Professional snooker in 2026 to begin at the Championship League Invitational: Draw and event information

One of the longest-running tournaments on the professional calendar, the Matchroom Multisport-organised event has been held every year since 2008.

Since 2020, there has also been a ranking version of Championship League Snooker - the latest edition of this was won by Stephen Maguire last summer - although over the coming weeks it’s the turn of the invitational staging with at least 25 of the world’s top players set to travel to Leicester to compete in it.

Mark Selby is the reigning champion; on home soil, ‘The Jester from Leicester’ has won the last two editions of the competition. In 2025, Selby defeated Kyren Wilson 3-0 in the grand final to go back-to-back.

What is the format for the Championship League Invitational?

The Championship League features an unique format with seven round robin groups of seven players, and then a tournament-concluding ‘winners’ group’ consisting of the seven players who won each of the initial groups.

Each group takes two days to complete. All players face each other in best of five frame matches. After all the regular group fixtures are completed, the sixth and seventh-placed players are eliminated from this year’s competition, with the fifth-placed cueist surviving and making it through to the next regular group.

The top four all qualify for that group’s ‘playoffs’ with 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd in the best of five semi-finals. The winners of these matches then face off in the best of five group final, with the victor booking a ticket to the winners’ group where the destiny of the overall title will be decided.

The three players that lose in the playoffs join the fifth-placed player in the next group, where three brand new players enter the fray.

This process is repeated across the seven regular groups.

Who is set to play in the 2026 Championship League Invitational?

Group one will be held across January 2 & 3, with newly-minted Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin joined by Elliot Slessor, Tom Ford, Pang Junxu, Joe O’Connor, Hossein Vafaei, and Jackson Page.

Several players who have made it to this year’s Masters - held at the Alexandra Palace in London between January 11-18 - have entered the Championship League and will use it as a warm-up event to fine tune their playing arms before the second Triple Crown event of the season in the capital city.

Gary Wilson joins the party in group two, with Xiao Guodong and Si Jiahui entering in group three.

Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, and reigning world champion Zhao Xintong come in what looks like being a blockbuster group four - just a few days before the Ally Pally extravaganza begins.

The day after the Masters finishes, the Championship League returns to complete its three remaining regular groups, with current title holder Selby making his entrance in group five, along with International Championship winner Wu Yize.

Group seven is scheduled for January 23 & 24, although it’s not until a few weeks later when the winners’ group gets played across February 10 & 11.

What is the prize money and how to watch the 2026 Championship League

As well as the funky tournament format, there is an unusual prize money structure for the Championship League Invitational, with differing pay-out incentives for players throughout the event.

Players earn money for each and every frame they win, and there are additional bonuses if they make the playoffs, and for highest breaks.

Groups 1–7

• Winner: £3,000
• Runner-Up: £2,000
• Losing Semi-Finalist: £1,000
• Per Frame Won in Play-Offs: £300
• Per Frame Won in League Play: £100
• Highest Break Prize: £500

Winners’ Group

• Winner: £10,000
• Runner-Up: £5,000
• Semi-Finalists: £3,000 each
• Per Frame Won in League Play: £200
• Per Frame Won in Play-Offs: £300
• Highest Break Prize: £1,000

Throughout the tournament - before each of the group finals - two tables will be used with live coverage available of both.

As per the official Championship League website, broadcast details are as follows:

Table 1 coverage will be available via the international broadcast partners listed below. Table 2 matches will be streamed live on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel and WNT TV.

Fans in the UK and Ireland, or in any country without a listed broadcaster, can watch Table 1 action live on the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel and WNT TV.

Broadcast Partners

• Eurasian Broadcasting – Ukraine & CIS territories
• Fox Sports – Australia
• Nova – Czechia & Slovakia
• Rigour – China
• PCCW – Hong Kong
• Viaplay – Iceland & Netherlands
• Reddentes – Thailand
• Sky NZ – New Zealand (February 10–11)
• TV3 – Baltics
• Viasat – Scandinavia

For results throughout the 2026 Championship League Snooker Invitational, visit either the Championship League website or WST.tv.

Snooker.org also provides fantastic coverage of the results with updated group standings.