Who are the 16 qualifiers for the UK Snooker Championship 2024?

144 players started out in the 2024 UK Championship. The world’s top 16 ranked cueists automatically went through to the main draw in York, but all the other entrants had to win at least two matches at the qualifying rounds which took place in Leicester (November 16-21).

Three of the these 16 qualifiers have been UK Champions in the past, including three-time victor Neil Robertson who survived a dramatic deciding frame finish against Oliver Lines in the penultimate round before a more comfortable passage against 2003 champion Matthew Stevens.

It is two decades since Stephen Maguire claimed his UK crown, and the Scot will be at the York party once again after ousting Elliot Slessor by the odd frame at the final hurdle.

The biggest story to emerge from the qualifiers is the return of 2021 Champion Zhao Xintong who won four consecutive matches to reach the television stages, just weeks after his ban from the sport expired. The 27-year-old from China is competing in this tournament as an invited amateur due to his success on this season's Q Tour where he has won back-to-back events and currently leads the standings in his bid to return to the professional circuit full time.

As well as Zhao, two other players came from the first qualifying round at the Mattioli Arena and had to navigate four successive matches to make the 32-player main draw: world number 86 Lei Peifan and world number 98 Michael Holt. Holt was a UK quarter-finalist in 1999.

The highest ranked qualifier is world number 17 Jak Jones. The recent World Championship finalist also keeps alive his hopes of making a maiden Masters appearance in January, and he remains in the discussion to make the top 10 after this tournament and therefore qualify for the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship invitational in Saudi Arabia just before Christmas.

10 of the 16 qualifiers are ranking event champions. Barry Hawkins - a semi-finalist at the Barbican three years ago - dropped just four frames in two matches in Leicester, and now prepares for a round one showdown with defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan on Saturday afternoon.

David Gilbert, Robert Milkins, Ryan Day, Matthew Selt and Stuart Bingham are the other ranking event champions on the World Snooker Tour (who have not already been mentioned in this article) who have made it through to round one proper.

Former World and Masters Champion Bingham stays on course to complete a career Triple Crown; the Englishman has reached the last four of the UK Championship three times in the past, agonisingly losing out via a deciding frame on each of those occasions.

Another player who was a frame away from a UK final is Jack Lisowski, having been shaded by eventual champion Mark Allen in the 2022 edition. Lisowski - arguably the best player on the tour without a ranking event title to his name - will have another go in York after ending the brilliant run of World Women's Snooker Champion Bai Yulu in the final qualifying round.

One of snooker's most exciting young prospects, Welshman Jackson Page hadn't won a single match in six previous UK Championship campaigns before this week, but the world number 41 is making amends now, defeating Hossein Vafaei - a semi-finalist 12 months ago - to book a ticket for the big show.

The final player who progressed to the main venue is world number 60 He Guoqiang. Last season's Rookie of the Year award winner negotiated three matches; his final two were deciding frame finishes against Anthony McGill and then Stan Moody.

The qualifiers for the 2024 UK Snooker Championship:

• Jak Jones (Wales), World Number 17
• Neil Robertson (Australia), World Number 18
• Barry Hawkins (England), World Number 20
• Jack Lisowski (England), World Number 21
• David Gilbert (England), World Number 22
• Robert Milkins (England), World Number 23
• Stuart Bingham (England), World Number 25
• Ryan Day (Wales), World Number 28
• Wu Yize (China), World Number 29
• Stephen Maguire (Scotland), World Number 33
• Matthew Selt (England), World Number 35
• Jackson Page (Wales), World Number 41
• He Guoqiang (China), World Number 60
• Lei Peifan (China), World Number 86
• Michael Holt (England), World Number 98
• Zhao Xintong (China), Not ranked, amateur status

For full details on the 2024 UK Championship, including the draw, results, prize money breakdown, format and how to watch, please visit our tournament information centre here.