2025 Northern Ireland Open results, draw, schedule, how to watch and prize money

The Northern Ireland Open is underway in Belfast, with most of snooker’s top stars competing over eight days at the Waterfront Hall.

The second Home Nations event of the season got going on Sunday morning, with the winner crowned the following Sunday and walking away with the £100,000 top prize.

The defending champion is Kyren Wilson after he beat Judd Trump in last year’s final and he begins his campaign on Tuesday afternoon against Oliver Lines.

Trump has won this event four times before and he returns in a bid for a fifth Belfast title, with the world number one looking to land his first piece of silverware of the season.

Ronnie O’Sullivan did not enter the tournament, while Mark Williams (having won the Xi’an Grand Prix last week) and Neil Robertson (illness) have pulled out.

There is no shortage of big names, though, with the likes of world champion Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby, John Higgins and Shaun Murphy all competing.

The champion will lift the Alex Higgins Trophy, in honour of Northern Ireland’s most famous snooker son.

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, schedule and results

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

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

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.’