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2026 Championship League (invitational)

The 2026 Championship League Invitational (officially the 2026 BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 2 January to 11 February 2026 at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England. Part of the 2025–26 snooker season, it was the 20th edition of the invitational version of the tournament, which was first staged in 2008.

Mark Selby was the defending champion, having retained the title at the 2025 event by defeating Kyren Wilson 30 in the final. He won the title for a third consecutive time by defeating Wu Yize 31 in the final.

There were 173 century breaks made during the tournament, including five maximum breaks, made respectively by Chris Wakelin in his Group 1 match against Pang Junxu, Matthew Selt in his Group 4 match against Xiao Guodong, Xiao in his Group 6 match against Oliver Lines, Wu Yize in his Group 6 match against Lines, and Zhao Xintong in his Group 6 semi-final against Jak Jones. Wakelin, Selt, Wu, and Zhao all made their first maximums in professional competition, while Xiao made his third. They were the recordextending 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st maximums of the season.

Overview

The tournament took place from 2 January to 11 February 2026 at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England. Mark Selby was the defending champion, having defeated Kyren Wilson 30 in the final of the 2025 event.

Format

A total of 25 players were initially invited to the event, with the matches played behind closed doors without an audience. Players earn prize money for every won, as well as being semifinalists, runnersup, and winners of each group, with more money involved in the Winners' Group. Since 2010, all matches have been played as the best of five frames.

The tournament was played in a roundrobin format, consisting of eight groups of seven players. The top four players in each group qualify for a playoff, with the winner entering the Winners' Group. The bottom two players in each group were eliminated, and the remaining four moved to the next group, where they were joined by three more players. This format was played for each group, from one to seven. In each group, the players were ranked by the number of matches won, then by most frames won, and then by least frames lost. If two players were tied by these criteria, the player who won the match between them was ranked higher in the table. The group playoff semifinals were contested between the 1st and 4th place players in the table, and between the 2nd and 3rd place players in the table. The Winners' Group was played at the end, and its playoff winner became champion of the tournament.

Groups 1 to 4 were played from 2 to 9 January; Groups 5 to 7 were played from 19 to 24 January; and the Winners' Group was played on 10 and 11 February. The champion will take a place in the 2026 Champion of Champions.

Broadcasters

The event was broadcast by Eurasian Broadcasting in Ukraine and the Commonwealth of Independent States; Fox Sports in Australia; Nova Sport in Czechia and Slovakia; Rigour Media in China; PCCW in Hong Kong; Viaplay in Iceland and the Netherlands; Reddentes in Thailand; Sky NZ in New Zealand (on 10 and 11 February); TV3 in the Baltics; Viasat in Scandinavia; and by Matchroom.live in all other territories. Additionally, table one was streamed live on the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel available in the United Kingdom, with table two being available worldwide on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel.

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for the 2026 Championship League is as follows:

  • Groups 1–7
  • Winner: £3,000
  • Runner-up: £2,000
  • Semi-final: £1,000
  • Frame-win (league stage): £100
  • Frame-win (play-offs): £300
  • Highest break: £500
  • Winners' Group
  • Winner: £10,000
  • Runner-up: £5,000
  • Semi-final: £3,000
  • Frame-win (league stage): £200
  • Frame-win (play-offs): £300
  • Highest break: £1,000
  • Maximum possible tournament total: £205,000 <small>(if all match results are 32)</small>
  • Minimum possible tournament total: £152,800 <small>(if all match results are 30)</small>

Group 1

Group 1 was played on 2 and 3 January 2026. At the end of the first day Joe O'Connor and Jackson Page led the table, both with three wins out of four. Tom Ford won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Chris Wakelin made the first maximum break of his professional career in the first frame of his 32 league match win against Pang Junxu. It was the 17th maximum of the current season and the 234th official 147.

Group 1 league matches

2 January

  • Chris Wakelin 0–3 Elliot Slessor
  • Joe O'Connor 3–1 Hossein Vafaei
  • Chris Wakelin 1–3 Tom Ford
  • Pang Junxu 2–3 Jackson Page
  • Elliot Slessor 0–3 Joe O'Connor
  • Hossein Vafaei 1–3 Jackson Page
  • Pang Junxu 3–1 Tom Ford
  • Chris Wakelin 3–2 Joe O'Connor
  • Tom Ford 2–3 Jackson Page
  • Elliot Slessor 3–0 Hossein Vafaei
  • Chris Wakelin 3–2 Pang Junxu
  • Joe O'Connor 3–1 Jackson Page

3 January

  • Elliot Slessor 2–3 Jackson Page
  • Chris Wakelin 3–2 Hossein Vafaei
  • Joe O'Connor 1–3 Pang Junxu
  • Tom Ford 3–0 Hossein Vafaei
  • Chris Wakelin 3–2 Jackson Page
  • Elliot Slessor 1–3 Tom Ford
  • Pang Junxu 2–3 Hossein Vafaei
  • Joe O'Connor 3–2 Tom Ford
  • Elliot Slessor 3–0 Pang Junxu

Group 1 table

Group 1 play-offs

Group 2

Group 2 was played on 4 and 5 January 2026. Ali Carter withdrew and was replaced by Noppon Saengkham. At the end of the first day Gary Wilson led the table with three wins out of four. Elliot Slessor won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Slessor also made the highest break in the group, a 138.

Group 2 league matches

4 January

  • Elliot Slessor 3–0 Noppon Saengkham
  • Gary Wilson 3–2 David Gilbert
  • Joe O'Connor 3–1 Jackson Page
  • Chris Wakelin 0–3 Gary Wilson
  • David Gilbert 2–3 Noppon Saengkham
  • Elliot Slessor 3–1 Joe O'Connor
  • Chris Wakelin 3–1 Jackson Page
  • Gary Wilson 2–3 Noppon Saengkham
  • Elliot Slessor 0–3 David Gilbert
  • Chris Wakelin 3–1 Joe O'Connor
  • Joe O'Connor 3–2 Noppon Saengkham
  • Gary Wilson 3–0 Jackson Page

5 January

  • David Gilbert 2–3 Joe O'Connor
  • Gary Wilson 0–3 Elliot Slessor
  • Jackson Page 0–3 Noppon Saengkham
  • Chris Wakelin 1–3 Elliot Slessor
  • Gary Wilson 3–2 Joe O'Connor
  • Chris Wakelin 3–2 David Gilbert
  • Elliot Slessor 0–3 Jackson Page
  • David Gilbert 3–1 Jackson Page
  • Chris Wakelin 1–3 Noppon Saengkham

Group 2 table

Group 2 play-offs

Group 3

Group 3 was played on 6 and 7 January 2026. Noppon Saengkham withdrew due to competing in the 2026 German Masters qualifying and was replaced by Antoni Kowalski. Si Jiahui won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Chris Wakelin made the highest break in the group, a 140.

Group 3 league matches

6 January

  • Xiao Guodong 3–0 Si Jiahui
  • Chris Wakelin 1–3 Yuan Sijun
  • Joe O'Connor 3–0 Antoni Kowalski
  • Xiao Guodong 3–2 Gary Wilson
  • Si Jiahui 1–3 Yuan Sijun
  • Chris Wakelin 3–1 Antoni Kowalski
  • Xiao Guodong 3–2 Yuan Sijun
  • Gary Wilson 3–2 Joe O'Connor
  • Chris Wakelin 2–3 Si Jiahui
  • Gary Wilson 2–3 Antoni Kowalski
  • Xiao Guodong 0–3 Joe O'Connor
  • Yuan Sijun 3–2 Antoni Kowalski

7 January

  • Xiao Guodong 3–2 Chris Wakelin
  • Si Jiahui 1–3 Antoni Kowalski
  • Joe O'Connor 2–3 Yuan Sijun
  • Chris Wakelin 3–2 Gary Wilson
  • Si Jiahui 3–2 Gary Wilson
  • Xiao Guodong 3–0 Antoni Kowalski
  • Chris Wakelin 0–3 Joe O'Connor
  • Gary Wilson 3–1 Yuan Sijun
  • Si Jiahui 3–1 Joe O'Connor

Group 3 table

Group 3 play-offs

Group 4

Group 4 was played on 8 and 9 January 2026. Joe O'Connor and Yuan Sijun both withdrew, due to competing in the 2026 German Masters qualifying. They were replaced by Ben Woollaston and Matthew Selt respectively. Selt won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Selt also made the first maximum break of his professional career in his league match loss to Xiao Guodong. It was the 18th maximum of the current season and the 235th official 147.

Group 4 league matches

8 January

  • Kyren Wilson 3–2 Zhao Xintong
  • Neil Robertson 3–2 Gary Wilson
  • Ben Woollaston 0–3 Matthew Selt
  • Zhao Xintong 0–3 Xiao Guodong
  • Neil Robertson 2–3 Matthew Selt
  • Kyren Wilson 3–2 Gary Wilson
  • Xiao Guodong 1–3 Ben Woollaston
  • Zhao Xintong 3–2 Gary Wilson
  • Kyren Wilson 2–3 Neil Robertson
  • Xiao Guodong 3–2 Matthew Selt
  • Zhao Xintong 3–1 Ben Woollaston
  • Gary Wilson 3–1 Matthew Selt

9 January

  • Kyren Wilson 0–3 Matthew Selt
  • Neil Robertson 3–2 Zhao Xintong
  • Gary Wilson 3–0 Ben Woollaston
  • Neil Robertson 2–3 Xiao Guodong
  • Zhao Xintong 3–2 Matthew Selt
  • Kyren Wilson 3–1 Xiao Guodong
  • Neil Robertson 1–3 Ben Woollaston
  • Xiao Guodong 3–0 Gary Wilson
  • Kyren Wilson 3–1 Ben Woollaston

Group 4 table

Group 4 play-offs

Group 5

Group 5 was played on 19 and 20 January 2026. Kyren Wilson withdrew after playing in the final of the Masters the previous day. He was replaced by Oliver Lines. Mark Selby won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Wu Yize made the highest break in the group, a 143.

Group 5 league matches

19 January

  • Mark Selby 3–1 Xiao Guodong
  • Zhao Xintong 3–2 Wu Yize
  • Neil Robertson 0–3 Zhao Xintong
  • Stuart Bingham 3–2 Oliver Lines
  • Xiao Guodong 2–3 Wu Yize
  • Mark Selby 3–1 Oliver Lines
  • Zhao Xintong 3–1 Xiao Guodong
  • Neil Robertson 1–3 Stuart Bingham
  • Mark Selby 3–1 Wu Yize
  • Neil Robertson 2–3 Oliver Lines
  • Xiao Guodong 3–0 Oliver Lines
  • Zhao Xintong 3–2 Stuart Bingham

20 January

  • Mark Selby 2–3 Zhao Xintong
  • Wu Yize 1–3 Oliver Lines
  • Neil Robertson 3–2 Mark Selby
  • Xiao Guodong 3–1 Stuart Bingham
  • Neil Robertson 2–3 Wu Yize
  • Zhao Xintong 3–2 Oliver Lines
  • Mark Selby 3–0 Stuart Bingham
  • Neil Robertson 3–2 Xiao Guodong
  • Wu Yize 3–1 Stuart Bingham

Group 5 table

Group 5 play-offs

Group 6

Group 6 was played on 21 and 22 January 2026. Wu Yize won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Xiao Guodong made the third maximum break of his professional career in his league match loss to Oliver Lines. Wu Yize made the first maximum break of his professional career in his league match against Lines. Zhao Xintong made the first maximum break of his professional career in his semi-final match against Jak Jones. They were the 19th, 20th and 21st maximums of the current season and the 236th, 237th and 238th official maximums.

Group 6 league matches

21 January

  • Jack Lisowski 1–3 Zhang Anda
  • Zhao Xintong 3–2 Jak Jones
  • Xiao Guodong 2–3 Oliver Lines
  • Wu Yize 3–1 Jack Lisowski
  • Jak Jones 3–2 Zhang Anda
  • Zhao Xintong 0–3 Xiao Guodong
  • Jak Jones 1–3 Jack Lisowski
  • Wu Yize 3–1 Oliver Lines
  • Zhao Xintong 3–1 Zhang Anda
  • Xiao Guodong 1–3 Wu Yize
  • Xiao Guodong 1–3 Jak Jones
  • Jack Lisowski 3–2 Oliver Lines

22 January

  • Xiao Guodong 0–3 Zhang Anda
  • Zhao Xintong 3–1 Jack Lisowski
  • Zhao Xintong 0–3 Wu Yize
  • Jak Jones 3–2 Oliver Lines
  • Wu Yize 3–2 Zhang Anda
  • Xiao Guodong 3–2 Jack Lisowski
  • Zhao Xintong 3–1 Oliver Lines
  • Wu Yize 2–3 Jak Jones
  • Zhang Anda 3–1 Oliver Lines

Group 6 table

Group 6 play-offs

Group 7

Group 7 was played on 23 and 24 January 2026. Zhou Yuelong and Zhao Xintong both withdrew and were replaced by Ryan Day and Xu Si respectively. Zhang Anda won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group. Zhang made the highest break in the group, a 140.

Group 7 league matches

23 January

  • Zhang Anda 1–3 Lei Peifan
  • Jack Lisowski 3–1 Ryan Day
  • Jimmy Robertson 1–3 Xu Si
  • Jak Jones 3–0 Ryan Day
  • Zhang Anda 3–0 Xu Si
  • Jack Lisowski 3–0 Lei Peifan
  • Jak Jones 2–3 Jimmy Robertson
  • Lei Peifan 0–3 Ryan Day
  • Jak Jones 2–3 Xu Si
  • Jack Lisowski 0–3 Zhang Anda
  • Lei Peifan 3–2 Xu Si
  • Jimmy Robertson 1–3 Ryan Day

24 January

  • Zhang Anda 3–1 Ryan Day
  • Jack Lisowski 3–2 Xu Si
  • Jak Jones 3–2 Zhang Anda
  • Lei Peifan 1–3 Jimmy Robertson
  • Jak Jones 1–3 Jack Lisowski
  • Ryan Day 1–3 Xu Si
  • Zhang Anda 1–3 Jimmy Robertson
  • Jak Jones 1–3 Lei Peifan
  • Jack Lisowski 1–3 Jimmy Robertson

Group 7 table

Group 7 play-offs

Winners' Group

The Winners' Group was played on 10 and 11 February 2026. Mark Selby won the group and the tournament. Wu Yize made the highest break in the group, a 146.

Winners' Group league matches

10 February

  • Si Jiahui 3–1 Matthew Selt
  • Mark Selby 1–3 Tom Ford
  • Wu Yize 3–1 Zhang Anda
  • Si Jiahui 2–3 Elliot Slessor
  • Elliot Slessor 1–3 Tom Ford
  • Mark Selby 3–2 Matthew Selt
  • Zhang Anda 3–1 Tom Ford
  • Mark Selby 3–2 Wu Yize
  • Mark Selby 3–1 Si Jiahui
  • Elliot Slessor 3–1 Matthew Selt
  • Wu Yize 2–3 Tom Ford
  • Elliot Slessor 3–2 Zhang Anda

11 February

  • Wu Yize 0–3 Elliot Slessor
  • Mark Selby 3–0 Zhang Anda
  • Si Jiahui 3–2 Zhang Anda
  • Tom Ford 1–3 Matthew Selt
  • Wu Yize 3–2 Si Jiahui
  • Mark Selby 1–3 Elliot Slessor
  • Zhang Anda 1–3 Matthew Selt
  • Wu Yize 3–1 Matthew Selt
  • Si Jiahui 3–1 Tom Ford

Winners' Group table

Winners' Group play-offs

Final

Century breaks

A total of 173 century breaks were made during the tournament. These included five maximum breaks.

<small>Note: Bold = highest break in the indicated group.</small>

Winnings

Notes

References

External links