Scottish Open 2026 Qualifiers Draw Released: The Road to Edinburgh Starts September 20
The World Snooker Tour has published the draw for the qualifying rounds of the BetVictor Scottish Open 2026 — the third leg of the Home Nations Series. Qualifying will run from September 20 to 23 at the Leicester Arena (Mattioli Arena), with players competing for places in the final stages, which take place from December 14 to 20 at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh.
Defending Champion and Tournament Format
Chris Wakelin is the defending champion after a dominant 9-2 victory over Chang Bingyu in the 2025 final, lifting the Stephen Hendry Trophy and banking the £100,000 top prize. It was Wakelin’s second ranking title, following his 2023 Shoot Out success.
As with other Home Nations events, the top 32 players in the world rankings receive automatic entry to the main draw, with the remaining spots decided through qualifying. The total prize fund stands at £550,400.
Notable Names in Qualifying
Several eye-catching entries feature in the Leicester draw.
- Scotland’s Anthony McGill and Scott Donaldson will be hoping to book their places at what is effectively a home event in Edinburgh. McGill is in strong form, having already reached the last 16 at the ongoing English Open.
- Rising star Stan Moody, who made headlines with his shock victory over John Higgins at the recent British Open, is also in the qualifying field.
- Among the seasoned names, 64-year-old Jimmy White continues to compete on the professional tour and will be in action in Leicester, alongside Marco Fu — the former Scottish Open finalist who famously stunned John Higgins in the final when the event was held in Glasgow.
- Former world champion Luca Brecel, who has endured a difficult spell on tour, will also attempt to qualify through the preliminary rounds.
- Event Details
The qualifying matches in Leicester are closed to the public — there is no spectator access at the Leicester Arena. Details on how to watch the qualifiers online will be announced in due course.
The final stages at the Meadowbank Sports Centre run from December 14 to 20, with tickets already on sale. The full line-up and draw for Edinburgh will be confirmed once qualifying is complete.
| # | Player 1 | Player 2 | Time (BST) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇹🇭Chatchapong Nasa | v | 🏴Allan Taylor | 10:00 |
| 11 | 🏴Mitchell Mann | v | 🏴Stuart Carrington | 10:00 |
| 24 | 🇺🇦Iulian Boiko | v | 🇪🇬Mahmoud El Hareedy | 10:00 |
| 26 | 🏴Sam Craigie | v | 🇵🇱Antoni Kowalski | 10:00 |
| 2 | 🇨🇦Sahil Nayyar | v | 🇨🇳Gong Chenzhi | 13:00 |
| 3 | 🏴Dylan Emery | v | 🏴Ashley Hugill | 13:00 |
| 4 | 🇦🇹Florian Nüßle | v | 🇨🇳Deng Haohui | 13:00 |
| 5 | 🇨🇭Alexander Ursenbacher | v | 🇹🇭Panchaya Channoi | 13:00 |
| 6 | 🏴Oliver Brown | v | 🇺🇦Michael Larkov | 16:00 |
| 7 | 🏴Ross Muir | v | 🏴Jack Borwick | 16:00 |
| 8 | 🇨🇳Xu Yichen | v | 🏴Steven Wardropper | 16:00 |
| 9 | 🇨🇳Yao Pengcheng | v | 🏴Hammad Miah | 16:00 |
| 10 | 🇵🇱Michal Szubarczyk | v | 🇭🇰Cheung Ka Wai | 19:00 |
| 12 | 🇨🇳Gao Yang | v | 🇨🇳Huang Jiahao | 19:00 |
| 13 | 🏴Steven Hallworth | v | 🏴Alfie Burden | 19:00 |
| 14 | 🏴Ashley Carty | v | 🇪🇬Mina Awad | 19:00 |
📅 Monday, September 21
| # | Player 1 | Player 2 | Time (BST) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 🏴Reanne Evans | v | 🏴Oliver Sykes | 10:00 |
| 16 | 🇵🇱Mateusz Baranowski | v | 🏴Patrick Whelan am | 10:00 |
| 17 | 🇹🇭Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon | v | 🏴Paul Norris | 10:00 |
| 18 | 🏴Liam Davies | v | 🇧🇪Julien Leclercq | 10:00 |
| 19 | 🇨🇳Liu Wenwei | v | 🏴Andrew Higginson | 13:00 |
| 20 | 🇨🇳Wang Xinbo | v | 🇨🇳Luo Zetao | 13:00 |
| 21 | 🇭🇰Marco Fu | v | 🇭🇰Ng On Yee f | 13:00 |
| 22 | 🇱🇻Artemijs Zizins | v | 🏴Craig Steadman | 13:00 |
| 23 | 🏴David Grace | v | 🏴Sean O’Sullivan | 16:00 |
| 25 | 🏴Connor Benzey | v | 🇺🇦Anton Kazakov | 16:00 |
| 27 | 🇨🇳Lan Yuhao | v | 🏴Joshua Thomond | 16:00 |
| 28 | 🏴Liam Graham | v | 🇨🇳Bai Yulu f | 16:00 |
| 29 | 🏴Jamie Clarke | v | 🇬🇧Fergal Quinn | 19:00 |
| 30 | 🇨🇳Zhao Hanyang | v | 🏴Phil O’Kane | 19:00 |
| 31 | 🏴Ian Burns | v | 🇨🇳Liu Yang | 19:00 |
| 32 | 🇮🇪Leone Crowley | v | 🏴Jimmy White | 19:00 |
Qualifying Round 2 — Last 96
Best of 7 frames · Losers receive £1,000 · Winners advance to main draw in Edinburgh
| # | Seed | Qualifier | Time (BST) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🏴Louis Heathcote | v | TBD (R1 winner) | 10:00 |
| 11 | 🏴Scott Donaldson | v | TBD | 10:00 |
| 24 | 🇧🇪Ben Mertens | v | TBD | 10:00 |
| 26 | 🇮🇪Aaron Hill | v | TBD | 10:00 |
| 2 | 🇧🇪Luca Brecel | v | TBD | 13:00 |
| 3 | 🇮🇳Ishpreet Singh Chadha | v | TBD | 13:00 |
| 4 | 🏴Matthew Stevens | v | TBD | 13:00 |
| 5 | 🏴Ben Woollaston | v | TBD | 13:00 |
| 6 | 🇨🇳Jiang Jun | v | TBD | 16:00 |
| 7 | 🏴Stan Moody | v | TBD | 16:00 |
| 8 | 🇬🇧Jordan Brown | v | TBD | 16:00 |
| 9 | 🏴Liam Highfield | v | TBD | 16:00 |
| 10 | 🏴Ryan Day | v | TBD | 19:00 |
| 12 | 🇨🇳He Guoqiang | v | TBD | 19:00 |
| 13 | 🏴Jimmy Robertson | v | TBD | 19:00 |
| 14 | 🏴Oliver Lines | v | TBD | 19:00 |
Where Scottish Open Fits in the Calendar
The Scottish Open is the 11th ranking event of the 2026/27 season and the third leg of the Home Nations Series, following the English Open (September) and the Northern Ireland Open (October). The fourth and final leg — the Welsh Open — will round off the series in early 2027. The player who accumulates the most prize money across all four Home Nations events will receive an additional £150,000 bonus and the Stephen Hendry Trophy for the overall series victory.
The final stages will be broadcast on TNT Sports, HBO Max, Eurosport, WST Play, and other platforms worldwide.
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