The British Championship was restructured
Starting next season, the British Championship will follow the example of the World Championships, with the top 16 seeded players in the world ranking directly entering the 32-man main event list, while the other 16 regular players will be selected through the qualifiers.
As one of the "three major events" in the snooker field, the Cazoo British Championship has also seen a significant increase in prize money next season, with the total prize money of the event increasing from £1,009,000 to £1,205,000 and the prize money of the winner from £200,000 to £250,000.
The Barbican Centre in York has been the venue for the British Championships since 2011, and next season's British Championships will remain in The Barbican Centre in York from 12 to 20 November. The main tournament will be preceded by 128 qualifiers, including 112 professionals and 16 invited wild card players.
The British Championship was first held in 1977 and is one of Snooker's oldest tournaments. Next season's British Championships will be broadcast simultaneously by the BBC, Eurosport, CCTV5 and other broadcasters around the world to hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.
China's Zhao Xintong, who beat Belgian luca Braiser in the final of the 2021 British Championship, will come to York as the defending champion.
In recent years, the British Championships have adopted parallel signing tables, and all players who sign up to participate have started from the first round. The restructuring will allow the top 16 seeded players to appear directly in the main stage to ensure that the audience can see the performance of the top players.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: "This format is a perfect fit for the World Championships, so the application of this format will be ideal for the Second-Ranked British Championship of the season. ”
"Seeded players advance to the main tournament to ensure the integrity of the star line-up at the main stage, and the qualifier with 128 players competing for 16 regular spots is itself enough to create a dramatic and tense atmosphere."
"We are also delighted that the prize money for the tournament has been significantly increased and that every player on the tour will benefit from it."
"These changes will greatly benefit the status of the British Championship."
World Snooker Tour WST has decided to award a two-year professional wild card to Ken Dahadi and Stephen Hendry, who have distinguished themselves in the development of snooker's globalization.
Dahdi and Hendry remain the focus of fan, televised and media favourites as older star players, wishing them all the best for the next two seasons.