Updated world snooker rankings after the 2026 British Open: Jones rises, Selby world number two

Welshman Jones secured the biggest title of his career when he defeated four-time World Champion Mark Selby, 10-6, in Sunday's final at The Centaur.

It was the second ranking crown of Jones' career and came less than eight weeks on from his first at the Championship League.

As well as lifting The Clive Everton Trophy for the first time, the 33-year-old also pocketed a payday of £100,000. As a result, Jones has risen nine places from 31st to 22nd in the revised global standings.

Following a surprise run to the final of the 2024 World Snooker Championship as a qualifier, Jones broke into the world's top 16 for the first time with a career-high placement of 14.

Over the next two seasons, he didn't really build on that deep Crucible run and slipped outside the elite bracket, but is now firmly in the mix for the 16 over the coming weeks and months on the World Snooker Tour.

British Open runner-up Selby has already enjoyed a brilliant early season campaign having won the China Open in Taiyuan last month.

'The Jester from Leicester' goes up two places to world number two after his latest Cheltenham final appearance.

A semi-finalist at the British Open - where he lost to eventual champion Jones - Judd Trump also moves up two spots in the rankings from 5th to 3rd.

Neil Robertson (from 2nd to 4th) and Wu Yize (from 3rd to 5th) were both eliminated early on in Cheltenham and each drop two places on the ladder. The world rankings work on a prize money-based two-year rolling list, and at this revision, money earned from the 2024 English Open was removed - Robertson and Wu were the finalists of that particular event, so they have each lost a bit of ground in the race for world number one.

Recently installed at the rankings summit, Zhao Xintong enters his second full week as the world number one. The Chinese ace has a lead of over £125,000 on second-placed Selby, and is guaranteed to stay at the top after the ongoing 2026 English Open, whatever happens in Brentwood.

There were no other positional changes throughout the top 16, with Jack Lisowski still holding on to the final place.

From the first four ranking events of the fledgling 2026/27 season, at least one player from outside the world's top 16 has featured in the final.

Several players are packed close together between the 17 to 32 bracket, and just £43,500 currently separates 16th-placed Lisowski to 24th-placed Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.

Zhang Anda has been promoted two spots to 17th, meanwhile Si Jiahui - who started this season in the 16 - has gone down three steps to 20th.

Stephen Maguire clings on to 32nd, with David Gilbert a place behind.

Three players inside the world's top 64 have achieved new career-high rankings: Chang Bingyu (21st), Aaron Hill (37th), and Ben Mertens (59th).

Liam Highfield - who compiled his maiden maximum 147 break in the qualifying round - reached his first ranking event semi-final at the British Open.

The £20,000 he collected pushes him up four places to 65th, and with this being the second year of his new tour card, he has no prize money to defend this season, and it is highly likely he will end the term inside the top 64, and therefore keep his professional status.

Ukrainian youngster Iulian Boiko made the last 16 in Cheltenham - his best run at a ranking event other than the Snooker Shoot Out - and he is in a career-high rating of 69th.

For the full unofficial world rankings after the 2026 British Open, including positional changes, visit snooker.org here.