The 2026 World Open (officially the 2026 Likang Roasted Eel â Junma Cup World Open) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 16 to 22 March 2026 at the Yushan Sport Centre in Yushan, China. Qualifiers took 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 was the 16th ranking event of the 202526 snooker season, following the 2026 Welsh Open and preceding the 2026 Tour Championship. The tournament was broadcast by TNT Sports and Discovery+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Eurosport in mainland Europe, by local channels in Asia and Africa, and by WST Play in all other territories. The winner received ã175,000 from a total prize fund of ã825,000.
John Higgins was the defending champion, having defeated Joe O'Connor 106 in the 2025 final. He played the record-extending 2,000th match of his professional career in the last 64 but lost 45 to Stan Moody. After beating the world number one Judd Trump 64 in the semi-finals, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 107 in the final to win his first World Open title and the second ranking title of his career. Un-Nooh became the second Thai player, after James Wattana, to win a full-format ranking tournament.
The tournament produced 119 century breaks, 32 at the qualifiers in Barnsley and 87 at the main stage in Yushan. O'Sullivan made the highest break in professional snooker history, a of 153, during his quarter-final victory over Ryan Day. It was the second break exceeding 147 in professional competition, following the 148 made by Jamie Burnett in the qualifying rounds of the 2004 UK Championship. Un-Nooh compiled a maximum break, the seventh of his professional career, in the penultimate frame of the final. It was the record-extending 23rd maximum of the 202526 season.
The World Open originated as the Professional Players Tournament, of which Ray Reardon won the inaugural 1982 edition, defeating Jimmy White 105 in the final. Staged mostly as the Grand Prix from 1984 to 2009 (except 2001 to 2003, when it was held as the LG Cup), the tournament was played in England until 2004, after which it moved to Scotland. It was rebranded as the World Open in 2010. The tournament was not held in 2011, and the following year it moved to Haikou, China. The 2015 edition was cancelled after the contract with the promoter was not renewed, and in 2016 the tournament moved to Yushan. It was not held from 2020 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it returned to the calendar for the 2024 edition.
The 2026 edition of the tournamentâÂÂits 11th staging since it became the World Open in 2010âÂÂtook place from 16 to 22 March at the Yushan Sport Centre in Yushan, China. Qualifiers took place from 10 to 12 February at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. It was the 16th ranking event of the 202526 snooker season, following the 2026 Welsh Open and preceding the 2026 Tour Championship. John Higgins was the defending champion, having defeated Joe O'Connor 106 in the 2025 final.
All matches were played as the best of 9 up to and including the quarter-finals. The semi-finals were the best of 11 frames and the final was a best-of-19-frame match played over two .
Neil Robertson withdrew before the qualifiers in Barnsley. Chris Totten withdrew before the held-over qualifiers in Yushan. Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Stephen Maguire, David Gilbert, Chris Wakelin, Jak Jones, Umut Dikme, and Ishpreet Singh Chadha all won their qualifying matches but withdrew prior to the main stage.
The qualifying matches played in Barnsley were broadcast in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Austria by Discovery+ and in other European territories by HBO Max. They were broadcast in mainland China by the CBSAâÂÂWPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSAâÂÂWPBSA Academy Douyin, Huya Live, and . In all other territories (including Ireland) they were 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 matches; in Hong Kong by Now TV; in Malaysia and Brunei by Astro SuperSport; in Taiwan by Sportcast; in Thailand by TrueSports; in Singapore by StarHub TV; in the Philippines by TAP Sports; and in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya by SportyTV. In territories where no other coverage was available, it was streamed by WST Play.
The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:
Neil Robertson, the fifth seed, withdrew from the qualifying matches played in Barnsley and was replaced by amateur player Umut Dikme, who beat Oliver Brown in a . Mark Allen, who had claimed consecutive World Open titles in 2012 and 2013, made century breaks of 124 and 108 as he defeated Louis Heathcote 52. Shaun Murphy trailed Chatchapong Nasa 12 but recovered to win 53, and Stephen Maguire produced a century of 140 as he beat Sanderson Lam 51. Stuart Bingham advanced with a whitewash win over Ng On-yee, while He Guoqiang made a century of 104 to win the deciding frame against Amir Sarkhosh. Antoni Kowalski won the first four frames against Liu Hongyu, but Liu also won four consecutive frames, tying the scores at 44. Kowalski made a 90 to win the decider.
Kyren Wilson, the world number two, made breaks including 89 and 64 as he whitewashed Alexander Ursenbacher in 68 minutes, and Mark Williams also whitewashed Kreishh Gurbaxani, making breaks including 67, 95, 95, and 57. Michael Holt lost the first two frames against Ken Doherty but made breaks including 88 and 89 as he won five consecutive frames for a 52 victory. Ali Carter beat Jimmy White by the same score. Daniel Wells recovered from 24 behind to defeat Robbie McGuigan, making an 86 break in the deciding frame. Scott Donaldson produced a 141 break against Xu Yichen, but Xu won the match in a decider. Luca Brecel defeated Mateusz Baranowski, also in a deciding frame.
Marco Fu made breaks including 86, 91, and 116 as he defeated the 2017 champion Ding Junhui 52. The result put Ding, who had not qualified for the 2026 Players Championship or 2026 Tour Championship and had not entered the 2026 Welsh Open, at risk of losing his top-16 ranking before the 2026 World Snooker Championship. Another top-16 Chinese player, Si Jiahui, also exited after a 35 defeat to Zhao Hanyang. From 34 behind, Stan Moody recovered to beat Jiang Jun on the final of a deciding frame. Haydon Pinhey made a 137 break in his match against Mark Selby, but Selby went on to win in a deciding frame. Jack Lisowski advanced with a 52 victory over Gong Chenzhi, winning his first match at a ranking event since early in November 2025. Wu Yize produced a 131 break as he won four consecutive frames to defeat Liam Pullen by the same score. Robert Milkins, Jamie Jones, and Mark Davis all lost their qualifying matches, putting them in danger of relegation from the tour at the end of the season. The previous year's runner-up Joe O'Connor lost 35 to Liu Wenwei.
In the held-over qualifiers played in Yushan, the world number one Judd Trump advanced with a 51 win over amateur player Mark Lloyd, who replaced Chris Totten. In the fifth frame of his match against Ross Muir, Ronnie O'Sullivan came close to making a maximum break, but he went the 15th black, ending the break on 113. He completed a 51 victory with his second century of the match, a 114. "I got here a week early just to do some practising on my own," O'Sullivan said afterwards. "I've been working really hard on my game. I know I haven't played a lot of tournaments, but I've been working because my game has been in such a bad place. It isn't like I've had my feet up while everyone has been playing. I've decided I really need to attack this now. I have one last throw of the dice really. The last three years have been awful in terms of confidence. I'm trying to work on that now and see if I can get back to delivering the cue freely." O'Sullivan added that he would devote two years to restoring his game, with the goal of prolonging his playing career.
The defending champion John Higgins trailed Liam Highfield 23 but won three consecutive frames for a 53 victory. Higgins said afterwards: "[Highfield] was just playing flawless. His , everything was flawless. He just ran out of in the sixth frame and that allowed me to get into it and make a . I managed to get over the line." The reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong made two century breaks as he whitewashed his wildcard opponent Han Fuyuan. Teenage wildcard Wang Xinbo made a century of 141 as he whitewashed Mitchell Mann in a prequalifying match. Ricky Walden defeated Wang in the qualifying round, making two centuries as he secured a 52 win.
Selby, Barry Hawkins, Maguire, David Gilbert, Chris Wakelin, Jak Jones, Dikme, and Ishpreet Singh Chadha all withdrew prior to the main stage, and so their respective opponents (Holt, Ian Burns, Xu Si, Matthew Selt, Artemijs à ½ià ¾ins, Brecel, Xu Yichen, and O'Sullivan) received walkovers to the last 32. David Lilley made successive breaks of 79, 85, 66, and 90 as he took a 41 lead over Shaun Murphy, but Murphy won the last four frames for a 54 victory. Stuart Bingham produced breaks of 131, 89, and 108 as he beat Anthony McGill by the same scoreline. Zhao Hanyang made breaks of 59, 100, 92, 51, and 68 against Robbie Williams, but Williams won 54, despite losing the first three frames and not making a break in the match.
Stan Moody made breaks of 84, 52, 84, and 82 as he took a 41 lead over the defending champion Higgins, who was playing in the record-extending 2,000th professional match of his career. Higgins then won three consecutive frames, making a century of 135 in frame seven, as he tied the scores at 44. Higgins had the first chance in the decider but scored just 15 , and Moody secured the frame and match with a break of 65. "When he got in first in the last frame I just thought it was game over," said 19-year-old Moody afterwards. "[Higgins] is a class act. I knew if I let him back in he would come back, so I'm glad I managed to hold my nerve in the decider." He added: "I watched [Higgins] growing up and learning the game. To beat him in an important match out in China, and to do it with a lot of breaks as well, is a good feeling."
Kyren Wilson made a highest break of 115 in a 52 victory over Lyu Haotian, and Trump made two centuries of 116 and 101 during his 51 win over Florian NüÃÂle. Afterwards, Trump spoke about having to leave his home in Dubai due to the 2026 Iran war and described how he had prepared for the tournament in Thailand. "I had to leave so we went to Bangkok," he said. "It is a bit up in the air at the moment. I don't think I can go back there right now in case I get stuck. I am looking for somewhere to live. It is just day by day. My brother was stuck in Dubai for a bit, which wasn't ideal, but thankfully he has got out now. I hope things turn around. I managed to practice in Thailand and dedicate myself as usual." Zhao made breaks of 95, 92, 93, 139, and 129 against Long Zehuang, winning the match in a deciding frame. Gary Wilson trailed Aaron Hill 34 but took frame eight on a and went on to win the decider. Mark Williams advanced with a 52 victory over Walden.
O'Sullivan produced breaks including 77, 138, 96, and 52 as he whitewashed Selt. "I always prepare well," he said afterwards. "I know people question if I practise enough. Everyone has done that since I was a kid. They seem to think I just turn up. I prepare harder than probably any other player and I work harder. I think people just assume I only need to get out of bed and balls. That isn't the case. I work very hard." Murphy lost the first frame against Xu Si but then made breaks including 84, 117, 61, and 59 as he took a 41 lead. In frame six, Murphy attempted a maximum break, potting 15 and 15 blacks before missing the last , ending the break on 120. He won the match 51. Of his failed maximum attempt, he said afterwards: "I just lost my composure, I think. I was a bit excited. I made a 147 here last year. It would have been a great moment. I played a lot of great shots to keep getting on the black and then when I had them on a plate I lost my brain. It isn't as easy as some people make it look."
The world number 17 Bingham lost in a deciding frame to Wu, which ended his chances of moving into the top 16 and qualifying automatically for the main stage of the 2026 World Championship. Allen beat the world number 18 Lisowski 51, meaning that Lisowski also did not qualify automatically for the Crucible. Kyren Wilson defeated Allan Taylor, Zhao made two centuries of 100 and 118 as he beat Sam Craigie, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh also made two centuries of 110 and 121 as he defeated Holt, all by 51 scorelines. Trump made back-to-back centuries of 118 and 101 as he beat Jackson Page 52, and Fu defeated Martin O'Donnell by the same score, reaching the last 16 of a ranking tournament for the first time in over two years. Artemijs à ½ià ¾ins, aged 19, defeated Brecel 51 to reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time in his career. Hossein Vafaei lost the first two frames against Mark Williams but then won five in a row, making a century of 127 on his way to a 52 victory. Zhang Anda beat Xiao Guodong by the same score, and Robbie Williams advanced after defeating Wells in a deciding frame.
Murphy won two of the first three frames against O'Sullivan, making century of 139 in frame two, but O'Sullivan took four of the next five, making breaks including 70, 121, 89, and 76 as he secured a 53 victory, his 15th win over Murphy in their 19 professional meetings. O'Sullivan advanced to the 150th ranking quarter-final of his career and his first since the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters the previous August. "[Murphy] has been playing unbelievably," O'Sullivan said afterwards. "He has been so strong. I was happy when I got to 22. I thought at least I've been involved in a game against a top-quality player. To win is even better." He added: "For me, just going out there and playing is a victory. Whether I win or lose is irrelevant. For me to be able to go out there and not feel scared is a victory." Allen secured his place in the 2026 Tour Championship as he whitewashed Zhou Yuelong, making a highest break of 129. Afterwards, Allen described taking a more aggressive approach in tournament play. "I want to try to score heavier, but you can't force it," Allen said afterwards. "I feel that the last few tournaments I have been taking more on. That is down to confidence. I am forcing myself to do that in practice."
Gary Wilson made breaks including 104, 84, 107, and 100 as he beat the reigning World Champion Zhao 52. "I'm happy to get the win," he said afterwards. "This was a big game. I didn't think about it being [Zhao] in China. These days I'm just playing every game the same. You can feel a bit flat because of that, but I was well today and getting chances." Ryan Day defeated à ½ià ¾ins in a deciding frame, reaching his first ranking quarter-final in over two years. Wu lost the first two frames against Kyren Wilson but then made breaks including 80, 60, 109, and 67 as he won five in a row for a 52 victory. The result meant that Kyren Wilson remained outside the top 12 on the one-year ranking list and did not qualify for the Tour Championship. Trump and Robbie Williams were tied at 22 at the mid-session interval, but Trump then won three consecutive frames with breaks of 106, 77, and 94 for a 52 victory. Un-Nooh defeated Fu by the same score, and Vafaei edged out Zhang, winning the match on the last black of the deciding frame.
O'Sullivan made the highest break in professional snooker history, a of 153, in the first frame of his quarter-final match against Day. Awarded a after Day failed to escape from a , O'Sullivan potted the as his nominated free ball, followed by the black. He went on to pot all 15 reds, 13 further blacks, two , and all the . It was only the second time that a break exceeding 147 had been made in professional competition, following the 148 by Jamie Burnett in the qualifying rounds of the 2004 UK Championship. O'Sullivan made additional breaks of 62, 110, 103, and 95 as he completed a whitewash victory, with Day having scored only 38 points in the match. "It was a great buzz," O'Sullivan said afterwards. "I could have tried to get the extra black, but I just thought nobody had made a break bigger than 147 on TV so I wanted to be the first. I've been the first of many things so I thought I might as well get that one as well. I feel blessed to achieve these things." He added: "I've never made anything more than a 147 [even in practice]. For me, if the excitement and the buzz is there, I can do great things. Unless there is something at the end of it, I don't. I hadn't made a 147 for years, but I realised that I hadn't made two in one tournament before, so I went for it [at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters]." For the first time in professional snooker history, a highest break prize was awarded for a break greater than 147.
In the other quarter-finals, Wu made breaks of 83, 140, 77, 109, and 53 as he defeated Allen 51. "Today I felt really good," he said. "When I got down on the shot, I felt very confident. When I can find that form, I know I'm capable of producing some very high-quality snooker. I did prepare mentally for this match. [Allen] is a tough opponent and can drag you into his rhythm, but I felt ready for that today." Trump produced breaks of 88, 109, and 113 as he beat Vafaei, also by a 51 scoreline. "It has been a good six months," he commented afterwards. "Since getting to the final of [the 2025 Northern Ireland Open], everything has been very consistent. I feel back to somewhere near my best. I think the only thing I'd have done differently is win a few deciding frames. That could have been the difference for having an unbelievable season." Un-Nooh defeated Gary Wilson, again by a 51 scoreline, which meant that Wilson did not qualify for the Tour Championship and was not among the top 16 seeds at the World Championship.
Facing Wu, whom he had defeated 51 in their only previous encounter at the 2022 European Masters, O'Sullivan made breaks including 86 and 78 as he took a 31 lead at the mid-session interval. Wu won frame five and then took frame six on the last black, potting it along the to tie the scores at 33. O'Sullivan won frame seven with a 97 break, but Wu took frame eight with a break of 86. O'Sullivan moved ahead with a century of 118 in frame nine, but Wu produced a 77 break in frame 10 to tie the scores again at 55. In the deciding frame, Wu made a 43 break before playing a safety shot. O'Sullivan potted a red to the and went on to make a match-winning break of 89. "I like my bottle when I'm flowing," O'Sullivan said afterwards. "I like my bottle anyway, really. At 55 when he missed, I had a chance on the red. I had to go for it. The ball went in, which I couldn't believe, and I made a great clearance." O'Sullivan complimented his less experienced opponent, saying: "His and snooker brain is great. He has a lot to learn, but it is the easy bits he needs to learn. He's like me before I met Ray Reardon. He can pot balls and score really well. I'm telling him he needs to learn the other side of the game."
In the second semi-final, the world number one Trump faced Un-Nooh, who was playing in his first ranking semi-final since the 2022 Scottish Open. Trump in the opening frame but secured the he needed and took a 10 lead. Un-Nooh tied the scores by winning frame two. Trump made an 89 break to win frame three, but Un-Nooh took frame four on the last black to tie the scores at 22 at the mid-session interval. When play resumed, Un-Nooh made three century breaks in five frames, 128, 134, and 134, as he moved 54 ahead. Frame 10 came down to a tactical exchange on the last two balls after Un-Nooh missed a pot on the pink. Trump successfully the pink but failed to gain position on the black. He tried to double the black into a but missed, and Un-Nooh made a to win the match 64. "When I missed the pink I had goosebumps," Un-Nooh said afterwards. "I was in shock. Wow. How did I miss that? I got lucky not to leave him on the black and I was able to pot it to the left . It was a good shot in the end. I didn't want to play safe on the black. I just thought, come on, go for it. I wanted to play with confidence. I didn't want to play safe with him as he is a really good safety player."
The final took place on 22 March as the best of 19 frames, played over two , between the 11th seed O'Sullivan and the 41st seed Un-Nooh. O'Sullivan played in his 66th ranking final, while Un-Nooh contested his third. Un-Nooh had previously been runner-up at the 2019 edition of the tournament, when he lost 510 to Trump.
In the first session, O'Sullivan made breaks including 73 and 124 as he won the first four frames, but Un-Nooh responded with breaks including 83 and 82 as he took the next five, ending the session 54 ahead. When play resumed for the second session, Un-Nooh made a clearance of 50 to win frame 10 on the last black, but O'Sullivan produced three consecutive century breaks of 114, 102, and 136 as he moved into a 76 lead at the mid-session interval. Un-Nooh made breaks of 77 and 132 as he regained the lead at 87. In frame 16, Un-Nooh compiled a maximum break, his seventh in professional competition and his third of the season. It was the 240th official maximum break in snooker history and the record-extending 23rd maximum of the 202526 season. Un-Nooh completed a 107 victory with a third consecutive of 131, meaning that the last seven frames of the final had produced six century breaks. Un-Nooh won his first World Open title and the second ranking title of his career, following his previous ranking victory at the 2019 Snooker Shoot Out. He became the second Thai player, after James Wattana at the 1995 Thailand Open, to win a full-format ranking tournament. The ã175,000 winner's prize, the largest of his career, secured him a place in the Tour Championship and advanced him from 39th to 22nd in the snooker world rankings.
"This has always been my dream, to lift the title against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final," Un-Nooh said afterwards. "For the rest of my life, this is something I'm not going to forget." He added: "I went to the practice room in the interval, spoke to myself and managed my emotions. After being sat on my chair watching Ronnie make three centuries, I told myself this is a great final and to enjoy it. I don't know how what happened after the interval came true. I can't believe it. I'm still stunned with my performance. How did I do that? Sometimes snooker is one-way traffic. To make a 147 in the final against Ronnie O'Sullivan is a great honour." O'Sullivan, who scored only six points in the last four frames, commented: "It has been a positive week, but I have to say Thepchaiya [Un-Nooh] was unbelievable. He deserved his victory. He played much better than me today. I watched his semi-final and he was strong. I couldn't go with that. It was far too good for me."
The results of the main draw are shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeds, and players in bold denote match winners. An (a) indicates amateur players not on the World Snooker Tour.
Qualifiers were held from 10 to 12 February 2026 at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. Qualifying matches involving the defending champion John Higgins, the reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong, the world number one Judd Trump, the seven-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, the next two highest-ranked Chinese players (Xiao Guodong and Zhang Anda), and four Chinese wildcards (Han Fuyuan, Xu Jiarui, Wang Xinbo, and Liu Yang) were held over to be played at the main venue in Yushan. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding, and players in bold denote match winners. An (a) indicates amateur players not on the World Snooker Tour.
The following match was a pre-qualifier and was played at the main venue in Yushan:
The results of the qualifying matches played at the main venue in Yushan are as follows:
The results of the qualifying matches played in Barnsley are as follows:
A total of 87 century breaks were made during the main stage of the tournament in Yushan.
A total of 32 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Barnsley.