When Does the Snooker Season Start? Key Dates Explained
If you enjoy keeping track of snooker or you’re just starting to follow the sport, knowing when the season begins helps you catch the action as it unfolds. Each year brings a full calendar, from early ranking events to the showpiece championships in spring.
Understanding the opening weeks also gives you an early look at who is in form and which new names might rise through qualifying.
In this guide, you’ll find a clear rundown of when the season starts, why dates move a little each year, and which key tournaments arrive first.
When Does The Snooker Season Start?
The professional snooker season typically begins in late June or early July. Rather than following the calendar year, snooker runs on its own cycle, so the first matches often arrive a couple of months after the World Championship finishes in spring.
World Snooker Tour sets the schedule and confirms the exact start date once venues and broadcasting windows are locked in. The opener is usually a smaller ranking competition or qualifying rounds, which immediately put ranking points back in play.
In 2026, the snooker season is set to start on the 22nd June with the Championship League at the Leicester Arena in Leicester.
How Long Is The Snooker Season?
The season usually spans around eleven months, with events being spread across the calendar with only short pauses, meaning there is regular play throughout autumn and winter before the busy spring run-in.
The snooker season starts on 22nd June with the Championship League, before concluding on the 3rd May after the final of the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield.
When Does The Snooker Season End?
The 2026-27 snooker season ends after the final of the World Snooker Championship, concluding on the 3rd May.
It brings the year to a close after months of qualifying, ranking events and invitational play, and it is staged at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, a venue closely tied to snooker’s modern history.
When the final frame is completed, rankings are updated and players take a short break before preparations begin for the early summer restart.
When Does The Snooker World Championship Start?
The World Championship begins on the 17th April, with the first matches often starting on the third weekend of the month. The main draw is held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and runs for just over two weeks, concluding with the final on the 3rd May.
Before the Crucible stage, qualifying rounds take place at a separate venue about a week or so earlier. Those matches decide who joins the top seeds in the main draw. Start days can shift slightly from year to year, so it is worth checking the official schedule when it is released.
When Does The Masters Snooker Start?
The Masters is an invitational event for the top sixteen players at the cut-off, and it is part of snooker’s Triple Crown alongside the UK Championship and the World Championship. It is set to start on the 10th January and run for one week until the 17th January.
Alexandra Palace in London hosts the tournament, which is known for packed sessions and elite-level match play from the very first round. Exact dates are confirmed well in advance so fans can plan a mid-winter week of top-tier snooker.
When Is The Next Snooker Tournament?
There is rarely a long gap between events, especially from late summer through to spring. The season mixes major championships with smaller ranking competitions, so there is nearly always a tournament on the horizon.
Fixture lists are confirmed by World Snooker Tour and published on official sites, with broadcasters updating TV guides once rights and timings are set. In the UK, many events are shown live by BBC and ITV alongside dedicated sports channels, and match schedules are easy to find through their listings and on snooker news pages.
The schedule for the 2026-27 Snooker season can be found below:
2026
- Championship League – 22nd June – 15th July
- Shanghai Masters – 27th July – 2nd August
- China Open – 8th August – 16th August
- Wuhan Open – 23rd August – 29th August
- British Open – 31st August – 6th September
- English Open – 7th September – 13th September
- Xi’an Grand Prix – 28th September – 4th October
- Northern Ireland Open – 18th October – 25th OctoberÂ
- International Championship – 31st October – 7th November
- Champion of Champions – 9th November – 15th November
- TBC
- UK Championship – 28th November – 6th December
- Shoot Out – 9th December – 12th December
- Scottish Open – 14th December – 20th December
- Champions League Invitational – 21st December – 23rd January 2027
2027
- Masters – 10th January – 17th January
- German Masters – 25th January – 31st January
- Welsh Open – 8th February – 14th February
- World Grand Prix – 16th February – 21st February
- Players Championship – 2nd March – 7th March
- World Open – 15th March – 21st March
- Tour Championship – 29th March – 4th April
- World Championship – 17th April – 3rd May
Events in bold denote a non-ranking event.
When Is The Next Snooker Tournament on TV 2026?
Looking ahead to 2026, the season is expected to begin in early summer, with the opening televised event likely to be an early ranking tournament once the schedule is finalised. In recent years, the first broadcasts have often featured the Championship League or qualifiers for larger events, although exact fixtures will depend on the confirmed calendar.
Once dates are announced, broadcasters share programming details and session times. TV schedules typically appear a few weeks before each event, so checking listings near the start of summer 2026 will show which tournament opens the new season on screen.
Bet on Snooker Tournaments at Bet442
Snooker tournaments run steadily across the season, and at Bet442 you can follow the schedule and place bets on individual matches or outright snooker markets. You will find prices on frame totals, match results and other popular options, with clear navigation that makes upcoming fixtures easy to locate.
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**The information provided in this blog is intended for educational purposes and should not be construed as betting advice or a guarantee of success. Always gamble responsibly.