2025 Northern Ireland Open

The 2025 Northern Ireland Open (officially the 2025 BetVictor Northern Ireland Open) is an upcoming professional snooker tournament that will take place from 19 to 26 October 2025 at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Qualifiers took place from 4 to 7 September at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England. The 10th consecutive edition of the tournament since it was first staged in 2016, it will be the seventh ranking event of the 2025–26 snooker season, following the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix and preceding the 2025 International Championship. It will be the second of four tournaments in the season's Home Nations Series, following the 2025 English Open and preceding the 2025 Scottish Open and the 2026 Welsh Open. The winner will receive £100,000 from a total prize fund of £550,400.

2025 BetVictor Northern Ireland Open

Part of the Home Nations Series
Tournament information
Dates	19–26 October 2025 (2025-10-19 – 2025-10-26)
Venue	Waterfront Hall
City	Belfast
Country	Northern Ireland
Organisation	World Snooker Tour
Format	Ranking event
Total prize fund	£550,400
Winner's share	£100,000
Defending champion	Kyren Wilson (ENG)
← 2024

Kyren Wilson will be the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 9–3 in the 2024 final.

Overview

The Northern Ireland Open was first staged in 2016 and the inaugural winner was Mark King, who defeated Barry Hawkins 9–8 in the final to win his maiden ranking title.^[1] The winner receives the Alex Higgins Trophy, which was named in honour of the two-time world champion, who died in 2010.^[2] The 2025 edition of the tournament—the 10th consecutive staging of the event—will take place from 19 to 26 October at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.^[3] Qualifying took place from 4 to 7 September at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England.^[4] It will be the seventh ranking event of the 2025–26 snooker season, following the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix and preceding the 2025 International Championship.^[5] It will also be the second of four tournaments in the season's Home Nations Series, following the 2025 English Open and preceding the 2025 Scottish Open and the 2026 Welsh Open.^[6] Kyren Wilson will be the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 9–3 in the 2024 final.^[7]

Format

The tournament uses a tiered format first implemented for the Home Nations Series in the 2024–25 snooker season. In the first qualifying round, players seeded 65‍–‍96 faced those seeded 97 and under, including selected amateurs. In the second qualifying round, the 32 winners from the first qualifying round faced players seeded 33‍–‍64. At the last-64 stage, the 32 winners from the second qualifying round will face the top 32 seeds.^[8] All matches will be played as best of seven frames until the quarter‑finals, which will be the best of nine. The semi‑finals will be the best of 11, and the final will be a best‑of‑17 frame match played over two sessions.

Broadcasters

The qualifying rounds were broadcast in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Austria by Discovery+ and in other European territories by HBO Max. They were broadcast in mainland China by the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy Douyin, Huya Live and Migu [zh]. In all other territories, they were broadcast by WST Play.^[9]

Prize fund

The prize fund for the tournament is detailed below.^[10] In addition, the player who wins the most cumulative prize money across the season's four Home Nations Series events will receive a bonus of £150,000.^[11]

• Winner: £100,000
• Runner-up: £45,000
• Semi-final: £21,000
• Quarter-final: £13,200
• Last 16: £9,000
• Last 32: £5,400
• Last 64: £3,600
• Last 96: £1,000

• Highest break: £5,000
• Total: £550,400

Summary

First qualifying round

The 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty failed to get past the first qualifying round, losing 1–4 to tour debutant Yao Pengcheng. Marco Fu began his match against Amir Sarkhosh with back-to-back century breaks of 104 and 114 and went on to secure a 4–2 victory. Farakh Ajaib won a deciding frame on the colours to defeat Oliver Brown, and Ian Burns made a century break of 130 as he recorded a whitewash over Haydon Pinhey. Reanne Evans, a 12-time World Women's Champion, received a walkover after her opponent, Mohamed Shehab, withdrew from the event.^[12][13] Robbie McGuigan came from 0–2 behind against fellow Northern Irish player Fergal Quinn to take the lead at 3–2. Quinn, playing in his first season on the professional tour, recovered to win the match in a deciding frame. Mateusz Baranowski came from 0–3 behind to beat Wang Yuchen in a decider, and Liam Pullen made breaks of 89, 96, and 100 as he whitewashed Ben Mertens.^[14]

Second qualifying round

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who had recently reached the last 16 of the 2025 Wuhan Open, took a 3–1 lead over Julien Leclercq. Leclercq tied the scores at 3–3 and led by 59 points in the deciding frame, but Un-Nooh produced a 71 break and went on to win the match on the last pink. Dylan Emery defeated Xu Si in a deciding frame, while Stan Moody whitewashed Evans. Lan Yuhao, aged 17, made breaks of 115, 53, 80, and 50 as he defeated Michael Holt 4–2.^[15] Fu defeated Jamie Jones in a deciding frame, while the world number 83 Haris Tahir defeated the world number 39 Lyu Haotian, also in a decider.^[4] The 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel, who had recently conceded his 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix qualifier against Sunny Akani while 0–2 down, won his first match of the season by whitewashing Liam Davies. From 2–3 behind against Matthew Stevens, Steven Hallworth made a century of 136 to tie the scores and then a 64 break to win the decider. Anthony McGill advanced with a 4–1 victory over Alexander Ursenbacher, and Robert Milkins also reached the final stages with a 4–2 win over amateur player Patrick Whelan. Liam Pullen lost 2–4 to Long Zehuang but made a century of 143 in the match, his highest break in professional competition. Ashley Hugill, competing as an amateur, made breaks of 132 and 67 in the last two frames to beat Ricky Walden in a deciding frame. Zak Surety defeated Quinn, also in a decider.^[16]

Main draw

The results of the main draw are shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding, an "a" indicates amateur players who were not on the main World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners.^[17]

Top half

Last 64 Best of 7 frames

Last 32 Best of 7 frames

Last 16 Best of 7 frames

Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames

Semi-finals Best of 11 frames

Kyren Wilson (ENG) (1)

Oliver Lines (ENG) (61)

Matthew Selt (ENG) (31)

Ryan Day (WAL) (34)

Wu Yize (CHN) (16)

Scott Donaldson (SCO) (54)

David Gilbert (ENG) (21)

He Guoqiang (CHN) (43)

Joe O'Connor (ENG) (24)

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (41)

Zhang Anda (CHN) (10)

Mark Davis (ENG) (53)

Jack Lisowski (ENG) (25)

Haris Tahir (PAK) (81)

Mark Selby (ENG) (8)

Ian Burns (ENG) (116)

Mark Williams (WAL) (5)

Long Zehuang (CHN) (51)

Yuan Sijun (CHN) (27)

Daniel Wells (WAL) (42)

Chris Wakelin (ENG) (11)

Lan Yuhao (CHN) (89)

Tom Ford (ENG) (17)

Marco Fu (HKG) (121)

Stuart Bingham (ENG) (18)

Jimmy Robertson (ENG) (33)

Ali Carter (ENG) (14)

Stan Moody (ENG) (58)

Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (29)

Dylan Emery (WAL) (91)

Neil Robertson (AUS) (4)

David Grace (ENG) (107)

Bottom half

Last 64 Best of 7 frames

Last 32 Best of 7 frames

Last 16 Best of 7 frames

Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames

Semi-finals Best of 11 frames

Judd Trump (ENG) (3)

Anthony McGill (SCO) (55)

Jackson Page (WAL) (32)

Steven Hallworth (ENG) (82)

Gary Wilson (ENG) (15)

Chang Bingyu (CHN) (75)

Jak Jones (WAL) (19)

Martin O'Donnell (ENG) (40)

Stephen Maguire (SCO) (23)

Luca Brecel (BEL) (37)

Si Jiahui (CHN) (12)

Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) (78)

Pang Junxu (CHN) (26)

Robbie Williams (ENG) (46)

John Higgins (SCO) (6)

Louis Heathcote (ENG) (88)

Barry Hawkins (ENG) (7)

Zak Surety (ENG) (60)

Lei Peifan (CHN) (28)

Aaron Hill (IRL) (44)

Mark Allen (NIR) (9)

Robert Milkins (ENG) (50)

Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (22)

Ben Woollaston (ENG) (35)

Elliot Slessor (ENG) (20)

Fan Zhengyi (CHN) (48)

Shaun Murphy (ENG) (13)

David Lilley (ENG) (56)

Noppon Saengkham (THA) (30)

Ashley Hugill (ENG) (a)

Zhao Xintong (CHN) (2)

Jordan Brown (NIR) (49)

Qualifying rounds

The results of the early rounds are shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding, an "a" indicates amateur players who were not on the main World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners.^[4][18]

	Round 1 (Last 128) Best of 7 frames				Round 2 (Last 96) Best of 7 frames
	Ken Doherty (IRL) (87)	1			Oliver Lines (ENG) (61)	4
	Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (114)	4			Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (114)	2
	Allan Taylor (ENG) (69)	4			Ryan Day (WAL) (34)	4
	Chatchapong Nasa (THA) (97)	1			Allan Taylor (ENG) (69)	1
	Antoni Kowalski (POL) (66)	4			Scott Donaldson (SCO) (54)	4
	Zak Sheldon (NIR) (a)	0			Antoni Kowalski (POL) (66)	2
	Chris Totten (SCO) (84)	0			He Guoqiang (CHN) (43)	4
	Liam Graham (SCO) (104)	4			Liam Graham (SCO) (104)	0
	Julien Leclercq (BEL) (73)	4			Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (41)	4
	Florian Nüßle (AUT) (118)	2			Julien Leclercq (BEL) (73)	3
	Farakh Ajaib (PAK) (71)	4			Mark Davis (ENG) (53)	4
	Oliver Brown (ENG) (100)	3			Farakh Ajaib (PAK) (71)	0
	Haris Tahir (PAK) (81)	4			Lyu Haotian (CHN) (36)	3
	Connor Benzey (ENG) (111)	0			Haris Tahir (PAK) (81)	4
	Haydon Pinhey (ENG) (77)	0			Sanderson Lam (ENG) (57)	2
	Ian Burns (ENG) (116)	4			Ian Burns (ENG) (116)	4
	Ben Mertens (BEL) (65)	0			Long Zehuang (CHN) (51)	4
	Liam Pullen (ENG) (105)	4			Liam Pullen (ENG) (105)	2
	Sunny Akani (THA) (67)	4			Daniel Wells (WAL) (42)	4
	Xu Yichen (CHN) (120)	2			Sunny Akani (THA) (67)	3
	Lan Yuhao (CHN) (89)	4			Michael Holt (ENG) (62)	2
	Mahmoud El Hareedy (EGY) (123)	2			Lan Yuhao (CHN) (89)	4
	Amir Sarkhosh (IRN) (70)	2			Jamie Jones (WAL) (45)	2
	Marco Fu (HKG) (121)	4			Marco Fu (HKG) (121)	4
	Jonas Luz (BRA) (93)	4			Jimmy Robertson (ENG) (33)	4
	Kreishh Gurbaxani (IND) (102)	3			Jonas Luz (BRA) (93)	0
	Reanne Evans (ENG) (95)	w/o			Stan Moody (ENG) (58)	4
	Mohammed Shehab (UAE) (98)[a]	w/d			Reanne Evans (ENG) (95)	0
	Dylan Emery (WAL) (91)	4			Xu Si (CHN) (39)	3
	Liam Highfield (ENG) (99)	1			Dylan Emery (WAL) (91)	4
	Bai Yulu (CHN) (90)	2			Gong Chenzhi (CHN) (63)	0
	David Grace (ENG) (107)	4			David Grace (ENG) (107)	4

	Round 1 (Last 128) Best of 7 frames				Round 2 (Last 96) Best of 7 frames
	Iulian Boiko (UKR) (83)	2			Anthony McGill (SCO) (55)	4
	Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) (108)	4			Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) (108)	1
	Steven Hallworth (ENG) (82)	4			Matthew Stevens (WAL) (47)	3
	Ross Muir (SCO) (103)	0			Steven Hallworth (ENG) (82)	4
	Chang Bingyu (CHN) (75)	4			Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND) (59)	0
	Jiang Jun (CHN) (117)	0			Chang Bingyu (CHN) (75)	4
	Sam Craigie (ENG) (86)	4			Martin O'Donnell (ENG) (40)	4
	Joel Connolly (NIR) (a)	1			Sam Craigie (ENG) (86)	2
	Liam Davies (WAL) (74)	4			Luca Brecel (BEL) (37)	4
	Ng On-yee (HKG) (106)	1			Liam Davies (WAL) (74)	0
	Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) (78)	4			Liu Hongyu (CHN) (52)	1
	Mink Nutcharut (THA) (101)	1			Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) (78)	4
	Huang Jiahao (CHN) (80)	4			Robbie Williams (ENG) (46)	4
	Jimmy White (ENG) (122)	2			Huang Jiahao (CHN) (80)	1
	Louis Heathcote (ENG) (88)	4			Duane Jones (WAL) (64)[b]	2
	Sahil Nayyar (CAN) (113)	0			Louis Heathcote (ENG) (88)	4
	Robbie McGuigan (NIR) (79)	3			Zak Surety (ENG) (60)	4
	Fergal Quinn (NIR) (110)	4			Fergal Quinn (NIR) (110)	3
	Gao Yang (CHN) (92)	4			Aaron Hill (IRL) (44)	4
	Liu Wenwei (CHN) (115)	1			Gao Yang (CHN) (92)	1
	Michał Szubarczyk (POL) (96)	1			Robert Milkins (ENG) (50)	4
	Patrick Whelan (ENG) (a)	4			Patrick Whelan (ENG) (a)	2
	Wang Yuchen (HKG) (68)	3			Ben Woollaston (ENG) (35)	4
	Mateusz Baranowski (POL) (119)	4			Mateusz Baranowski (POL) (119)	0
	Artemijs Žižins (LAT) (72)	4			Fan Zhengyi (CHN) (48)	4
	Zhao Hanyang (CHN) (109)	2			Artemijs Žižins (LAT) (72)	2
	Bulcsú Révész (HUN) (76)	2			David Lilley (ENG) (56)	4
	Leone Crowley (IRL) (112)	4			Leone Crowley (IRL) (112)	3
	Hatem Yassen (EGY) (94)	1			Ricky Walden (ENG) (38)	3
	Ashley Hugill (ENG) (a)	4			Ashley Hugill (ENG) (a)	4
	Mitchell Mann (ENG) (85)	4			Jordan Brown (NIR) (49)	4
	Umut Dikme (GER) (a)	3			Mitchell Mann (ENG) (85)	2

Note: w/d=withdrawn; w/o=walkover

Century breaks

Qualifying stage centuries

A total of 26 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Leicester.^[19]

• 143, 100 – Liam Pullen
• 138 – Liu Hongyu
• 136, 102 – Steven Hallworth
• 134 – Sunny Akani
• 132 – Ashley Hugill
• 130 – Ian Burns
• 128, 114, 104 – Marco Fu
• 127 – Scott Donaldson
• 126 – Robbie Williams
• 122 – Chang Bingyu
• 119 – Yao Pengcheng
• 115, 103 – Lan Yuhao
• 109 – Jimmy Robertson
• 109 – Ben Woollaston
• 106 – Jordan Brown
• 106 – Mahmoud El Hareedy
• 106 – Oliver Lines
• 104 – He Guoqiang
• 104 – Zak Surety
• 103 – Sam Craigie
• 103 – Aaron Hill

Notes

1. Mohammed Shehab withdrew from qualifying and so Reanne Evans was given a walkover.^[4]
2. In the qualifying match between Louis Heathcote and Duane Jones, Jones lost the fifth frame on the three‑miss rule,^[4] so that the WST match record shows the frame as a 57‍–‍45 points win for Jones.