Who is playing in the 2025 International Championship snooker qualifiers? Draw, results, schedule
The Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield will host three days of world class snooker action between Tuesday 30th September to Thursday 2nd October as players attempt to qualify for the main venue stages of the 2025 International Championship in China.
The International Championship ranking event has been on the professional circuit since 2012. It is one of the most lucrative tournaments on the World Snooker Tour with a £175,000 first prize.
Last year, national hero Ding Junhui won on home soil, defeating Chris Wakelin 10-7 in the final to end a near five-year wait for a ranking title.
How does the draw work and who needs to qualify?
All professional tour card holders are eligible to enter the International Championship. The event uses a flat draw system, meaning all players - regardless of their ranking - start out in the first round. However, there are 129 players in this year’s edition, meaning a preliminary round consisting of one match is required.
The main venue, televised stages of the 2025 International Championship will take place between Sunday 2nd to Sunday 9th November in Nanjing, China.
However, the vast majority of first round matches will be played at Ponds Forge in late September/early October, with the winners of these ties advancing to the last 64 and a spot in the Far East several weeks later.
Several first round games will be held over to Nanjing, with local promoters wanting to guarantee the appearances of many of the sport’s top stars.
Reigning champion Ding Junhui, world champion Zhao Xintong, world number one Judd Trump, seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, and China's number two in the world rankings Xiao Guodong all have their opening assignments scheduled in Nanjing.
Four Chinese wildcards (amateur players) will also be in the draw, with matches involving them also held over.
Everyone else who entered will need to go to Sheffield, including current world top eight ranked cueists Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, John Higgins and Mark Allen.
All matches up to and including the quarter-finals will be the best of 11 frames. The semi-finals (best of 17) and final (best of 19) are played across two sessions.
Preliminary Round
Bai Yulu v Wildcard *
Round One (Last 128)
Ding Junhui v David Grace *
Michael Holt 6-2 Reanne Evans
Pang Junxu 6-1 Ross Muir
Jackson Page 5-6 Liam Highfield
Shaun Murphy 6-1 Yao Pengcheng
Robbie Williams v Bai/Wildcard *
Elliot Slessor 6-2 Alexander Ursenbacher
Matthew Selt 3-6 Ben Mertens
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Wildcard *
David Gilbert 6-5 Liam Davies
Scott Donaldson 6-0 Antoni Kowalski
Mark Allen 4-6 Mitchell Mann
Ryan Day 6-3 Zhao Hanyang
Hossein Vafaei 6-1 Fergal Quinn
Jordan Brown 2-6 Oliver Lines
John Higgins 6-5 Liam Pullen
Neil Robertson 6-1 Umut Dikme
Stan Moody 5-6 Ken Doherty
Yuan Sijun 6-2 Julien Leclercq
Ricky Walden 6-1 Gao Yang
Xiao Guodong v Mahmoud El Hareedy *
Zak Surety 6-2 Farakh Ajaib
Ali Carter 6-0 Liam Graham
Aaron Hill 6-1 Leone Crowley
He Guoqiang 6-3 Duane Jones
Stuart Bingham 6-3 Ian Burns
Long Zehuang 4-6 Jiang Jun
Chris Wakelin 6-1 Florian Nuessle
Xu Si 6-3 Sahil Nayyar
Stephen Maguire 6-5 Kreishh Gurbaxani
David Lilley 6-3 Chatchapong Nasa
Kyren Wilson 6-2 Gong Chenzhi
Judd Trump v Dylan Emery *
Matthew Stevens 6-2 Connor Benzey
Zhou Yuelong v Wildcard *
Noppon Saengkham 6-1 Jonas Luz
Zhang Anda 6-3 Chris Totten
Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-6 Michal Szubarczyk
Wu Yize 6-3 Lan Yuhao
Lyu Haotian 6-1 Ng On Yee
Ben Woollaston 6-3 Cheung Ka Wai
Jak Jones 6-1 Mateusz Baranowski
Mark Davis 5-6 Huang Jiahao
Barry Hawkins v Wildcard *
Jamie Jones 2-6 Louis Heathcote
Jack Lisowski 6-2 Bulcsu Revesz
Sanderson Lam 6-0 Amir Sarkhosh
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Allan Taylor *
Mark Williams 6-2 Iulian Boiko
Anthony McGill 6-0 Mink Nutcharut
Joe O'Connor 1-6 Sam Craigie
Jimmy Robertson 6-3 Chang Bingyu
Mark Selby 6-0 Steven Hallworth
Liu Hongyu 6-1 Haydon Pinhey
Tom Ford 6-1 Robbie McGuigan
Daniel Wells 6-2 Jimmy White
Martin O'Donnell 6-5 Xu Yichen
Gary Wilson 6-3 Artemijs Zizins
Robert Milkins 5-6 Wang Yuchen
Si Jiahui 6-3 Sunny Akani
Luca Brecel 4-6 Liu Wenwei
Lei Peifan 6-3 Haris Tahir
Fan Zhengyi 6-1 Haten Yassen
Zhao Xintong v Oliver Brown *
* Match to be played in Nanjing
The identities of the wildcard players will be announced closer to the time
How to watch the qualifiers:
UK and Mainland Europe: discovery+ in UK, Germany, Italy and Austria and HBO Max in all other markets
China: Huya.com, Migu, CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
All other territories including Ireland: WST Play