From November 2-9, the eyes of the snooker world will be on China for the 2025 International Championship. Some of the world’s best will descend upon the SNC National Fitness Center in Nanjing, hoping to get their hands on the title.
It is the eighth WST ranking event of the 2025/26 season and sees the winner walk away with almost £200,000. The 2024 winner was China’s own Ding Junhui, and he returns this year to defend his title. Other big names like Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan will join Ding in China, hoping for a good week in Nanjing.
With no automatic qualification, all those big names have had to come through one round already, but a group of qualifiers have been held over to be played on the first day of action on November 2.
Below, we have all you need to know about the International Championship so you can stay up-to-date with all the snooker action in Nanjing.
International Championship key information
• Date: Sunday, November 2 - Sunday, November 9
• Session times: 1:30am, 6:30am,11:30am GMT (opening rounds) - 6am, 11:30am GMT (quarterfinals onwards)
• Venue: SNC National Fitness Center, Nanjing
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Odds: Trump (4/1) - O’Sullivan (5/1) - Xintong (6/1)
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change
Qualified Players
Many of the world’s best will be in Nanjing for the tournament. China’s Ding Junhui is the reigning champion, but the home crowd’s best chances for another home victor lie with the reigning world champion, Zhao Xintong. The Cyclone was the first Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship back in May, defeating Mark Williams 18–12 in the final.
Alongside Judd Trump, Mark Williams, and Ronnie O’Sullivan, a big British contingent will feature, including Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Barry Hawkins and Jack Lisowski. The only Australian in the draw is the ever-present Neil Robertson, who has already progressed into the second round because his opponent, Ken Doherty, has pulled out with illness.
What’s the format?
No player automatically qualified for the International Championship, with qualifying rounds taking place in Sheffield from September 30 - October 2. A group of qualifying matches were held over from Sheffield to be played in Nanjing, with Ding, Trump and O’Sullivan all set to have their qualifiers on the first day of action, November 2.
Round one will be the Last 64 stage and is best of 11 frames. It stays like this until the semifinals, when it becomes the best of 17 frames. The final is best of 19 and will be played over two sessions.
What is the International Championship prize money?
The full prize pot for the 2025 International Championship is £825,000. The winner will take home £175,000 of that, with the runner-up earning £75,000. A semifinal exit will pocket a player £33,000, and a quarter's exit is £22,000.
Here’s a full breakdown of the prize money on offer:
2025 International Championship Prize Money
Winner: £175,000
Runner-up: £75,000
Semi-finals: £33,000
Quarter-finals: £22,000
Last 16: £14,000
Last 32: £9,000
Last 64: £5,000
High Break: £5,000
Where to watch?
You can watch all the action live on TNT Sports in the UK. To watch TNT Sports, you need to have a subscription to discovery+, and then you can watch all the action on the website, on the app, on your smart TV or through your console.