What's coming up on the professional snooker circuit in January 2026: Information and a list of events

2026 Championship League Invitational (various dates)

The opening top flight action of 2026 takes place behind-closed-doors at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester with the latest edition of the Championship League Invitational.

A regular fixture on the professional circuit since 2008, this competition features a unique format consisting of seven round robin groups, playoffs, and an event-concluding winners’ group where the grand final and overall title will be contested.

In total, 25 players are set to feature at this year’s edition, including several top 16 stars such as defending champion Mark Selby, reigning world champion Zhao Xintong, and world numbers two and three Kyren Wilson and Neil Robertson.

The opening four groups (each group takes two days to complete) take place between January 2nd to 9th before the event is paused for the Masters.

Action then resumes the day after the Alexandra Palace extravaganza finishes with the remaining three regular groups on the programme between January 19th to 24th. The winners’ group is scheduled for February 10th & 11th.

For more information on the 2026 Championship League Snooker Invitational, including the draw, visit here.

2026 German Masters Qualifying (January 5th to 8th)

Ranking event activities begin in 2026 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield with four days of German Masters qualifying.

The main draw, televised stages of the 2026 German Masters take place later in the month (see further down for more details) but three rounds of qualifying in Yorkshire must be staged first.

The German Masters currently uses a tiered draw system, the same seen at Home Nations Series events. This means the top 32 seeds all go straight through to the last 64 of the competition, with those further down the rankings needing to start their campaigns in either the last 128 or last 96.

Rounds one and two will be played at Ponds Forge, as will half of round three (last 64). All matches involving the top 16 seeds have been held over to the Tempodrom in Berlin - this way guaranteeing promoters that the sport’s biggest names will star on German soil and not be eliminated in the preliminaries.

The draw and match schedule can be viewed on the World Snooker Tour website here.

2026 Welsh Open Qualifying (January 9th & 10th)

Staying in Ponds Forge, there will be two days of Welsh Open qualification.

The final Home Nations Series event of the season, the final rounds of the 2026 Welsh Open are scheduled for Llandudno between February 23rd to March 1st. A total of 64 players are set to be there, including the top 32 seeds who all avoid the bother of having to qualify.

The opening two rounds - the last 128 and last 96 - will be completed in Sheffield. Matches in both of these rounds are the best of seven frames.

The draw and match schedule can be viewed on the World Snooker Tour website here.

2026 Masters (January 11th to 18th)

Professional snooker’s most prestigious invitational event returns for a 52nd annual edition, as the 2026 Masters is played at the Alexandra Palace in London in mid-January.

Only the world’s top 16 players - from the global ranking list immediately after last month’s UK Championship was completed - have earned an invite to the lucrative one-table spectacular that carries a total prize fund of over £1 million, with £350,000 of that going to the eventual champion.

All matches up to and including the semi-finals are the best of 11 frames, with the two-session final being the best of 19.

Shaun Murphy is the reigning and defending Masters champion; ‘The Magician’ claimed his second Masters crown - a decade on from his first - when he defeated Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the 2025 final.

As the title holder, Murphy is the top seed, and World Champion Zhao Xintong - who requires this accolade to become a Career Triple Crown winner - is seed number two.

The remaining top eight seeds were then determined by the world rankings with world number one Judd Trump the third seed, world number two Kyren Wilson being the fourth seed, etc. These top eight seeds were placed in the draw bracket accordingly, and randomly drawn against seeds 9 to 16 in round one.

All the world’s top 16 players have accepted their invitations, including record eight-time Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan who is due to face Neil Robertson on the evening of Wednesday 14th.

2026 German Masters (January 26th to February 1st)

The first ranking event trophy of 2026 will be lifted by the winner of this year’s German Masters at the Tempodrom in Berlin.

Following the conclusion of qualifying held in England a few weeks before, 48 players from the initial field of 128 are scheduled to travel to the German capital city where the television cameras are switched on.

A stellar cast is expected to compete at the Tempodrom, with reigning champion Kyren Wilson set to defend his title. Last year, ‘The Warrior’ ousted Barry Hawkins 10-9 in a thrilling final.

World number one Trump - a record three-time winner of this accolade - and 2012 champion O’Sullivan are both also in the draw alongside a plethora of other premier baize exponents.

Held every season since the 2010/2011 term, the finals weekend at the Tempodrom is truly a wonder to behold with around 2,400 fans in attendance.

Matches up to and including the quarter-finals are the best of nine frames. The semis are best 11, with the two-session final being the best of 19. The winner’s purse is £100,000.