UK Championship Snooker 2023: How to watch, who is playing? Schedule? Is Ronnie O'Sullivan playing?

It’s time for the first Triple Crown event of the 2023/24 snooker season, the UK Championship.

Sitting alongside the Masters and the World Championship in the Triple Crown Series, the prestigious event returns for 2023 from the York Barbican with Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen looking to defend the title he so memorably won in 2022, beating Ding Junhui 10-7 in the final having roared back from 6-1 down.

Alongside Allen among the 16 seeded – and already qualified – players for the eighth ranking event of the season are the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Luca Brecel.

Read on for everything you need to know…

When is the UK Championship?

The tournament starts on November 25 and runs until December 3, with the venue being the York Barbican.

How to watch and stream the UK Championship

You can watch every day of the 2023 UK Championship – including the qualifiers – live on Eurosport, while you can enjoy all the action ad-free on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.

Who is playing in the UK Championship?

The top 16 seeds have been named and they are: Mark Allen, Mark Williams, Kyren Wilson, Tom Ford, Luca Brecel, Zhang Anda, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Judd Trump, Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby, Jack Lisowski, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Neil Robertson and Robert Milkins.

Among those outside the top 16 seeds and therefore featuring in a star-studded qualifying draw are the likes of Ding Junhui, Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Jimmy White, Stephen Maguire and Stuart Bingham.

What is the UK Championship schedule?

Qualifying for the UK Championship run between November 18-23, taking place at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

The first round proper of the event begins on November 25 in York, with defending champion Allen first on the baize.

What is the UK Championship format?

First round: Best of 11 frames
Last 16: Best of 11 frames
Quarter-finals: Best of 11 frames
Semi-finals: Best of 11 frames
Final: Best of 19 frames

When is the UK Championship final?

The final will take place on December 3, at the York Barbican venue.

What is the UK Championship prize money?

There will be a total of £1,205,00 prize money to be won, split as follows:

Winner: £250,000
Runner-up: £100,000
Semi-final: £50,000
Quarter-final: £25,000
Last 16: £15,000
Last 32: £10,000
Last 48: £7,500
Last 80: £5,000
Last 112: £2,500
Highest break: £15,000

As announced on November 16, the World Snooker Tour will also award a £147,000 bonus to any player who makes two maximum breaks during this season’s Triple Crown Series.

UK Championship main draw (all times UK)

Mark Allen v qualifier
Mark Williams v qualifier

Kyren Wilson v qualifier
Tom Ford v qualifier

Luca Brecel v qualifier
Zhang Anda v qualifier

Shaun Murphy v qualifier
Ali Carter v qualifier

Judd Trump v qualifier
Barry Hawkins v qualifier

Mark Selby v qualifier
Jack Lisowski v qualifier

Ronnie O’Sullivan v qualifier
John Higgins v qualifier

Neil Robertson v qualifier
Robert Milkins v qualifier

Stream top snooker action, including the UK Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at Eurosport.com.

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UK Championship Snooker 2023: How to watch, who is playing? Schedule? Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing?