World Seniors Snooker Championship to expand in 2026 with star-studded line-up set for the Crucible

The flagship event on the World Seniors Snooker Tour will take place at the home of the sport in Sheffield between May 6-10 - shortly after the professional version is held there - with all five days covered live by Channel 5 in the United Kingdom.

Alfie Burden will return as the reigning and defending champion having defeated former winner Aaron Canavan 8-4 in the 2025 final to lift the trophy for the first time in his career.

Which players have been announced, so far?

Londoner Burden is part of a star-studded line-up that has been announced for the prestigious tournament, with several other famous faces named in the field, some of whom will be making their bows in the competition.

World professional champion in 2015, Stuart Bingham has been revealed and is set to feature alongside fellow debutants 12-times world women’s champion Reanne Evans, former UK and Masters champion Matthew Stevens, and 2017 German Masters champion Anthony Hamilton.

Jimmy White will be aiming for a record-extending fifth world seniors championship title, while Ken Doherty - a two-time runner-up in this event - will be looking to make history by adding this crown to his world junior, amateur and professional championship accolades.

Multiple ranking event winners Joe Perry and Dominic Dale are back in the mix, as too is former world number 10 Tony Drago who made back-to-back semi-finals in this competition in 2023 and 2024.

As well as these big names, six further cueists will be invited to the showpiece in Yorkshire. Announcements to come in due course.

The remaining contestants will be those who have won major, international amateur events from across the past several months; several of these spots have already been filled.

Igor Figueiredo denied Doherty in the 2024 final to win the world seniors title, and the former champion from Brazil returns courtesy of his triumph at the Pan American Seniors Championship.

Reigning European Seniors Champion Craig Steadman and African Seniors Champion Samy Elkhayat are both on the list, as too will be the winner of the next Pan Asian Seniors Championship and four players from the World Seniors Snooker Tour (WSST) circuit.

Jason Francis, the WSST Chairman, said: “I am so pleased to announce our strongest ever field as we enter into our new deal with Sheffield City Council, which will see Seniors Snooker remain at the Crucible for at least the next two years.

“By expanding our event we are able to give more snooker players the ultimate dream, competitive snooker in the Crucible.

“We have six more players to invite and are working on some securing some absolute legends to complete our field, the race continues on the tour for any player over 40 to secure a place and three global events have seen Igor, Craig and Mohamed earn their spot.

“The 2026 Seniors Snooker Championships promises to be the biggest and best yet. Another Sheffield Snooker Event for Sheffield people”

Tickets for the event go on sale on November 28th and can be bought via the Sheffield Theatres website here.