The Northern Ireland Open gets underway on Sunday morning in Belfast, with the winner walking away a week later with the £100,000 top prize.
The event has become a standout on the calendar since its introduction in 2016, with a number of memorable finals played in a fantastic atmosphere.
Big hitters have done well in Belfast, with Judd Trump winning the Northern Ireland Open four times and reaching another final.
That one runner-up spot came last year when he was downed in the final by Kyren Wilson, who will be looking to become the third man to defend this title after Trump and Mark Allen.
The pair of wins for Allen were special moments in Belfast as the Northern Irishman lifted the Alex Higgins Trophy in front of a home crowd.
The Pistol will be back to try and trying to land a third crown, but Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams will not, after opting out of the competition.
Otherwise, it is a star-studded cast, with snooker’s top stars at the Waterfront Hall scrapping it out to become champion.
When is the Northern Ireland Open?
The tournament gets underway on the morning of Sunday October 19, with the final over two sessions on Sunday October 26.
How to watch the Northern Ireland Open
As per World Snooker Tour, the Northern Ireland Open is available to watch in the UK and Ireland on ‘TNT Sports and discovery+.
‘Freeview channel DMAX is showing weekday afternoon sessions and all semi-final and final sessions.
What is the venue for the Northern Ireland Open?
The Waterfront Hall in Belfast hosts the Northern Ireland Open and has done for seven of the nine editions of the tournament.
The first event in 2016 was at the Titanic Exhibition Centre and we had one year in Milton Keynes during Covid, but otherwise the Northern Ireland Open has found a home at the Waterfront.
Northern Ireland Open draw and schedule
Sunday October 19
10am
Chris Wakelin vs Lan Yuhao
1pm
Wu Yize vs Scott Donaldson
Noppon Saengkham vs Ashley Hugill
Zhao Xintong vs Jordan Brown
3pm
Mark Selby vs Ian Burns
Pang Junxu vs Robbie Williams
Hossein Vafaei vs Ben Woollaston
7pm
David Gilbert vs He Guoqiang
Jackson Page vs Steven Hallworth
9pm
Jack Lisowski vs Haris Tahir
John Higgins vs Louis Heathcote
Monday October 20
10am
Barry Hawkins vs Zak Surety
Elliot Slessor vs Fan Zhengyi
1pm
Yuan Sijun vs Daniel Wells
Zhou Yuelong vs Dylan Emery
Neil Robertson vs David Grace
3pm
Gary Wilson vs Chang Bingyu
Lei Peifan vs Aaron Hill
Shaun Murphy vs David Lilley
7pm
Stuart Bingham vs Jimmy Robertson
Jak Jones vs Martin O’Donnell
Mark Allen vs Robert Milkins
9pm
Joe O’Connor vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Tuesday October 21
10am
Zhang Anda vs Mark Davis
Stephen Maguire vs Luca Brecel
1pm
Kyren Wilson vs Oliver Lines
Si Jiahui vs Cheung Ka Wai
3pm
Matthew Selt vs Ryan Day
Ali Carter vs Stan Moody
2025 Northern Ireland Open prize money
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
Northern Ireland Open previous winners
2024 – Kyren Wilson 9-3 Judd Trump
2023 – Judd Trump 9-3 Chris Wakelin
2022 – Mark Allen 9-4 Zhou Yuelong
2021 – Mark Allen 9-8 John Higgins
2020 – Judd Trump 9-7 Ronnie O’Sullivan
2019 – Judd Trump 9-7 Ronnie O’Sullivan
2018 – Judd Trump 9-7 Ronnie O’Sullivan
2017 – Mark Williams 9-8 Yan Bingtao
2016 – Mark King 9-8 Barry Hawkins
What to look out for at the Northern Ireland Open
Six ranking events so far this season have produced six different winners, so it has been a case of expect the unexpected in recent months.
Those six champions do not include world number one Judd Trump or world champion Zhao Xintong, with both struggling for results so far this campaign.
Trump has won the event four times before and been in five of the last eight finals in Belfast, so no one will be surprised if he comes good next week.
The likes of Mark Selby and John Higgins are also looking for their first title of the season and are a threat to win every tournament they enter.
Kyren Wilson is the defending champion and has already won the Shanghai Masters this season, but has been struggling for results since while his wife has been suffering with health issues.
However, the 2024 world champion says Sophie is now on the mend after successful surgery and he hopes that will see his form return.
‘We’re about seven weeks in, my wife has had some surgery recently and we’ve been waiting on some results which thankfully have come back all good this week,’ Wilson told the BBC.
‘It’s been quite tough to be honest, there’s been a lot of strain on the family.
‘My wife has had a tough time of it but we’ve had some fantastic news which is certainly going to free up the mind for not just me, but all of us.
‘It’s going to make travelling and playing snooker a lot easier again.’
2025 Northern Ireland Open odds
Judd Trump 4/1
Zhao Xintong 11/2
Neil Robertson 6/1
Kyren Wilson 6/1
Mark Selby 6/1
Shaun Murphy 13/2
Mark Allen 15/2
John Higgins 10/1
Barry Hawkins 14/1
Jack Lisowski 18/1
Chris Wakelin 18/1
Gary Wilson 18/1
Wu Yize 18/1
Zhou Yuelong 20/1
Ali Carter 20/1
Si Jiahui 22/1
Stuart Bingham 25/1
Luca Brecel 25/1
Joe O’Connor 25/1
Jak Jones 25/1
Zhang Anda 25/1
Yuan Sijun 30/1
Tom Ford 30/1
Stan Moody 35/1
Stephen Maguire 35/1
David Gilbert 35/1
Daniel Wells 50/1
Hossein Vafaei 50/1
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 50/1
Anthony McGill 50/1
Elliot Slessor 50/1
Aaron Hill 50/1