Snooker: Players to watch this season

The snooker season is underway and players are desperately trying to accumulate ranking points and prize money. For some the mission is to stay on the tour and try to gain the money they need for survival. For others, it is about adding trophy's to their collection and snooker legacy. One thing is certain, the competition has never been stronger.

There are 129 professional players competing on the World Snooker Tour for the 2025–26 season. This is comprised of:

• The top 64 players who retained their spots via prize money rankings after last season

• Plus 31 players in their second year of a two‑year tour card,

• Alongside 34 newly qualified players through Q School, regional championships, and other pathways

Looking at the Top 8 on the Two Year Rankings

You would expect the majority of the tournaments to go to those in the Top 8, but such is the quality beyond that, it wouldn't be a surprise if a fair few tournaments are won by players further down the rankings. Looking at the players currently in the Top 8, it is difficult to predict exactly which ones will be holding trophies aloft, but hey there's no fun unless we try.

1. Judd Trump (England)

2. Kyren Wilson (England)

3. Mark Williams (Wales)

4. John Higgins (Scotland)

5. Ronnie O’Sullivan (England)

6. Ding Junhui (China)

7. Mark Selby (England)

8. Neil Robertson (Australia).

Judd Trump has been a ranking point machine in recent seasons, and it has been his consistency in getting to the business end of tournaments that has delivered this. His all round game is now so strong, his tactical nous and shot selection in now unrecognisable from the swaggering potting machine that burst onto the scene many years ago. He does consistently play a level of snooker few can live with, but for all his reining in of the youthful gung-ho approach, perhaps he needs to go a step further and play a tighter game further still. When I watch his matches I consistently feel as though he is playing better than the scoreline suggests and I think that's a result of leaving his opponents with more frame-winning opportunities that many others in this list. I think he will have a strong season but he seems to be at his best when he has had some stinging defeats and really commits to his practice. Losing to Oliver Lines will have shocked him and I think we will see exactly that reaction soon.

Kyren Wilson seems to grow each season and the World Championship victory the season before last seems to have cemented that self belief. He does deliver some stellar performances but perhaps contrary to Trump, he delivers some wins when his B game is on display. He seems to be even more powerful over longer formats, so I expect him to achieve at least two trophies this season.

Mark Williams is such a good watch. Quick decision making, wonderful touch and the only thing ugly is the sound his hard tip makes when striking the cueball. He can beat anyone and he arguably has the best temperament in the game - but there have been signs that he isn't quite as able to string together a few good performances in a row. I think he will beat a ot of good players this season, but he may struggle to lift a trophy. I hope I am wrong. John Higgins is perhaps a similar story to Mark. It's the consistency that is perhaps missing but I am sure he will have a hot streak at some point in the season. For someone who has won so much his humility may be his biggest hurdle as the confidence seems to be missing at times. I would think its either one trophy or no trophies for John.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is looking dangerously good with his new Sunny Akani-made cue. The easy potting errors seem to have disappeared for now and I think if the fire burns bright, he could win trophies plural this season. He emulates Williams' seemingly carefree attitude which makes him a very tough matchplayer when things get tight and others seem to suffer. Perhaps the shorter format tournaments may suit him more. Ding Junhui I am feeling less positive about. The game consistency doesn't seem to be there and I don't think his confidence is either. I don't visualise a trophy for him this season, but he clearly has the chance to win if he replicates some of his historic form. I don't expect him to be the leading Chinese player this time around. When Mark Selby produces his A-game he looks unbeatable. When he adds heavy scoring to his tour-leading safety game he should come out on top of any duel. But his hot streaks don't generally last for long. I see him as winning a trophy at least in the build up to Sheffield and being a key player in the longer format season pinnacle. Neil Robertson looks back to approaching his best. The easy misses seem to have reduced and he seems to be playing a harder-to-beat brand of snooker compared to his swashbuckling youth. I am not sure he will come out on top too many times against Judd, Kyren and Ronnie, but he maybe able to add to his silverware collection.

Other Players to Watch

The depth of good players is ridiculously good these days. When you run your eyes down the top 64 in the rankings, you realise how long the list of potential trophy winners really is. But not all snooker players are made equal and some seem to suggest victories, or going deeper in tournaments more than others.

Zhao Xintong

Zhao probably needs to be the first name on the list outside of those mentioned above. There are some who think he may have just hit a hot streak at the right time to lift the World Championship, but he seems the real deal to me - and is still improving. He is outwardly humble and seemingly genuine in that, but knows how good he is. He can reel off consecutive high breaks as good as anyone can and his all round game is strong. Unlike some of the household names above, I think consistency could be his strong point this season and I expect him to be at the business end of many tournaments this year. I think he has a good chance of getting to the semis or the final at the Crucible and lifting the trophy again would not be a surprise to me.

Joe O'Connor

His recent whitewash humbling at the hands of Ronnie will not have helped his confidence, but he knows how well he can play - and he is normally playing consistently at a high level. He has lots of good wins on his CV and whilst his breakthrough performance in making the Semi Finals of the Welsh Open was way back in 2019, it is in the last season or so when he has looked to be at an elevated level. His performance versus Shaun Murphy last season was as good as anyone can play. I think he has a good chance to lift his maiden trophy.

Stephen Maguire

After years in the proverbial snooker wilderness, Stephen Maguire seems to be back playing at a really high level. He won his first trophy for five years in the season opening Championship League, in which he actually use two different cues. This was labelled as 'nonsense' by the often positive Jimmy White but Maguire came through victorious. He reached a final last year and is back beating some good players. He still has a questionable temperament when he is not playing well, but when he is his temperament seems to be a strength. John Higgins recently remarked that he was practicing hard and playing well, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him contesting another final this year.

Chris Wakelin

It's been a slow build for Chris Wakelin. He won his maiden ranking title at the 2023 Snooker Shoot Out and marked a breakthrough moment in his career. He has been a different proposition since. He reached the final of the Northern Ireland Open, where he stunned Jack Lisowski 6–1 in the semi-final and he has previously reached the final of the International Championship, defeating heavyweights such as John Higgins and Shaun Murphy, before ultimately falling to Ding Junhui. This performance propelled him into the top 16 in the world rankings for the first time, also securing him a debut Masters appearance.

He had a memorable World Snooker Championship debut last season. He beat a rejuvenated Neil Robertson in the first round and produced a commanding performance against Mark Allen, winning 13–6 and included a stunning seven-frame streak, a 119 break, and a really spectacular yellow-ball pot you would only expect Judd or Ronnie or maybe Brecel to pull off. If he can continue this good form and if he continues playing at this high level he can reach another final this year.

Zak Surety

He is a long way down the rankings at 64, which is his highest ever ranking. He twice had to qualify for the tour through Q School, so his CV doesn't suggest success - and until recent times he hadn't done anything to suggest he would ever get to the latter stages of tournaments. However, he has put in some performances at a really high level in the last 12 months. He reached the semi-finals of the 2025 World Open, beating notable opponents such as Liu Hongyu, Tom Ford, and Jordan Brown along the way, before narrowly losing 6–5 to John Higgins. He also qualified for Sheffield earlier this year and became the first player ever to score four century breaks on debut at the World Championship. He lost 10–7 to Ding Junhui in a pretty close match where Ding was producing some of his best snooker for a while. There would have to be question marks as to whether he would handle the pressure should he get his chance of glory, but I expect him to improve his ranking and go deep in at least one tournament.

Mentioning a Few Other Contenders

Ali Carter is a great matchplayer, tough to beat and seems capable of stringing together wonderful or tough, winning performances. You can't write him off and he seems to have many notable scalps every season. Wu Yize is one of the stronger Chinese players. He is a fluid breakbuilder, seems to be improving other elements of his game and I think he may feature a bit deeper in tournaments. Barry Hawkins plays well too many times not to go deep in some tournaments, if he wants it and buckles down Luca Brecel can reach a final and whilst its a hunch more than something solid, Lei Peifan seems to have improved his all round game and whilst he needs to be at the top of his game, it wouldn't surprise me if he took a few scalps this season. It wouldn't surprise me if either Jackson Page or Thepchaiya Un-Nooh have a hot streak at some point in the season and reach a semi-final or beyond.

Those Who May Have a Tougher Season

It is never nice talking down the chances of talented professionals, and I am sure at least one of these will prove me wrong but not everyone can win or reach finals. So who may fail to hit their previous heights? Mark Allen hasn't reached previous high levels of form for a while and many of the other top players are regularly doing so - so perhaps this might be a quieter year for Mark. It could be the same for Shaun Murphy. He certainly met some in-form players last season but notably he seems to keep throwing in a bad performance after a good one. An in-from Zhang Anda can compete with anyone, but his hot streak seems to have faded and there are so many other good players who may get the better of him. Jak Jones is a tough matchplayer, especially over longer formats, but I think he may struggle to repeat his recent highlights. Jack Lisowski is one of the best players not to have won a tournament. He has reached six finals before but last season didn't really look like competing with the top players too often. He has it all to prove that he can still continue to reach finals.

The battle on the baize is set.