International Championship 2026 preview: Wu Yize defends in Nanjing as snooker heads to China

The snooker tour arrives in China this week for one of the richest ranking events of the season. The International Championship starts at the SNC National Fitness Center in Nanjing on Saturday 31 October, with the final on Saturday 7 November. Wu Yize is the defending champion. Nanjing is on UTC+8, the same as Malaysia, so every session is shown live at the same clock time in Kuala Lumpur.

Dates, prize money and format

This is the 12th International Championship and the eighth ranking event of the 2026-27 season. It follows the Northern Ireland Open and is the last ranking event before the UK Championship.

The total prize fund is £825,000. The winner receives £175,000 and the runner-up £75,000. Losing semi-finalists get £33,000, losing quarter-finalists £22,000 and the highest break of the tournament earns £5,000. Players who lose in the last 64 still receive £5,000.

Every round up to the quarter-finals is best of 11 frames. The semi-finals are best of 17 and the final is best of 19.

Wu Yize back where he made his name

Wu won the title last year, beating John Higgins 10-6 in the final. Chinese players have won each of the last three editions: Zhang Anda won in 2023, Ding Junhui in 2024 and Wu in 2025. Ding, Mark Selby and Judd Trump have each won the event twice, so a third title for any of them would set a new record.

Ding and Zhao Xintong will draw big home crowds, and Higgins is in the draw again after reaching last year's final. He opens against Lyu Haotian on Sunday 1 November, according to the snooker.org schedule.

Three qualifying matches were held over to Nanjing. They decide the first-round opponents of Trump, Fan Zhengyi and Jackson Page.

Wilson and Jones arrive from Belfast

Kyren Wilson, who beat Jak Jones 9-2 to win the Northern Ireland Open on Sunday, opens against Liam Highfield on 1 November. Wilson made the highest break of the qualifiers, a 142, when he beat Leone Crowley 6-5 in September. Jones, the Belfast runner-up, plays China's Wang Xinbo on the opening day.

First-round matches to watch

Saturday's schedule includes a meeting between Jimmy White and Mark Selby, and Shaun Murphy against Mitchell Mann. Murphy came from 0-3 down in qualifying to beat Zhao Hanyang 6-4. Neil Robertson, who whitewashed Alexander Ursenbacher in qualifying, faces Jiang Jun. Ricky Walden, the 2014 champion, plays Barry Hawkins.

On Sunday, Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh plays Luca Brecel and Stuart Bingham meets Marco Fu, the 2013 runner-up. Ali Carter is already out after losing 6-2 to Anton Kazakov in qualifying. The qualifying event in Leicester produced 45 century breaks.

Key takeaways

• The International Championship runs from 31 October to 7 November 2026 in Nanjing, on the same time zone as Malaysia.
• The winner receives £175,000 from a total prize fund of £825,000.
• Wu Yize defends the title he won by beating John Higgins 10-6 in 2025.
• Northern Ireland Open champion Kyren Wilson opens against Liam Highfield on 1 November.
• Matches are best of 11 frames until the semi-finals (best of 17) and the final (best of 19).

FAQ

When is the 2026 International Championship? It runs from Saturday 31 October to Saturday 7 November 2026 in Nanjing, China. Malaysian viewers do not need to convert times because Nanjing is also on UTC+8.

Who is the defending champion? Wu Yize. He beat John Higgins 10-6 in the 2025 final.

How much does the winner get? £175,000, from a total prize fund of £825,000.

Sources: Wikipedia, snooker.org, Totally Snookered, World Snooker Tour