A host of star names enter 2025 English Open; draw for Brentwood now released

The first Home Nations Series title of the season will be won at the Brentwood Centre; the Essex-based venue will be hosting the tournament for a fourth consecutive year, with the action taking place between September 11-21.

All 128 players involved in the £550,400 world ranking event will play at the venue. The opening two rounds will be contested across the first four days, with the top 32 seeds entering the fray from Monday 15th in the round of 64. As per last season, all Home Nations Series events this term will use a tiered draw system.

This is the tenth and final year of the current 10-year Home Nations Series contract. It is still unknown whether the four-pronged concept - alongside the Northern Ireland, Scottish, and Welsh Opens - will continue next season.

The last six editions of the English Open have been won by three players who have collected two titles each: Mark Selby (2019, 2022), Judd Trump (2020, 2023) and Neil Robertson (2021, 2024).

Robertson’s renaissance on the World Snooker Tour started at this tournament last year, when he lifted The Steve Davis Trophy again following a 9-7 victory over maiden ranking event finalist Wu Yize in a thrilling title match.

That was Robertson’s first ranking accolade for nearly two-and-a-half years. Since then, he claimed further ranked success at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, and the recent Saudi Arabia Masters, and is currently placed number three in the world standings.

The Australian pocketed £500,000 for his triumph in Jeddah, which straight away qualifies him for all of this season’s Players Series events. Robertson withdrew from last month’s Wuhan Open, but he is scheduled to be back on the baize in Brentwood to defend his title where he will meet either Sunny Akani or David Lilley in round three.

Fourteen of the world’s current top 16 ranked players have entered the 2025 English Open: Trump, Kyren Wilson, Robertson, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui, Xiao Guodong, Selby, Mark Allen, Zhao, Barry Hawkins, Zhang Anda, Chris Wakelin, Si Jiahui, and Gary Wilson.

The only two players from snooker's elite who haven't entered are Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins.

Once again, there is a £100,000 top prize for each of this season’s Home Nations Series competitions. The £150,000 seasonal bonus prize also returns; this is awarded to the player who earns the most cumulative prize money from across all four of this season’s Home Nations Series events. Robertson scooped that jackpot last campaign.

The full draw and match schedule for the opening rounds of the 2025 English Open can be viewed on the World Snooker Tour website via here.