2025 UK Championship Draw Announced

The draw for the 2025 UK Championship snooker tournament was announced on Thursday, setting the stage for the season's first Triple Crown event at the Barbican Centre in York, England. The main draw begins on Saturday, November 29, with defending champion Judd Trump facing former winner Stephen Maguire in the opening match, while qualifiers conclude this week in Wigan to determine the remaining 16 participants.

The tournament runs through December 7, featuring 32 players competing in best-of-11-frame matches until the final, which extends to 19 frames over two sessions. The top 16 seeds, based on rankings after the recent International Championship, include world number one Trump, who claimed the title last year by defeating Barry Hawkins 10-8; world champion Zhao Xintong, seeded second; Kyren Wilson; Neil Robertson; Mark Williams; Ronnie O'Sullivan; John Higgins; Mark Allen; Ding Junhui; Shaun Murphy; Mark Selby; Xiao Guodong; Wu Yize; Barry Hawkins; Gary Wilson; and Si Jiahui. These players advance directly to York, where they will meet the qualifiers.

Qualifying began on November 22 in Wigan, with 128 players vying for 16 spots over four rounds. The final round, known as...