Snooker legend Jimmy White to equal long-standing world record in new professional season

Now aged 64, White is the oldest player on the World Snooker Tour professional circuit by several years.

The former Masters and UK Champion is preparing for a record-equalling 47th consecutive season on snooker’s top flight, with the qualifying rounds for the China Open and Wuhan Open - which break off the 2026/27 professional term - scheduled later this month at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.

White’s place on snooker’s premiership is safe for this upcoming campaign, but he faces a huge task to retain his professional stripes beyond that through the world rankings system, unless he receives another invitational tour card from the authorities.

English amateur snooker champion in 1979, White won the world amateur title in 1980 in Australia and turned professional that same year.

During his rookie professional season, the Londoner qualified for the main draw, televised stages of the 1981 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield where he lost 10-8 in the opening round to eventual champion Steve Davis.

Throughout his illustrious career, White has won ten ranking event titles and a plethora of invitational tournaments. A record four-times world seniors snooker champion, he made the second maximum 147 break in Crucible history in 1992.

In 2022, aged 60 at the time, White won four successive matches to qualify for the UK Championship in York. At the end of that same season, he retained his professional tour card on merit through the one-year ranking list.

White began last season well by defeating Anthony McGill to qualify for the Wuhan Open, but that was only one of three victories to his name during the term.

Jimmy White to face O’Sullivan in season-opener...but not that one

One of snooker's all-time most popular and influential players, White is scheduled to be in action on the opening day of the new 26/27 season when he meets Sean O'Sullivan in the first qualifying round of the China Open.

Set to be the most lucrative snooker event ever held in the Far East, the China Open returns to the professional circuit for the first time since 2019, with the final rounds to be held in Taiyuan between August 8-16.

The world's top 16 all go straight through to the main draw in China, whilst all the other professional contestants must attend this month's preliminaries in Leicester.

In order for White to book a berth in Asia, he must navigate all four qualifying rounds at the Mattioli in a few weeks' time, starting with O'Sullivan who will be making his return to the pro ranks having recently graduated through the UK Q School.

The winner of that match will face Louis Heathcote in qualifying round two, with China's Yuan Sijun awaiting the victor of that at the penultimate hurdle.

White to equal Fred Davis’ professional snooker record

Jimmy White's participation in the 2026/27 snooker season holds extra significance as it will make him the joint-longest serving professional player of all-time.

In what will be his 47th campaign on the top tier, White equals the long-standing record of eight-time world champion Fred Davis.

According to revered snooker results database Cuetracker.net, Davis - the younger brother of snooker trailblazer and 15-time world champion, Joe - played his first match in a professional snooker event in the 1937 World Championship.

Of course, the pro snooker scene was completely different before the modern era (with gaps due to World War 2 and no events being held), but Davis is recognised to have played in at least one professional event for another 46 seasons throughout his long career.

In fact, Davis continued playing on the professional tour until he was 79. He took part in the 1992/93 season, during which he faced - and won a frame off - a 16-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan in the qualifying rounds for the 1992 Grand Prix. Future great O’Sullivan was competing in his rookie season at the time.