International Championship Snooker 2023: How to watch, who is playing? Schedule? Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing?
This year sees a welcome return of the International Championship after a four-year absence from the snooker calendar.
The prestigious ranking event has not been held since 2019 due to an initial cancellation after the global coronavirus pandemic.
However, this November will see the sport’s top stars descend on the Tianjin People’s stadium in Tianjin as the tournament makes its long-awaited return.
Judd Trump is the reigning champion, having beaten Shaun Murphy in the final the last time the tournament was held.
When is the International Championship?
The returning competition begins on Sunday, November 5, 2023, with the final taking place on Sunday, November 12.
How to watch and stream the International Championship
Who is playing in the International Championship?
Defending champion and in-form Trump will be hoping to be among the 64 players competing at the International Championship in Tianjin should be come through his held-over qualifying match on November 5.
Other held-over qualifiers include Ronnie O’Sullivan who is taking on Ken Doherty, world champion Luca Brecel facing Daniel Womersley and another former winner in Ding Junhui against Ian Burns.
All the other former winners of the tournament in Mark Allen, Mark Selby, John Higgins and Ricky Walden have already qualified and will all feature in the main draw.
Others in action include Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams among others.
What is the International Championship schedule?
With initial qualifiers having taken place in Sheffield in September, the remaining qualifiers will take place on Sunday, November 5.
The first round will then begin on the same day with matches spread across two days to Monday, November 6.
Round two kicks off on Tuesday, November 7, with the last 16 taking to the baize on Wednesday.
The business end of the competition starts on Thursday, November 9 as the last eight do battle.
The two semi-finals will take place on Friday and Saturday, with the showpiece final on Sunday, November 12.
When is the final?
The 2023 International Championship is scheduled for Sunday, November 12, beginning at 6am, GMT.
What is the prize money?
There is a total of £825,000 of prize money on offer in Tianjin, set to be divided in the following format.
- 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
International Championship draw (all times GMT)
- Gong Chenzhi v Wang Xinzhong
- Ben Woollaston v Wang Xinbo
- Anthony Hamilton v Bai Yulu
- Zhou Yuelong v Martin O’Donnell
- Ding Junhui v Ian Burns
- Luca Brecel v Daniel Womersley
- Judd Trump v Gong Chenzhi / Wang Xinzhong
- Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ken Doherty
- Stephen Maguire v Joe O’Connor
- Jordan Brown v David Gilbert
- Tian Pengfei v Barry Hawkins
- Oliver Lines v Mark Allen
- Jack Lisowski v Scott Donaldson
- Ryan Day v Jackson Page
- Elliot Slessor v Kyren Wilson
- Marco Fu v Sanderson Lam
- Matthew Stevens v Stuart Bingham
- Chris Wakelin v Lyu Haotian
- Hossein Vafaei v Ross Muir
- David Grace v John Higgins
- Tom Ford v Cao Yupeng
- Jamie Jones v Ricky Walden
- Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Matthew Selt
- John Astley v Ali Carter
- Ben Woollaston / Wang Xinbov v Dylan Emery
- Mark Selby v Stuart Carrington
- Jimmy Robertson v Xiao Guodong
- Si Jiahui v Jak Jones
- Anthony Hamilton / Bai Yulu v Zhou Yuelong / Martin O’Donnell
- Mark Williams v Zhang Anda
- Noppon Saengkham v Liam Pullen
- Mark Davis v Brecel / Womersley
- Judd Trump / tbd v Michael White
- Ronnie O’Sullivan / Ken Doherty v Mark Joyce
- Anthony McGill v Sam Craigie
- Daniel Wells v Neil Robertson
- Shaun Murphy v Dominic Dale
- Robbie Williams v Gary Wilson
- Long Zehuang v Ding Junhui / Ian Burns
- Pang Junxu v Fan Zhengyi
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