The 2026 snooker Tour Championship begins on March 30 in Manchester, with the event featuring the top 12 players on the world ranking list at the end of the World Open.
It is the penultimate event of the season ahead of the World Championship, which takes place in April.
Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, and Zhao Xintong all received a first-round bye. Judd Trump, the world number one and perennial betting favourite, faces Mark Allen in the opening round.
Ronnie O’Sullivan qualified for the event by placing ninth in the one-year rankings after the World Open but decided not to compete.
Form Players
No one is in better form than Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. The 40-year-old just beat O’Sullivan in the World Open final, including a clutch 147 in the 16th frame. It was only the second ranking title of Un-Nooh’s career, and the first time he’d even reached the quarterfinal of an event since the 2022-23 Scottish Open.
Judd Trump was in imperious form before a loss to Un-Nooh in the semi-final of the World Open and he reached the last four of the Players Championship.
Wu Yize beat Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen en route to a semi-final loss to O’Sullivan, and he was a semifinalist at the Welsh Open. Wu has already beaten Chris Wakelin at the English Open this season and has beaten Zhao Xintong in three of their four 2025-26 matchups.
Advantage of the Bye
For the good form of Wu, Un-Nooh, and Trump, each of them have a longer path to Tour Championship success than Robertson (two-time champion), Murphy, Selby, and Zhao.
This is only the third edition of the event with 12 entrants rather than eight. In the past two, Mark Williams won after competing in the first round, while John Higgins made full use of the bye in 2025, beating Xiao Guodong, Barry Hawkins, and Selby to secure his 33rd ranking title.
In an event that, by design, is packed with the world’s best players, having to win an extra match feels like a significant disadvantage. Of course, this is reflected in the odds for Hawkins, Un-Nooh, Trump, Allen, Williams, Higgins, Wu, and Wakelin, but it’s a big ask to win four matches in a row.
Tour Championship Prediction
Robertson is the most successful player in the history of this event with two titles and a runner-up placing. The Australian has struggled of late, though, and it would take a spectacular turnaround for him to win this.
None of the top four have been particularly impressive of late. Selby and Murphy have been a long way from their best. While Zhao hasn’t exactly been dominant, his Players Championship win is at least relatively fresh in the memory.
With the standards both players have shown of late, Wu against Zhao in the second round could be the decisive matchup in this tournament. In the top half of the draw, don’t be surprised if Un-Nooh and Trump meet in the semis.
Tournament Prize Money
- Winner: £150,000
- Runner-up: £60,000
- Semi-final: £40,000
- Quarter-final: £30,000
- Last 12: £20,000
- Highest break: £10,000
- Total: £500,000
Previous Tour Championship Winners
- 2025 – John Higgins
- 2024 – Mark Williams
- 2023 – Shaun Murphy
- 2022 – Neil Robertson
- 2021 – Neil Robertson
- 2020 – Stephen Maguire
- 2019 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
*Odds subject to change - prices accurate at the time of writing*
