The international snooker calendar is always packed with exciting events, and the remainder of 2016 is no exception. We’re lucky in the UK — although snooker championships are played all over the world, we host a large proportion of the top events, including the new Home Nations quartet. Here’s a taste of what’s coming up in the rest of 2016.
The English Open
The first of the Home Nations tournaments, the English Open will be held at Event City, Manchester, from 10th-16th October. A brand-new event, this will feature 128 snooker stars competing for a £70,000 first prize, with prize money totalling £366,000.
With ticket prices starting from just £8, this is a great opportunity to see your idols playing live. But there’s not much time left to book, and tickets are going fast.
Champion of Champions
The Champion of Champions tournament is back at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry in November. From the 7th to the 12th, sixteen winners of major titles in the past year will take on one another to win £100,000 and become Champion of Champions.
Tickets start at £11, rising to £46 for an all-day seat for the final. Or, if you can’t make the event live, you’ll be able to watch it on Channel 4.
Northern Ireland Open
Another new event, the Northern Ireland Open will be held at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast from 14th-20th November. As with the English Open, 128 world snooker stars will be competing not only for the prize money but also the very first Alex Higgins Trophy.
Again, the cheapest concession tickets are just £8, so make sure you get booked before the event’s sold out.
UK Championship
Second only to the World Championship in significance and part of the Triple Crown, the Betway UK Championship will be at the York Barbican from 22nd November to 4th December. Neil Robertson will be defending his title against the best the snooker world has to offer.
You’ll be able to see it on TV, but with tickets starting surprisingly cheap it’s well worth catching at least one day’s play live.
Scottish Open
Another of the new Home Nations tournaments, the first Scottish Open will be at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow from 12th-18th December. Besides the trophy and prize pot, players have the chance of winning £1m if they can make a clean sweep of all four.
The Home Nations tournaments will be shown on Eurosports, but tickets are affordable to all.
It doesn’t stop here. Early 2017 offers the Masters, the World Grand Prix and the Welsh Open, culminating in April with the gem of the snooker year — the World Championship.
Click here to download the full calendar.