# 2026 Championship League (ranking)
The 2026 Championship League (ranking) was a professional snooker ranking tournament, the seventh ranking edition of the Championship League, staged from 22 June to 15 July 2026 at the Mattioli Arena in [Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicester), England, and won by Jak Jones, who beat David Gilbert 3-2 in the final for his first professional title.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) It was the first ranking event of the 2026-27 season and the first professional trophy of that season.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) • [10](https://www.wst.tv/news/2026/may/18/2026-27-season-calendar-with-seeding-cut-offs/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | 22 June to 15 July 2026, Mattioli Arena, Leicester, played behind closed doors over 21 days[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) • [3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) |
| Field and format | 128 players in 32 round-robin groups of four, narrowing through 8 groups and 2 groups to a best-of-five grand final[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) |
| Champion | Jak Jones, ranked 22, beat David Gilbert 3-2 in the final; his first ranking title[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) |
| Prize money | £328,000 total fund; £20,000 champion's cheque; £33,000 winner's total purse; £23,000 runner-up[4](https://snookerhq.com/2026/07/15/2026-championship-league-snooker-final-day/) • [5](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/2026-championship-league-snooker-finals-day-live-blog-latest-updates-from-leicester-8799526) |
| Notable break | Si Jiahui made a 147 maximum in the group stage, the second of his career and the 243rd in professional snooker[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) |
| Top-16 presence | Five of the world's top 16 entered: Zhao Xintong, Mark Williams, Kyren Wilson, Chris Wakelin, and Si Jiahui[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) |
| Previous champion | Stephen Maguire (2025)[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) |
## Overview
The event was the season opener on the World Snooker Tour ranking calendar, held before any other ranking tournament of 2026-27.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [10](https://www.wst.tv/news/2026/may/18/2026-27-season-calendar-with-seeding-cut-offs/) It carried BetVictor title sponsorship and was played without an audience at the Mattioli Arena, the venue known in earlier seasons as the Leicester Arena.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [6](https://www.trophyroom.co.uk/championshipleague.html) [The 21](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-21)-day schedule was divided into four phases, and each player appeared on a maximum of three of the 21 days.[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105)
## Format and qualification
The Championship League uses a group round-robin structure rather than the knockout draw of a standard ranking event. The 128-player field was initially split into 32 groups of four; the winner of each group advanced, and the format repeated with eight groups of four, then two groups of four, whose winners met in the grand final.[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105)
In each pool, players faced each other once in best-of-four frames matches. In the final groups there were three points for a win and one point each for a 2-2 draw; ties were resolved by frame difference, then head-to-head results, then highest breaks.[5](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/2026-championship-league-snooker-finals-day-live-blog-latest-updates-from-leicester-8799526) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) The two group winners met in a best-of-five frames grand final, with play beginning at 11:00 BST on finals day.[5](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/2026-championship-league-snooker-finals-day-live-blog-latest-updates-from-leicester-8799526)
## Prize money
The total prize fund was £328,000.[5](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/2026-championship-league-snooker-finals-day-live-blog-latest-updates-from-leicester-8799526) The champion's cheque was worth £20,000, but bonuses accumulated through the group stages raised the overall winner's purse to £33,000; the runner-up received £23,000.[4](https://snookerhq.com/2026/07/15/2026-championship-league-snooker-final-day/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) Prize money earned counts toward the one-year rankings used for Players Series qualification, and the winner also gains a place in the Champion of Champions in November.[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) • [1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/)
## Tournament results
Jak Jones, a 32-year-old from Cwmbran in south Wales who turned professional in 2010 and was runner-up at the 2024 [World Snooker Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-snooker-championship), won his first career title.[7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cwym73z8endo) In the final group phase he beat Hossein Vafaei 3-0 with a top break of 116, drew 2-2 with Zhang Anda, and beat Dylan Emery 3-0 with runs of 70 and 87, topping his group with 7 points.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760)
David Gilbert, the 2021 champion, topped the other group with 7 points ahead of Noppon Saengkham, Elliot Slessor, and Lei Peifan. He made breaks of 104 and 101 against Lei Peifan, 102 and 82 against Elliot Slessor, and finished with a 140 in a 3-1 win over Noppon Saengkham.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760)
**The final.** Gilbert took the opening frame with a break of 104; Jones leveled with 64, Gilbert made 66 in the third frame, and Jones forced the decider with an 86. Jones won the fifth frame 69-19 with a break of 55, completing a 3-2 win from 2-1 down.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760) The £33,000 prize and the Champion of Champions place were the first title rewards of Jones's career since he turned professional in 2010.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/)
During the group stage Si Jiahui made a 147 maximum break in the first frame of his match against Xu Yichen, the second maximum of his career and the 243rd in professional snooker.[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760)
## By the numbers
The tournament ran 21 days and began with 128 players.[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) The statistical tracker Century Radar recorded 282 matches across the 2025–26 Championship League, combining the ranking and invitational editions; 143 went to a deciding frame and 191 centuries were made, and its tracked matches spanned 2 January to 15 July 2026.[8](https://centuryradar.com/tournaments/championship-league-2026/) Century Radar attributes the highest break, a 147, to Wu Yize, while snooker.org records Si Jiahui's 147 in the ranking edition's group stage; both maximums are documented.[8](https://centuryradar.com/tournaments/championship-league-2026/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760)
## How it compares with other ranking events
The Championship League name covers two separate tournaments. From the 2020/21 season the event was upgraded to ranking status, while the original invitational Championship League continued to be played separately.[6](https://www.trophyroom.co.uk/championshipleague.html) In 2026 the invitational edition ran from 2 January to 11 February in Leicester and was won by [Mark Selby](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-selby); the ranking edition, the subject of this article, ran from 22 June to 15 July.[9](https://snookerpro.de/turniere/format/championship-league/)
The ranking edition's prize structure is modest compared with most other ranking events: the £328,000 fund and £20,000 champion's cheque sit well below the sums on offer at the season's major titles, and because of this many top players elect to skip the event.[4](https://snookerhq.com/2026/07/15/2026-championship-league-snooker-final-day/) • [3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) Only five of the world's top 16 entered in 2026.[3](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105) For UK and Ireland viewers, live coverage was available on the Matchroom Multi Sport and Matchroom Pool YouTube channels.[4](https://snookerhq.com/2026/07/15/2026-championship-league-snooker-final-day/)
## History of the event
The Championship League began as an invitational event and was upgraded to ranking status from the 2020/21 season.[6](https://www.trophyroom.co.uk/championshipleague.html) The first ranking edition was staged at the Marshall Arena in [Milton Keynes](https://www.edgepedia.org/milton-keynes); from 2021/22 through 2025/26 it was held at the Leicester Arena in England, renamed the Mattioli Arena by 2026.[6](https://www.trophyroom.co.uk/championshipleague.html) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760)
The roll of honor of the ranking edition reads: [Kyren Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyren-wilson) (2020), David Gilbert (2021), [Luca Brecel](https://www.edgepedia.org/luca-brecel) (2022), [Shaun Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaun-murphy) (2023), Ali Carter (2024), Stephen Maguire (2025), and Jak Jones (2026, beating Gilbert in the final).[5](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/2026-championship-league-snooker-finals-day-live-blog-latest-updates-from-leicester-8799526) • [6](https://www.trophyroom.co.uk/championshipleague.html)
## References
1. [Jones Lands First Ranking Title, WPBSA](https://www.wpbsa.com/jones-lands-first-ranking-title/)
2. [Championship League 2026, snooker.org](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2760)
3. [Star names in contention for first trophy of the snooker season at Championship League, Totally Snookered](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/star-names-in-contention-for-first-trophy-of-the-snooker-season-at-championship-league-8744105)
4. [Who will win the 2026 Championship League Snooker? Eight players enter the final day, SnookerHQ](https://snookerhq.com/2026/07/15/2026-championship-league-snooker-final-day/)
5. [2026 Championship League Snooker Finals Day LIVE BLOG, Totally Snookered](https://www.totallysnookered.com/sport/snooker/tournaments/championship-league-snooker/2026-championship-league-snooker-finals-day-live-blog-latest-updates-from-leicester-8799526)
6. [Championship League, Trophy Room](https://www.trophyroom.co.uk/championshipleague.html)
7. [Championship League: Jak Jones beats David Gilbert to win first professional title, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cwym73z8endo)
8. [2026 Championship League: Results and Scores, Century Radar](https://centuryradar.com/tournaments/championship-league-2026/)
9. [Alle Championship League Turniere, SnookerPRO](https://snookerpro.de/turniere/format/championship-league/)
10. [2026/27 Season Calendar With Seeding Cut-Offs](https://www.wst.tv/news/2026/may/18/2026-27-season-calendar-with-seeding-cut-offs/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Board games › Modern designer board games › Board game industry, designers, and culture*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license