What are the updated world snooker rankings after the 2026 China Open?

Following Jak Jones’ maiden title victory at the behind-closed-doors Championship League last month, Mark Selby is the winner of the first big-stage ranking event of the fledgling 2026/27 professional snooker season.

Selby defeated qualifier Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in Sunday’s final in Taiyuan to claim a record fourth China Open crown, and a 26th career ranking event title overall, putting him in joint-seventh on the all-time list alongside Neil Robertson.

The £250,000 first prize that Selby pockets sees him rise four places to fifth in the updated world rankings, and in contention to become world number one later this month.

The China Open was an unpredictable tournament with several big star names going out early. Current world number one Judd Trump, and 2025 World Champion Zhao Xintong were eliminated in the first round therefore claimed no ranking points, meanwhile reigning World Champion Wu Yize scrapped through his opening assignment but exited in round two.

Only three top 16 players made the quarter-finals in Taiyuan, and Selby was the only one to feature in the final four.

No change at the top, but wild number one race coming up

There is no change in the top four of the rankings with Trump keeping first, followed by Neil Robertson, Zhao and Wu.

Trump did however lose £76,000 from his two-year rolling total - the prize money he won for being the runner-up at the 2024 Xi'an Grand Prix.

The picture at the top, though, could dramatically alter in just a few days time, as the next rankings revision (after the Wuhan Open) sees all the prize money won at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters removed from players' tallies.

This massively affects Trump who won that big-money competition, and will have £500,000 taken away.

Other cueists to have six-figure amounts subtracted will be Mark Williams (£200k), Shaun Murphy (£100k) and Si Jiahui (£100k).

Later this week on Totally Snookered, we will look at the race for the world number one spot at the Wuhan Open, with five players in with a shout.

Elsewhere inside the top 16 after the China Open, John Higgins (who went out in round one) is down two to seventh, and Kyren Wilson also has the same drop to ninth. Wilson won the 2024 Xi’an Grand Prix title, so unless he took the title in Taiyuan, he was also going to lose money from his total from this event.

Xiao Guodong (10th) and Barry Hawkins (11th) swap places, as do Chris Wakein (12th) and Mark Allen (13th).

No-one has dropped out of/come into the top 16 after Taiyuan, but that situation could also be markedly different in the coming days with 16th-placed Si set to drop unless he lifts the trophy Wuhan.

Several players are in the mix to climb into the elite bracket - 17th-placed Jack Lisowski is in pole position for that - although Lisowski and others around him in the standings have failed to qualify for Wuhan.

China Open runner-up Saengkham shoots up the standings

Qualifier Saengkham enjoyed a fairy-tale run in Taiyuan, knocking out Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Murphy in consecutive rounds before ousting Zhou Yuelong to reach his second ranking final.

The £100,000 that Thai ace Saengkham collects is double his previous highest payday in the sport, and zips him up the updated world rankings from 45th to 27th.

Once as high as 22nd in the rankings, being back inside the top 32 means that Saengkham does not have to qualify for Home Nations Series events.

Former World Champion Stuart Bingham made it to the semi-finals in Taiyuan before he was stopped by eventual champion Selby. ‘Ball-Run’ goes up two places to 19th in his pursuit to get back into the 16, although like others around him, he is already out of the upcoming Wuhan Open.

Elsewhere inside the latest top 32, China Open quarter-finalist David Gilbert is up one to 31st, with CLS champion Jones in 32nd after dropping three spots. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - who didn’t qualify - slips four to 22nd.

Further down the rankings, Ryan Day (down six to 42nd) and Daniel Wells (down nine to 55th) fall after not qualifying. A round of 16 participant in Taiyuan, Liu Hongyu is up four to 52nd.

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