2026 Northern Ireland Open Qualifiers: Draw, Schedule and What to Watch at the Mattioli Arena
Qualifying Action Gets Under Way in Leicester
The 2026/27 ranking season reaches its first qualifying swing this week as the 2026 Northern Ireland Open qualifiers begin at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Running from Sunday 13 September through to Wednesday 16 September, this opening cluster of preliminary matches is the first of three consecutive qualifying events to be staged at the venue, with the International Championship and Scottish Open qualifiers to follow in short succession.
The Northern Ireland Open itself sits as the second event on the Home Nations Series calendar for 2026/27, following the English Open. Venue-stage matches will be held at the iconic Waterfront Hall in Belfast from 18–25 October, where the winner will lift the Alex Higgins Trophy — a fitting piece of silverware for a tournament that celebrates Northern Irish snooker heritage.
Lisowski Defends Maiden Ranking Title
Jack Lisowski arrives in Belfast next month as defending champion, having claimed the first ranking title of his career at the 2025 Northern Ireland Open with victory over Judd Trump in the final. Lisowski, along with the rest of the world's top 32, has been seeded directly into the last 64 at the venue stage and will not be required to qualify. That automatic passage applies to all players ranked inside the top 32 on the official world rankings list (source: snooker.org), leaving the remaining field to battle through up to two rounds of qualifying for one of the 32 available spots in the first-round draw in Belfast.
Prize Money Breakdown
The total prize fund for the 2026 Northern Ireland Open stands at £550,400, with £100,000 on offer for the champion. Even players eliminated in the qualifying rounds at the last-96 stage will collect £1,000 for their efforts — a figure that carries genuine significance for those lower down the rankings fighting to retain their tour cards.
| Round | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £100,000 |
| Runner-up | £45,000 |
| Semi-finals | £21,000 |
| Quarter-finals | £13,200 |
| Last 16 | £9,000 |
| Last 32 | £5,400 |
| Last 64 | £3,600 |
| Last 96 | £1,000 |
| Highest break | £5,000 |
| Total | £550,400 |
How the Qualifying Draw Works
The qualifying competition operates across two rounds. In Round One, the bottom 64 players on the entry list compete in best-of-seven frames for the right to progress. The winners then join players seeded between 33rd and 64th in the world rankings for Round Two, again played over seven frames. Survivors from that round secure their place in the last 64 at the Waterfront Hall.
Notable Names in the Qualifying Draw
Several recognisable names are among those required to qualify this year. Former world champion Luca Brecel — who lifted the Betfred World Championship title in 2023 — must come through the qualifying rounds, as must experienced campaigners Tom Ford, Ryan Day, and Marco Fu. Veterans Jimmy White, a six-time ranking event finalist at the World Championship, also features in the draw alongside Bai Yulu, currently ranked as the women's world number one, whose appearances on the main tour continue to attract widespread attention.
From a local perspective, Jordan Brown of County Antrim carries particular significance. The 2021 Welsh Open champion — widely regarded as one of the sport's most memorable ranking event stories given the circumstances of that triumph — is fighting for his tour survival this season and will be acutely aware of the ranking points on offer just up the road from his home county. A strong run in Belfast would provide both a financial and psychological lift.
Opening Round Schedule (Sunday 13 September)
Qualifying gets under way at 10:00 BST on Sunday morning, with several first-round matches scheduled simultaneously across the Mattioli Arena's match tables. Among the opening fixtures are:
- Reanne Evans vs Huang Jiahao
- Connor Benzey vs Liu Yang
- Liam Graham vs Wang Xinbo
All first-round matches are played as best-of-seven frames. Full scheduling across all four days, including Round Two fixtures, is available via snooker.org and CueTracker.
Looking Ahead to Belfast
With the Home Nations Series gathering momentum and Lisowski keen to demonstrate his 2025 triumph was no anomaly, the Northern Ireland Open shapes up as one of the more intriguing events of the autumn calendar. Whether established names such as Brecel and Day can navigate their way through qualifying — or whether emerging talents seize their opportunity in Leicester — will set the tone for what promises to be a compelling week on the banks of the River Lagan next month.
