 103 and went on to tie the scores at 4âÂÂ4. However, Hawkins won the last two frames of the match for a 6âÂÂ4 victory.
Zhao made five half-centuries in his 6âÂÂ1 win over Si, reaching his first ranking quarter-final since winning the World Championship six months earlier. Selby made two centuries of 134 and 115 as he beat Anthony McGill by the same score. Murphy made breaks of 104 and 81 as he took a 3âÂÂ0 lead over the defending champion Ding and added further breaks of 114, 86, and 67 as he secured a 6âÂÂ2 victory. "The crowd were fantastic," Murphy said afterwards. "They were very respectful and cheered my good shots as well as Ding's good shots." Higgins came from 4âÂÂ5 down to defeat Donaldson in a deciding frame, while Maguire advanced with a 6âÂÂ4 win over Jiang. Surety made breaks of 64, 67, and 70 as he won the first three frames against Neil Robertson. Although Robertson took frame four with a century of 137, Surety extended his lead to 5âÂÂ1 with breaks of 81 and 80. Robertson won the next two frames, but Surety made a 78 break in the ninth frame to win 6âÂÂ3 and reach the second ranking quarter-final of his career.
Wu made breaks of 66, 64, 73, 85, 111, and 86 as he whitewashed Hawkins, who produced only one half-century break in the match. Wu advanced to the fifth ranking semi-final of his career, having won 12 consecutive frames at the tournament, all with breaks over 60. Selby, who had won the title in 2016 and 2017, made breaks of 55, 78, 118, and 107 as he moved into a 4âÂÂ2 lead over Zhao. However, Zhao then won three consecutive frames with breaks of 68, 97, and 55 to go 5âÂÂ4 in front. Selby tied the scores at 5âÂÂ5 with an 81 break, but Zhao won the decider with a 63 break. It was Zhao's first victory over Selby, having lost all five of their previous professional matches. "That was unbelievable," Zhao said afterwards. "It was my first time beating Mark Selby and I had to come back from behind. I am so proud of myself."
Facing Murphy, Higgins made breaks of 77, 112, and 67 as he took a 3âÂÂ1 lead at the mid-session interval. In frame five, Murphy made the highest break of the match, a century of 137, but Higgins then won three consecutive frames, making another century of 116 in frame seven, to complete a 6âÂÂ2 victory and reach his 90th ranking semi-final. "It was all about me today," Higgins said afterwards. "I had to play at the top of my game to have a chance against [Murphy]. I felt I did that. My was pretty good and when I got my chances I scored pretty well. When I play these top guys now I've got to be on my game to win." Surety took the first frame against Maguire, but Maguire then won six consecutive frames, making breaks including 50, 94, and 59, as he secured a 6âÂÂ1 victory and reached the 38th ranking semi-final of his career.
The semi-finals were played as the best of 17 frames, held over two sessions. Zhao made breaks of 82 and 61 as he took a 2âÂÂ1 lead over Wu in the first semi-final. Wu made a century of 140 to win frame four and also took frames five and six for a 4âÂÂ2 advantage, but Zhao won frame seven and came from behind to take the eighth with a break of 72, tying the scores at 4âÂÂ4 after the first session. When play resumed for the second session, Wu made breaks including 108 and 71 as he won four consecutive frames to move one from victory at 8âÂÂ4. Zhao took the next two frames with breaks of 81 and 50, but Wu completed a 9âÂÂ6 win with a 65 break in the 15th frame. "I didn't think I could actually beat him," Wu said afterwards. "In fact, as soon as the second session began, I felt a lot of pressure. He missed a brown ball I didn't expect in the ninth frame.... It was a turning point."
In the second semi-final, Higgins faced Maguire, their first meeting in professional competition since 2019. Higgins made breaks including 67, 71, 101, 137, and 97 as he took a 6âÂÂ0 lead. Maguire, who had won the first ranking event of the season at the 2025 Championship League, won frame seven with a century of 114 and also took frame eight to leave Higgins leading 6âÂÂ2 after the first session. When play resumed, Higgins won three consecutive frames, making breaks including 93 and 84, as he completed a 9âÂÂ2 victory. It was his fifth consecutive win over Maguire, who had not defeated Higgins since 2014. Commenting on reaching his third ranking final of the calendar year, after winning the 2025 World Open and 2025 Tour Championship, Higgins said: "It was pivotal to win the World Open. It gave me that bit of self-belief in my game. It doesn't matter who you are, when you start losing that self-belief the game becomes so difficult. Especially when it comes to getting over the winning line. To make it concrete in my mind and say I was a winner again took the pressure off."
The final was played as the best of 19 frames, held over two sessions, between the world number 6 Higgins and the world number 22 Wu. Higgins was contesting his 59th ranking final and Wu his 3rd. The players had previously met in the held-over qualifiers at the 2019 event when Wu was a 15-year-old amateur; on that occasion, Wu led 5âÂÂ4, but Higgins recovered to win 6âÂÂ5. The age difference between 50-year-old Higgins and 22-year-old Wu was the fourth-largest of any ranking final in professional snooker history. The largest age difference had been recorded at the 2005 UK Championship final, contested by 48-year-old Steve Davis and 18-year-old Ding.
Wu won the opening two frames with breaks of 86 and 62. Higgins took frame three with a century of 101, but Wu made back-to-back centuries of 110 and 113 as he moved 4âÂÂ1 ahead. Higgins won frame six, but Wu took the seventh with a century of 137 to lead 5âÂÂ2. Higgins won frame eight on the last and came from behind to win frame nine with a 46 break, reducing Wu's lead to 5âÂÂ4 at the end of the first session. When play resumed for the second session, Wu won frame 10 with an 87 break. In frame 11, Higgins was leading when he missed a pot on the brown to a . Wu made a and went on to produce a clearance of 43, including potting the last along the , to win the frame on the last black. Wu attempted a maximum break in frame 12 but missed a double on the 11th red, ending the break at 80 but increasing his lead to four frames at 8âÂÂ4. Higgins won frame 13, but Wu took the next to move one from victory at 9âÂÂ5. Higgins won frame 15 with a 53 break after Wu missed a red while playing with the , but Wu potted a long red from Higgins's in frame 16 and went on to secure a 10âÂÂ6 victory with a 108 break, his fourth century of the final and fourteenth of the tournament. The five centuries made in the final took the overall number of centuries at the event to a new record of 160, surpassing the 155 made at the 2023 event.
Victory gave Wu the maiden ranking title of his four-year professional career, following defeats in the finals of the 2024 English Open and the 2024 Scottish Open. He advanced from 22nd to 13th in the world rankings after the event, entering the top 16 for the first time and qualifying automatically for the final stages of the 2025 UK Championship, displacing Wakelin. Wu became the ninth different player from mainland China to win a ranking title. "Honestly, it feels unbelievable," he said after the match. "It has been a long wait since reaching the final at the Scottish Open and the English Open last year. At times I honestly felt quite desperate, but deep down I always believed I had the ability to win a title. Every day I kept thinking about it. I had a strong will to lift a trophy. That belief carried me through this week." He paid tribute to the support he had received from his parents during his career. Runner-up Higgins said he was "nowhere near good enough" during the match and was "disappointed" with his play, but he praised his opponent, saying: "[Wu] was striking the ball beautifully. He was by far the better player. It reminded me so much of playing Paul Hunter. The way he gets through the ball and gets so much action on it. He is a brilliant player."
The draw for the tournament is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, an (a) indicates amateur players not on the World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners.
Qualification for the tournament took place from 30 September to 2 October 2025 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. An (a) indicates amateur players not on the World Snooker Tour.
The results of the held-over qualifying matches played in Nanjing were as follows:
The results of the qualifying matches played in Sheffield were as follows:
A total of 123 century breaks were made during the main stage of the tournament in Nanjing.
A total of 37 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Sheffield.