2026 Shenzhen Open Qualifiers: Draw, Schedule & What to Watch at Leicester
A New Tournament Takes Shape
The 2026/27 snooker season barely has time to catch its breath. Just days after Jak Jones claimed the Championship League Snooker title in style, the tour swings straight into qualifying action for the 2026 Shenzhen Open — a brand-new ranking event that replaces the Xi'an Grand Prix on the World Snooker Tour schedule. Four days of qualifying rounds get underway at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester from Sunday 19th July through to Wednesday 22nd July, with the main venue stages following in Shenzhen from 28th September to 4th October.
The Shenzhen Open may carry a fresh name, but there is a degree of continuity here. Mark Williams is considered the defending champion in spirit, having won the Xi'an Grand Prix last season — the event this tournament directly succeeds. The prize fund is confirmed at £850,000, with the winner banking a very healthy £177,000. There is plenty worth playing for across the board, too, with even a last-64 exit earning players £5,350.
A Tiered Format Changes the Landscape
One of the more significant developments surrounding this event is the adoption of a tiered qualifying structure — a format that has already been rolled out at the China Open and the Wuhan Open earlier in the campaign. Under the previous flat-draw system used at the Xi'an Grand Prix, all qualifiers entered at the same stage. Now, players are seeded into the draw at different points based on their world rankings.
The top 16 seeds are placed directly into the last-64 draw, but crucially their matches will not be played in Leicester — they will contest their opening rounds at the venue in Shenzhen. Players ranked 17 to 32 also enter at the last-64 stage but are required to play their matches during the qualifying phase, meaning some recognisable names will be in action at the Mattioli Arena this week.
Among those competing in Leicester are Jack Lisowski, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Ali Carter, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire, and Hossein Vafaei. All are experienced enough to navigate qualifying, but none are guaranteed a smooth passage — particularly given the depth of talent now filling out the mid-rankings section of the tour.
Jones Goes Again — Eyes on the Fresh Champion
Jak Jones arrives in Leicester on the back of a landmark week. His maiden ranking title at Championship League Snooker will have done wonders for his confidence, and he now faces the task of backing that up immediately with another strong showing. According to the draw, Jones could come up against Anthony McGill in qualifying — a tough, battling opponent who will not offer an easy ride. Bookmakers will be watching Jones closely given his current momentum, and he looks well worth including in any each-way considerations for the tournament outright.
Elsewhere, David Gilbert — last week's runner-up at Championship League Snooker — may face Ryan Day in qualifying. Gilbert was excellent over the course of that event and will be brimming with form and confidence. Day, meanwhile, is no stranger to deep runs in ranking events and brings his own level of experience to proceedings. That one could be a genuine quality contest in the qualifying rounds.
Prize Money Breakdown
| Round | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Champion | £177,000 |
| Runner-up | £76,000 |
| Semi-Finals | £34,500 |
| Quarter-Finals | £22,350 |
| Last 16 | £14,000 |
| Last 32 | £9,400 |
| Last 64 | £5,350 |
| Highest Break | £5,000 |
What to Watch This Week
With qualifying running across four days in Leicester, there is a full schedule of snooker to keep tabs on. The matches involving seeded players from the 17–32 bracket will be particularly worth following, as any early exits there could open the door for lower-ranked qualifiers to punch through and cause problems for the top 16 when the event reaches Shenzhen. Watch the draw carefully — an unseeded player landing a favourable run through qualifying could represent excellent ante-post value before the main event kicks off in late September.
We will be covering the qualifiers closely here at SnookerWins and will have dedicated match tips and tournament outright analysis as the draw unfolds. Keep this page bookmarked for the latest Shenzhen Open betting angles.
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