British Open snooker 2026: Dates, TV channel, FREE live stream and full schedule as Judd Trump eyes title in Cheltenham

SNOOKER returns to UK shores after a long few weeks in China as the British Open gets underway tomorrow. The famous Cheltenham Racecourse will be swapping the fences for the baize this week as it welcomes snooker‘s biggest stars. Judd Trump has been knocked down from World No1 for the first time in two years Credit: Getty Shaun Murphy won the British Open last year Credit: Getty This tournament follows an FA Cup style draw where there is no seeding, meaning that the sport’s biggest stars can be pitted against each other from the first round. Judd Trump, who has just been dethroned by Zhao Xintong as World No1, will be in Cheltenham as he looks to take back his throne. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! However, seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from this tournament for the fourth consecutive year, with the World Snooker Tour confirming it is for medical reasons. Shaun Murphy beat Anthony McGill to win the title at Prestbury Park last year to kick off a wonderful 2025 campaign – The Magician is back to defend his crown once again. When is the British Open 2026? The tournament kicks off on Monday, August 31. It all comes to a close with the final on Sunday, September 6. The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse will host the action. What TV channel is the British Open on and can it be live streamed FREE? In some good news for snooker fans in the UK, the British Open will be broadcast for free this week, with Channel 5 airing the tournament. You can also stream all of the action live and for FREE via 5’s app and website. Alternatively, you can follow live updates from Cheltenham by following SunSport’s live blog. British Open 2026 schedule: *All times in BST Monday, August 31Round oneFrom 1pm Most read in Sport Mark Williams vs David Gilbert Ding Junhui vs Anton Kazakov Xiao Guodong vs Jiang Jun Shaun Murphy vs Reanne Evans From 2pm Barry Hawkins vs Haohui Deng Wu Yize vs Liu Hongyu Mark Joyce vs Mateusz Baranowski Florian Nuessle vs Kyren Wilson From 7pm Oliver Brown vs Zhao Xintong Judd Trump vs Dylan Emery Xinbo Wang vs Patrick Whelan Chris Wakelin vs Luca Brecel From 8pm John Higgins vs Hossein Vafaei Pang Junxu vs Neil Robertson Mark Selby vs David Lilley Ashley Carty vs Si Jiahui Tuesday, September 1Round twoFrom 10am Gong Chenzhi vs He Guoqiang Chatchapong Nasa vs Chang Bingyu From 1pm Iulian Boiko vs Xu Yichen Yang Liu vs Duane Jones From 2pm Joshua Thomond vs Artemus Zizins Mahmoud El Hareedy vs Liam Highfield From 7pm Steven Hallworth vs Ishpreet Singh Chadha Elliot Slessor vs Jamie Clarke From 8pm Ali Carter vs Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon Phil O’Kane vs Michael Holt Wednesday, September 2Round twoFrom 10am Long Zehuang vs Carty/Jiahui Matthew Stevens vs Fan Zhengyi From 1pm Bai Yulu vs Ross Muir Jamie Jones vs Wang/Whelan From 2pm David Grace vs Zak Surety Aaron Hill vs Ben Mertens Comment now