Watching a match / RANK147
Champion of Champions 2026 preview: 16 players, four groups, who is in form
The Champion of Champions starts on 9 November, with 16 players in four groups that are each settled in a single day. Both of this season’s two-time winners, Kyren Wilson and Jak Jones, are in the draw, and Wu Yize meets Chang Bingyu in round one.
Data to the start of play on 9 November 2026, from WST scores collected on this site. Season records cover matches since June 2026, excluding the Championship League (its group records include possible forfeits we cannot confirm); centuries cover matches from 13 September only; head-to-heads start in January 2024 and are not complete histories. The Champion of Champions is an invitational and carries no ranking money.
Format and schedule
The 16 players are split into four groups in official match order, and each group is played in one day: two best-of-7 first-round matches, then a best-of-11 group final in the evening. The four group winners meet in best-of-11 semi-finals, and the final is on 15 November.
The event is in the UK. First-round matches start in the early afternoon UK time and group finals at 19:00 UK time. This site has not yet recorded the final’s format, so check the official schedule.
| Group | Day | First round (best of 7) | Group final (UK time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | 9 Nov | Mark Selby v Alfie Burden; Barry Hawkins v Chris Wakelin | 9 Nov 19:00 |
| Group 2 | 10 Nov | Neil Robertson v Panchaya Channoi; Judd Trump v Jak Jones | 10 Nov 19:00 |
| Group 3 | 11 Nov | Shaun Murphy v Ronnie O’Sullivan; Wu Yize v Chang Bingyu | 11 Nov 19:00 |
| Group 4 | 12 Nov | Zhao Xintong v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh; Kyren Wilson v Ali Carter | 12 Nov 19:00 |
Season form of all 16
Ranked by wins, Wilson leads the field at 25–6, has just won the Northern Ireland Open and the International Championship back to back, and tops the autumn century count with 15. Selby, Trump and Chang Bingyu follow.
At the other end, Burden and Un-Nooh have lost more than they have won this season, and Panchaya Channoi has yet to win any of the eight matches recorded on this site.
| Player | Season W–L | Titles this season | Autumn centuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyren Wilson | 25–6 | Northern Ireland Open, International Championship | 15 |
| Mark Selby | 21–7 | China Open | 5 |
| Judd Trump | 19–7 | Shanghai Masters | 3 |
| Chang Bingyu | 19–6 | Wuhan Open | 13 |
| Zhao Xintong | 15–8 | — | 6 |
| Wu Yize | 14–7 | Shenzhen Open | 13 |
| Jak Jones | 14–6 | Championship League, British Open | 5 |
| Shaun Murphy | 13–8 | — | 5 |
| Ali Carter | 11–6 | English Open | 1 |
| Neil Robertson | 10–8 | — | 5 |
| Chris Wakelin | 10–8 | — | 5 |
| Barry Hawkins | 8–8 | — | 1 |
| Ronnie O’Sullivan | 6–5 | — | 1 |
| Alfie Burden | 5–8 | — | 1 |
| Thepchaiya Un-Nooh | 4–7 | — | 3 |
| Panchaya Channoi | 0–8 | — | 0 |
First-round matches to watch
Wu Yize v Chang Bingyu is the tie of the first round: both have won a title this season and both have 13 autumn centuries, Chang in seven matches and Wu in nine. They have met twice in this site’s records, both won by Wu, most recently in March 2026.
Trump v Jak Jones: Jones leads their recorded head-to-head 2–1, including a 6–3 win in this season’s British Open semi-finals. Wilson v Ali Carter: 1–1, with Carter’s 5–4 win at the Wuhan Open in August the only decider Wilson has lost this season.
Defending champion Selby, who beat Trump 10–5 in the 2025 final, opens against Burden. In Murphy v O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan leads 2–1 in our records; he has played only 11 matches this season, so his match sharpness is the biggest unknown.
Our view
On this season’s numbers Wilson is the strongest favourite: the most wins, the most centuries and two straight titles. But first-round matches are only best of 7, where one or two errors decide things. Short formats narrow the gap between players, and early exits for favourites are common.
Group 3 is the hardest to call. Of Murphy, O’Sullivan, Wu and Chang, the two Chinese players have the best century rates this season and O’Sullivan has played the least; with two matches in one day, form on the day matters more than season data. In Group 2, Trump v Jones brings two of this season’s winners together early: Jones has reached three finals and won two, Trump won the Shanghai Masters, and Jones beat him in this season’s British Open semi-finals.
Following it on this site
The event page lists every match in official order. Scores update about every 15 minutes while matches are live, and completed matches link to frame scores and statistics. After the final this article will become a review, and the season’s title count will be updated.