2026 International Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 31 October – 7 November 2026 |
| Venue | SNCNFC |
| City | Nanjing |
| Country | China |
| Organisation | World Snooker Tour |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £825,000 |
| Winner's share | £175,000 |
| Defending champion |  Wu Yize (CHN) |
← 2025 | |
The 2026 International Championship is an upcoming professional snooker tournament that will take place from 31 October to 7 November 2026 at the South New City National Fitness Center (SNCNFC) in Nanjing, China. Qualifiers took place from 17 to 19 September at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England. The 12th edition of the International Championship since it was first staged in 2012, it will be the eighth ranking event of the 2026–27 snooker season, following the 2026 Northern Ireland Open and preceding the 2026 UK Championship.
Wu Yize is the defending champion, having defeated John Higgins 10–6 in the 2025 final.
Overview
[edit]The International Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament held in China. It first took place in 2012 and the inaugural champion was Judd Trump, who defeated Neil Robertson 10–8 in the final.[1] Staged from 2012 to 2014 in Chengdu and from 2015 to 2019 in Daqing, the tournament was not held from 2020 to 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following its return to the calendar, the tournament was staged in Tianjin in 2023 and Nanjing in 2024 and 2025.[2]
The 2026 edition of the tournament—the 12th staging of the event—will take place from 31 October to 7 November in Nanjing.[3] Qualifiers took place from 17 to 19 September at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England.[4] It will be the eighth ranking event of the 2026–27 snooker season, following the 2026 Northern Ireland Open and preceding the 2026 UK Championship.[5] Wu Yize is the defending champion, having defeated John Higgins 10–6 in the 2025 final.[6]
Prize fund
[edit]The prize fund for the tournament is detailed below.[2]
- Winner: £175,000
- Runner-up: £75,000
- Semi-final: £33,000
- Quarter-final: £22,000
- Last 16: £14,000
- Last 32: £9,000
- Last 64: £5,000
- Highest break: £5,000
- Total: £825,000
Summary
[edit]Qualifying
[edit]Kyren Wilson defeated Leone Crowley 6–5, Barry Hawkins whitewashed Oliver Sykes, Huang Jiahao defeated Jimmy Robertson 6–5, Yao Pengcheng beat Elliot Slessor 6–2, Gao Yang defeated Jordan Brown 6–5, Zhang Anda whitewashed Artemijs Žižins, and Stephen Maguire beat Mateusz Baranowski 6–5.[7] Jimmy White defeated Matthew Stevens 6–5, Mina Awad, the African champion, beat Zak Surety 6–1, David Grace defeated Tom Ford 6–5, Neil Robertson whitewashed Alexander Ursenbacher, and Jak Jones beat Liam Pullen 6–3.[7]
Mark Williams beat Andrew Higginson 6–4, Mark Selby beat Luo Zetao 6–1, Wang Xinbo defeated David Gilbert 6–4, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh whitewashed Chatchapong Nasa.[8] Dylan Emery defeated Xiao Guodong 6–4, Luca Brecel beat Jamie Clarke 6–3, and Ishpreet Singh Chadha beat Deng Haohui 6–1.[8]
Shaun Murphy recovered from 0–3 down to beat Zhao Hanyang 6–4, Joe O'Connor defeated Bai Yulu 6–5, Gary Wilson beat Ng On-yee 6–2, and Chang Bingyu whitewashed Fergal Quinn.[9] Anton Kazakov beat Ali Carter 6–2, Stan Moody whitewashed Panchaya Channoi, and Liam Davies beat Anthony McGill 6–1.[9]
Main draw
[edit]The draw for the tournament is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, an "(a)" indicates amateur players not on the World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners.[3][10][11]
Top half
[edit]| Last 64 Best of 11 frames | Last 32 Best of 11 frames | Last 16 Best of 11 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 11 frames | Semi-finals Best of 17 frames | |||||||||||||||||||
Wu Yize (CHN) (1) OR Hammad Miah (ENG)
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| Robbie Williams (ENG)
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 Stephen Maguire (SCO) (32)
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 Jackson Page (WAL) OR Michał Szubarczyk (POL) OR Wildcard 1 (CHN) (a)
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Ding Junhui (CHN) (15) OR Sahil Nayyar (CAN)
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| Gao Yang (CHN)
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| Zhang Anda (CHN) (19)
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| Huang Jiahao (CHN)
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| Ben Woollaston (ENG)
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| Yao Pengcheng (CHN)
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| Oliver Lines (ENG)
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| Dylan Emery (WAL)
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| Ryan Day (WAL)
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| Lei Peifan (CHN) (26)
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| Liam Highfield (ENG)
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| Kyren Wilson (ENG) (8)
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| Judd Trump (ENG) (5) OR Liu Wenwei (CHN) OR Wildcard 4 (CHN) (a)
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| Fan Zhengyi (CHN) OR Steven Hallworth (ENG) OR Wildcard 3 (CHN) (a)
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| Pang Junxu (CHN) (27) OR Wildcard 2 (CHN) (a)
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 Mina Awad (EGY)
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| Barry Hawkins (ENG) (10)
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| Ricky Walden (ENG)
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| Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (18)
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| Liam Davies (WAL)
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| David Grace (ENG)
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| Si Jiahui (CHN) (17)
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| Liu Hongyu (CHN)
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| Louis Heathcote (ENG)
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| Stuart Carrington (ENG)
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 Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (28)
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| Jimmy White (ENG)
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| Mark Selby (ENG) (4)
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Bottom half
[edit]| Last 64 Best of 11 frames | Last 32 Best of 11 frames | Last 16 Best of 11 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 11 frames | Semi-finals Best of 17 frames | |||||||||||||||||||
 Neil Robertson (AUS) (3)
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| Jiang Jun (CHN)
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| Jak Jones (WAL) (31)
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| Wang Xinbo (CHN)
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| Ashley Carty (ENG)
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 Julien Leclercq (BEL)
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| Stuart Bingham (ENG) (20)
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 Marco Fu (HKG)
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| Luca Brecel (BEL)
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 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (21)
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 Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND)
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| Mark Williams (WAL) (9)
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| Xu Si (CHN)
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| Gary Wilson (ENG) (25)
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| Lyu Haotian (CHN)
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| John Higgins (SCO) (6)
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| Shaun Murphy (ENG) (7)
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| Mitchell Mann (ENG)
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| Joe O'Connor (ENG) (30)
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| Yuan Sijun (CHN)
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| Chris Wakelin (ENG) (12)
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| Long Zehuang (CHN)
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| Chang Bingyu (CHN) (22)
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| Ross Muir (SCO)
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 Aaron Hill (IRL)
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 Anton Kazakov (UKR)
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| Daniel Wells (WAL)
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| Duane Jones (WAL) (a)
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| Stan Moody (ENG)
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| Sam Craigie (ENG)
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| David Lilley (ENG)
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| Zhao Xintong (CHN) (2) OR Ian Burns (ENG)
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Qualifying round
[edit]All matches are best of 11 frames.[4]
Pre-qualifying round
[edit]The following three matches were held over to the main arena in Nanjing to determine the opponents of Jackson Page, Judd Trump and Fan Zhengyi respectively.[3][10]
- Michał Szubarczyk (POL) (78) – Wildcard 1 (CHN) (a)
- Liu Wenwei (CHN) (84) – Wildcard 4 (CHN) (a)
- Steven Hallworth (ENG) (73) – Wildcard 3 (CHN) (a)
Last 128
[edit]The results of the qualifying matches are shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding, an "a" indicates amateur players who were not on the main World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners. Matches held over to the main arena are marked with a dagger (†).[4][12]
| Last 128 Best of 11 frames | ||
| Wu Yize (CHN) (1)† | ||
| Hammad Miah (ENG) (103) | ||
| Robbie Williams (ENG) (54) | 6 | |
| Gong Chenzhi (CHN) (112) | 2 | |
| Stephen Maguire (SCO) (32) | 6 | |
| Mateusz Baranowski (POL) (85) | 5 | |
| Jackson Page (WAL) (36)† | ||
| Michał Szubarczyk (POL) (78) OR Wildcard 1 (CHN) (a) | ||
| Ding Junhui (CHN) (15)† | ||
| Sahil Nayyar (CAN) (93) | ||
 Jordan Brown (NIR) (64) | 5 | |
| Gao Yang (CHN) (74) | 6 | |
| Zhang Anda (CHN) (19) | 6 | |
 Artemijs Žižins (LVA) (96) | 0 | |
| Jimmy Robertson (ENG) (46) | 5 | |
| Huang Jiahao (CHN) (111) | 6 | |
| Ben Woollaston (ENG) (45) | 6 | |
| Sean O'Sullivan (ENG) (115) | 2 | |
| Elliot Slessor (ENG) (23) | 2 | |
| Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (75) | 6 | |
| Oliver Lines (ENG) (52) | 6 | |
| Connor Benzey (ENG) (92) | 0 | |
| Xiao Guodong (CHN) (11) | 4 | |
| Dylan Emery (WAL) (68) | 6 | |
| Ryan Day (WAL) (42) | 6 | |
| Liam Graham (SCO) (87) | 4 | |
| Lei Peifan (CHN) (26) | 6 | |
| Iulian Boiko (UKR) (72) | 1 | |
| Ben Mertens (BEL) (60) | 3 | |
| Liam Highfield (ENG) (69) | 6 | |
| Kyren Wilson (ENG) (8) | 6 | |
| Leone Crowley (IRL) (86) | 5 | |
| Last 128 Best of 11 frames | ||
| Judd Trump (ENG) (5)† | ||
| Liu Wenwei (CHN) (84) OR Wildcard 4 (CHN) (a) | ||
| Fan Zhengyi (CHN) (53)† | ||
| Steven Hallworth (ENG) (73) OR Wildcard 3 (CHN) (a) | ||
| Pang Junxu (CHN) (27)† | ||
| Wildcard 2 (CHN) (a) | ||
| Zak Surety (ENG) (43) | 1 | |
| Mina Awad (EGY) (127) | 6 | |
| Barry Hawkins (ENG) (10) | 6 | |
| Oliver Sykes (ENG) (101) | 0 | |
| Ricky Walden (ENG) (57) | 6 | |
| Paul Norris (ENG) (124) | 1 | |
| Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (18) | 6 | |
| Ashley Hugill (ENG) (123) | 3 | |
| Anthony McGill (SCO) (39) | 1 | |
| Liam Davies (WAL) (90) | 6 | |
| Tom Ford (ENG) (35) | 5 | |
| David Grace (ENG) (77) | 6 | |
| Si Jiahui (CHN) (17) | 6 | |
| Liu Yang (CHN) (119) | 0 | |
| Liu Hongyu (CHN) (55) | 6 | |
| Lan Yuhao (CHN) (79) | 3 | |
| Joshua Thomond (ENG) (a)[a] | 3 | |
| Louis Heathcote (ENG) (67) | 6 | |
| He Guoqiang (CHN) (44) | 4 | |
| Stuart Carrington (ENG) (121) | 6 | |
| Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (28) | 6 | |
| Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) (107) | 1 | |
| Matthew Stevens (WAL) (49) | 5 | |
| Jimmy White (ENG) (97) | 6 | |
| Mark Selby (ENG) (4) | 6 | |
| Luo Zetao (CHN) (113) | 1 | |
| Last 128 Best of 11 frames | ||
| Neil Robertson (AUS) (3) | 6 | |
 Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) (91) | 0 | |
| Jiang Jun (CHN) (63) | 6 | |
 Florian Nüßle (AUT) (89) | 3 | |
| Jak Jones (WAL) (31) | 6 | |
| Liam Pullen (ENG) (66) | 3 | |
| David Gilbert (ENG) (33) | 4 | |
| Wang Xinbo (CHN) (105) | 6 | |
| Jack Lisowski (ENG) (16) | 5 | |
| Ashley Carty (ENG) (100) | 6 | |
| Martin O'Donnell (ENG) (56) | 4 | |
| Julien Leclercq (BEL) (110) | 6 | |
| Stuart Bingham (ENG) (20) | 6 | |
| Alfie Burden (ENG) (99) | 1 | |
| Michael Holt (ENG) (48) | 3 | |
| Marco Fu (HKG) (70) | 6 | |
| Luca Brecel (BEL) (40) | 6 | |
| Jamie Clarke (WAL) (102) | 3 | |
| Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (21) | 6 | |
| Chatchapong Nasa (THA) (94) | 0 | |
| Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND) (58) | 6 | |
| Deng Haohui (CHN) (118) | 1 | |
| Mark Williams (WAL) (9) | 6 | |
| Andrew Higginson (ENG) (106) | 4 | |
| Xu Si (CHN) (37) | 6 | |
| Xu Yichen (CHN) (80) | 3 | |
| Gary Wilson (ENG) (25) | 6 | |
| Ng On-yee (HKG) (104) | 2 | |
| Lyu Haotian (CHN) (62) | 6 | |
| Mahmoud El Hareedy (EGY) (108) | 3 | |
| John Higgins (SCO) (6) | 6 | |
| Craig Steadman (ENG) (117) | 2 | |
| Last 128 Best of 11 frames | ||
| Shaun Murphy (ENG) (7) | 6 | |
| Zhao Hanyang (CHN) (81) | 4 | |
| Jamie Jones (WAL) (61) | 3 | |
| Mitchell Mann (ENG) (98) | 6 | |
| Joe O'Connor (ENG) (30) | 6 | |
| Bai Yulu (CHN) (126) | 5 | |
| Yuan Sijun (CHN) (34) | 6 | |
| Scott Donaldson (SCO) (65) | 4 | |
| Chris Wakelin (ENG) (12) | 6 | |
| Michael Larkov (UKR) (122) | 0 | |
| Long Zehuang (CHN) (50) | 6 | |
| Phil O'Kane (ENG) (120) | 2 | |
| Chang Bingyu (CHN) (22) | 6 | |
| Fergal Quinn (NIR) (95) | 0 | |
| Matthew Selt (ENG) (47) | 2 | |
| Ross Muir (SCO) (82) | 6 | |
| Aaron Hill (IRL) (38) | 6 | |
| Antoni Kowalski (POL) (114) | 3 | |
| Ali Carter (ENG) (24) | 2 | |
| Anton Kazakov (UKR) (116) | 6 | |
| Daniel Wells (WAL) (51) | 6 | |
| Oliver Brown (ENG) (88) | 2 | |
| Duane Jones (WAL) (a)[b] | 6 | |
| T. Tirapongpaiboon (THA) (109) | 3 | |
| Stan Moody (ENG) (41) | 6 | |
| Panchaya Channoi (THA) (125) | 0 | |
| Noppon Saengkham (THA) (29) | 3 | |
| Sam Craigie (ENG) (71) | 6 | |
| David Lilley (ENG) (59) | 6 | |
| Reanne Evans (ENG) (83) | 1 | |
| Zhao Xintong (CHN) (2)† | ||
| Ian Burns (ENG) (76) | ||
- Note: † Match held over to the main venue in Nanjing.
Century breaks
[edit]Qualifying stage centuries
[edit]A total of 45 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Leicester.[13]
- 142 – Kyren Wilson
- 137, 106 – Stuart Carrington
- 135, 117, 103 – David Grace
- 132 – Jack Lisowski
- 130 – David Gilbert
- 130 – Xiao Guodong
- 128 – John Higgins
- 125, 105 – Gao Yang
- 123 – Lyu Haotian
- 121 – Mark Selby
- 121 – Matthew Stevens
- 120 – Luo Zetao
- 117 – Liu Hongyu
- 114 – Ishpreet Singh Chadha
- 113 – Florian Nüßle
- 111 – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- 108 – Liam Davies
- 108 – Jak Jones
- 107 – Jamie Clarke
- 107 – Zhao Hanyang
- 106, 104 – Hossein Vafaei
- 106 – Liam Highfield
- 106 – Liam Pullen
- 106 – Xu Si
- 105, 100 – Neil Robertson
- 105 – Dylan Emery
- 105 – Liam Graham
- 105 – Yuan Sijun
- 104 – Sam Craigie
- 104 – Jimmy White
- 103 – Huang Jiahao
- 103 – Antoni Kowalski
- 103 – Stephen Maguire
- 103 – Mitchell Mann
- 103 – Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon
- 102 – Ross Muir
- 101 – Marco Fu
- 100 – Joe O'Connor
- 100 – Mark Williams
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Joshua Thomond replaced Ronnie O'Sullivan who withdrew.[4]
- ↑ Duane Jones replaced Mark Allen who withdrew.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Judd Trump beats Robertson in International Championship final". BBC Sport. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- 1 2 "International Championship". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 6 October 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 "International Championship 2026". snooker.org. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "International Championship Qualifiers 2026". snooker.org. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Calendar 2026/2027". snooker.org. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Wonderful Wu captures maiden glory". World Snooker Tour. 9 November 2025. Archived from the original on 20 April 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- 1 2 "International Championship qualifiers day one". World Snooker Tour. 17 September 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- 1 2 "International Championship qualifiers day two". World Snooker Tour. 18 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "International Championship qualifiers day three". World Snooker Tour. 19 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "International Championship 2026 matches". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ "Flowchart for International Championship". snooker.org. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ "International Championship 2026 qualifiers matches". World Snooker Tour. 19 September 2026. Archived from the original on 19 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Centuries: International Championship Qualifiers – 45". snookerinfo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 September 2026. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
