Scottish Open 2026 Snooker Qualifying: The Complete Guide
The BetVictor Scottish Open is one of the most prestigious ranking events on the professional snooker calendar and the third leg of the Home Nations Series. Held annually in Scotland, it sits alongside three other “home” tournaments representing the nations of the British Isles: the English Open (England), the Northern Ireland Open (Northern Ireland), and the Welsh Open (Wales).
The winner lifts the Stephen Hendry Trophy, named after the legendary Scotsman who won seven World Championships and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the sport has ever produced. Hendry himself won this tournament just once — in 1999 in Aberdeen — before the trophy bore his name.
Tournament History
The Scottish Open traces its roots to 1981, when it was staged as the International Open in Derby. It became only the second ranking event after the World Championship. Over the decades, the tournament adopted various names — the Matchroom Trophy, the Players Championship — and moved between cities.
Under the Scottish Open banner, the event ran from 1998 to 2003 in Aberdeen and Edinburgh before a 13-year hiatus. It returned in 2016 as part of the newly created Home Nations Series and has been held every year since.
Hong Kong’s Marco Fu won the first modern Scottish Open in 2016, beating John Higgins — the Glasgow favourite — in the final. Other champions include Neil Robertson (2017, 2020), Mark Selby (2019), Luca Brecel (2022), Lei Peifan (2024), and Chris Wakelin (2025). Hendry remains the only Scotsman to have won the tournament.
Scottish Open 2026: Key Details
- Full title: 2026 BetVictor Scottish Open.
- Main event: December 14–20, 2026.
- Venue: Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Qualifying: September 20–23, 2026, Mattioli Arena, Leicester, England.
- Defending champion: Chris Wakelin (England), who defeated Chang Bingyu 9-2 in the 2025 final.
- Title sponsor: BetVictor.
Prize Money
The total prize fund for the 2026 Scottish Open is £550,400:
- Winner — £100,000.
- Runner-up — £45,000.
- Semi-finalists — £21,000.
- Quarter-finalists — £13,200.
- Last 16 — £9,000.
- Last 32 — £5,400.
- Last 64 — £3,600.
- Round 2 qualifying losers — £1,000.
- Highest break — £5,000.
Qualifying Format
Qualifying for the 2026 Scottish Open runs from September 20 to 23 at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester — the third and final leg of September’s qualifying triple-header, following the Northern Ireland Open and International Championship qualifiers.
Qualifying consists of two rounds:
- Round 1 (September 20–21). 32 matches: players ranked 65th and below in the world face each other. Format: best-of-7 (first to 4). The field includes tour rookies, amateurs, women’s tour players, and lower-ranked professionals.
- Round 2 (September 22–23). 32 matches: Round 1 winners face players seeded 33–64 in the world rankings. Same best-of-7 format. Winners earn their place in the main draw in Edinburgh, where they will meet the top 32 seeds.
Qualifying is held behind closed doors — there is no public access to the Mattioli Arena. Online coverage is available on WST Play with commentary on table one.
Main-Event Format
The main stages at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh (December 14–20) use a tiered format:
- Last 64 and last 32 — best-of-7 (first to 4).
- Quarter-finals and semi-finals — best-of-11 (first to 6).
- Final — best-of-17 (first to 9, across two sessions).
The top 32 seeds enter the draw at the last-64 stage in Edinburgh, while qualifiers work their way through the preliminary rounds in Leicester.
The Home Nations Series and the £150,000 Bonus
The Scottish Open is the third of four Home Nations events in the 2026/27 season:
- English Open (September, Brentwood) — won by Ali Carter.
- Northern Ireland Open (October, Belfast) — defending champion Jack Lisowski.
- Scottish Open (December, Edinburgh) — defending champion Chris Wakelin.
- Welsh Open (February–March 2027) — the Ray Reardon Trophy.
Each tournament in the series awards a trophy named after a snooker legend from the host nation: Steve Davis (English Open), Alex Higgins (NI Open), Stephen Hendry (Scottish Open), and Ray Reardon (Welsh Open).
The player who accumulates the most prize money across all four events receives an additional bonus of £150,000 and the title of Home Nations Series champion.
Broadcast and Tickets
Qualifying is streamed on WST Play with commentary (table one). The main event in Edinburgh will be broadcast on TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO Max, WST Play, and other platforms worldwide.
Tickets for the main stages at the Meadowbank Sports Centre are already on sale via the WST website.
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