Championship League

Last updated

Championship League
2019-20 Championship League snooker logo.jpg
Tournament information
Venue Leicester Arena
Location Leicester
Country England
Established2008
Organisation(s) Matchroom Sport
Total prize fund£533,000
£205,000 [1] (invitational)
£328,000 [2] (ranking)
Recent edition 2026 (invitational)
2025 (ranking)
Current champion

The Championship League (officially the Championship League Snooker (CLS)) is a professional snooker tournament devised by Matchroom Sport, held in both ranking and non-ranking (known as Championship League Invitational) formats throughout the snooker season. It is one of the only main tour events that is not directly sanctioned by the World Snooker Tour, along with the Champion of Champions.

Contents

Mark Selby is the reigning champion of the invitational event, and Stephen Maguire is the reigning champion of the ranking event.

Overview

The tournament was initially set up as an invitational qualifier to the Premier League Snooker series, where there are no audience and matches are played behind closed doors, matches are allocated in groups and spread over the course of a month. Despite the discontinuation of the Premier League in 2012, it remained as a standalone event and has since kept the unique format. The tournament was originally held at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex until 2016 [3] and has since been held in Coventry, Barnsley, Milton Keynes and currently in Leicester.

In June 2020 there was a one‑off, round‑robin, non‑ranking edition of the tournament.

A ranking version of the tournament began in the 2020–21 season and is held alongside the non-ranking version. In contrast to the invitational event, which is usually held during the second half of the snooker season, it is held as the first event of the season since 2021 and has the smallest prize fund of all ranking events.

Format

Invitational version

In the invitational, non‑ranking version, 25 players take part, although players often withdraw and are replaced by others. Players earn money for every frame won and there are also prizes for being a semi‑finalist, runner‑up and winner of each group, with more money involved in the winners' group. In the first two years all matches in the group stages were the best‑of‑four, meaning that the matches could end in a draw as all the four frames were played, and the semi‑finals and final were best‑of‑five.

The competition runs over eight groups, each consisting of seven players. From the league stage of the first seven groups the top four qualify for a play‑off, the winner of which qualifies for the winners' group. The bottom two players of each group are eliminated and the remaining four move to the next group, where they are joined by three more players until the seventh group. In each group, the players are ranked by the number of matches won, then by most frames won, and then by least frames lost. If two players are tied by these criteria, the player who won the match between them is ranked higher in the table. The winners play in the final group with the champion taking a place in the following season's Champion of Champions (the same year's Premier League before 2013). [3]

Ranking version

In the ranking version, 128 players take part in 32 rounds of group matches with each group consisting of four players. All matches are the best‑of‑four with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The 32 players that top the group tables qualify for the second stage, consisting of eight groups of four players, and the eight winners from the second stage qualify for the two final groups. In each group, the players are ranked by points scored, frame difference and then head‑to‑head results between players who are tied. Places that are still tied are then determined by the highest break made in the group. If the highest break is also tied, the next highest break made by the players is used. The winners of the two final groups play a best‑of‑five final. The champion takes a place in the same season's Champion of Champions.

Maximum breaks

There have been 24 maximum breaks in the history of the tournament. [4]

SeasonEventGroupDatePlayerRef
2013–14 2014 28 January 2014Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG) [5]
2014–15 2015 (1st)15 January 2015Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG) [6]
2014–15 2015 (2nd)710 February 2015Flag of England.svg  David Gilbert  (ENG) [7]
2015–16 2016 625 February 2016Flag of Ireland.svg  Fergal O'Brien  (IRL) [8]
2016–17 2017 (1st)310 January 2017Flag of England.svg  Mark Davis  (ENG) [9]
2016–17 2017 (2nd)Winners2 March 2017Flag of England.svg  Mark Davis  (ENG) [10]
2017–18 2018 (1st)626 January 2018Flag of England.svg  Martin Gould  (ENG) [11]
2017–18 2018 (2nd)726 March 2018Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL) [12]
2018–19 2019 [a] 522 January 2019Flag of England.svg  David Gilbert  (ENG) [13]
2020–21 2020 [b] (1st)Stage 1, Group 213 September 2020Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ryan Day  (WAL) [14]
2020–21 2020 [b] (2nd)Stage 3, Group 230 October 2020Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO) [15]
2020–21 2021 14 January 2021Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG) [16]
2023–24 2024 (1st)36 February 2024Flag of England.svg  Kyren Wilson  (ENG) [17]
2023–24 2024 (2nd)510 February 2024Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO) [18]
2023–24 2024 [c] (3rd)729 February 2024Flag of England.svg  Joe O'Connor  (ENG) [19]
2024–25 2025 (1st)27 January 2025Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Jak Jones  (WAL) [20]
2024–25 2025 (2nd)725 January 2025Flag of England.svg  David Gilbert  (ENG) [21]
2024–25 2025 (3rd)Winners5 February 2025Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG) [22]
2025–26 2025 [b] Stage 1, Group 2917 July 2025Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Fan Zhengyi  (CHN) [23]
2025–26 2026 (1st)12 January 2026Flag of England.svg  Chris Wakelin  (ENG) [24]
2025–26 2026 (2nd)48 January 2026Flag of England.svg  Matthew Selt  (ENG) [25]
2025–26 2026 (3rd)621 January 2026Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Xiao Guodong  (CHN) [26]
2025–26 2026 (4th)621 January 2026Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Wu Yize  (CHN) [26]
2025–26 2026 (5th)622 January 2026Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Zhao Xintong  (CHN) [27]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for both the invitational and ranking versions of the Championship League is shown below.

Invitational version

  • Maximum possible tournament total(since 2013): £205,000 (if all match results are 3‍–‍2) [1]
  • Minimum possible tournament total(since 2013): £152,800 (if all match results are 3‍–‍0) [1]

Ranking version

  • Tournament total: £328,000 [2]

Note: The champion receives a total of £33,000 (£3,000 + £4,000 + £6,000 + £20,000).

Winners

YearWinnerScoreRunner-upSeasonVenue (England)
Invitational tournaments (non-ranking, 2008–present)
2008 [28] Flag of England.svg  Joe Perry  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG) 2007/08 Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex
2009 [29] Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)3‍–‍2Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG) 2008/09
2010 [30] Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Marco Fu  (HKG)3‍–‍2Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR) 2009/10
2011 [31] Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Matthew Stevens  (WAL)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG) 2010/11
2012 [32] Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG) 2011/12
2013 [33] Flag of England.svg  Martin Gould  (ENG)3‍–‍2Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG) 2012/13
2014 [34] Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Martin Gould  (ENG) 2013/14
2015 [35] Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)3‍–‍2Flag of England.svg  Mark Davis  (ENG) 2014/15
2016 [36] Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)3‍–‍2Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG) 2015/16
2017 [37] Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)3‍–‍0Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ryan Day  (WAL) 2016/17 Ricoh Arena in Coventry
2018 [38] Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)3‍–‍2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Zhou Yuelong  (CHN) 2017/18
2019 [39] Flag of England.svg  Martin Gould  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Jack Lisowski  (ENG) 2018/19 Ricoh Arena in Coventry and Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley
2020 (March) [40] Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott Donaldson  (SCO)3‍–‍0Flag of Scotland.svg  Graeme Dott  (SCO) 2019/20 Leicester Arena in Leicester
2020 (June) [41] Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL) R‍–‍R [d] Flag of England.svg  Ben Woollaston  (ENG) 2019/20 Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes
2021 [42] Flag of England.svg  Kyren Wilson  (ENG)3‍–‍2Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL) 2020/21 Ballroom, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes
2022 [43] Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)3‍–‍2Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG) 2021/22 Leicester Arena in Leicester
2023 [44] Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG) 2022/23
2024 [45] Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Joe O'Connor  (ENG) 2023/24
2025 [46] Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)3‍–‍0Flag of England.svg  Kyren Wilson  (ENG) 2024/25
2026 [47] Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Wu Yize  (CHN) 2025/26
Ranking tournaments (2020–present)
2020 [48] Flag of England.svg  Kyren Wilson  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG) 2020/21 Ballroom, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes
2021 [49] Flag of England.svg  David Gilbert  (ENG)3‍–‍1Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR) 2021/22 Leicester Arena in Leicester
2022 [50] Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL)3‍–‍1Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Lu Ning  (CHN) 2022/23
2023 [51] Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)3‍–‍0Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL) 2023/24
2024 [52] Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)3‍–‍1Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Jackson Page  (WAL) 2024/25
2025 [53] Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)3‍–‍1Flag of England.svg  Joe O'Connor  (ENG) 2025/26

Notes

  1. ↑ the 147th official maximum break.
  2. 1 2 3 Ranking tounament.
  3. ↑ the 200th official maximum break.
  4. ↑ A one-off, round-robin, non-ranking edition of the tournament was played in a different format to the usual event, in June 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Championship League Snooker (Invitational)". championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Championship League Snooker (Ranking)". championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 Turner, Chris. "Matchroom Championship League". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "147 Breaks: Full list". WPBSA . Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Murphy 147 / Robertson Centuries Record". World Snooker Tour . 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Hawkins makes 147 at CLS". World Snooker Tour . 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Xiao wins CLS7 / Gilbert makes 147". World Snooker Tour . 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "O'Brien joins 147 club". World Snooker Tour . 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Davis makes first 147 to win CLS group three". World Snooker Tour . 11 January 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Mark Davis makes 147 in Coventry". World Snooker Tour . 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Gould Makes Maiden 147". World Snooker Tour . 26 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  12. ↑ "Brecel joins 147 club". World Snooker Tour . 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Gilbert makes historic 147th maximum". World Snooker Tour . 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "Day starts season with 147". World Snooker Tour . 13 September 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Higgins makes 11th career maximum". World Snooker Tour . 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "Bingham makes eighth 147". World Snooker Tour . 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Wilson makes fifth 147". World Snooker Tour . 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  18. ↑ "Higgins makes 13th maximum". World Snooker Tour . 10 February 2024. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  19. ↑ "Joe O'Connor makes snooker's 200th 147". World Snooker Tour . 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  20. ↑ "Jones joins 147 club, but Si Wins group". World Snooker Tour . 7 January 2025. Archived from the original on 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "Gilbert makes third maximum". World Snooker Tour . 25 January 2025. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Selby retains League title and makes maximum". World Snooker Tour . 5 February 2025. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  23. ↑ "Fan-tastic 147". World Snooker Tour . 17 July 2025. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  24. ↑ Day, Michael (2 January 2026). "Chris Wakelin produces record-extending 147 maximum break on first snooker day of the new year". totallysnookered.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  25. ↑ "Selt makes first 147". World Snooker Tour . 9 January 2026. Archived from the original on 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Wu and Xiao make Championship League maximums". World Snooker Tour . 21 January 2026. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  27. ↑ "Wu wins group six as Zhao fires in maximum". World Snooker Tour . 22 January 2026. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  28. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2008)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  29. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2009)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  30. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2010)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  31. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2011)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  32. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2012)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  33. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2013)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  34. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2014)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2015)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  36. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2016)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  37. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2017)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  38. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2018)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  39. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2019)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  40. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2020)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  41. ↑ "Championship League – Round-Robin (2020)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  42. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2021)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  43. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2022)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  44. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2023)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  45. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2024)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  46. ↑ "Championship League – Winners Group (2025)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  47. ↑ "Championship League - Winners Group (2026)". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  48. ↑ "2020 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  49. ↑ "2021 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  50. ↑ "2022 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  51. ↑ "2023 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  52. ↑ "2024 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  53. ↑ "2025 Championship League". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
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