Champion of Champions Snooker: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Leicester)

Sixteen winners, one table’s worth of nerves

Nobody gets into this event just by being ranked high. The Champion of Champions field is 16 players who won significant titles over the past year. That makes it one of the few tournaments where every match is between people who have recently lifted a trophy.

For 2026 the event runs from 9 to 15 November at Leicester Arena. That gives you seven days of snooker in a Midlands city that is easy to reach by train. The arena puts you closer to the baize than a TV picture ever does. You can see a player chalk the cue, study the angle from both ends of the table and settle into the stance.

How the group days work

The format is what sets this tournament apart. For years the event has split its 16 players into four groups of four. Each group plays out across its own day, and only one player comes out of it.

Across a group day you usually get two opening matches. Their winners then meet in a group final, and the last player standing goes through to the semi-finals. In practice:

• Early in the week, each ticket covers a self-contained story with a winner at the end of it
• Group finals are often the tensest matches of the week, because a whole day’s work rides on them
• The closing weekend brings the semi-finals and the final, played over longer distances

Fans who can only manage one day often pick a group day for the variety. Fans who want the trophy moment go for the final.

Inside Leicester Arena

The arena turns into a snooker hall for the week. Picture tiered seating banked around the playing area, low light on the crowd and a bright pool of light on the table. A referee in white gloves re-spots the colours, and a scoreboard tracks every frame.

Snooker crowds sit very quietly. During a shot you can hear the click of ball on ball and the soft thud of a pot into a pocket. The applause comes between shots and swells after a big break, so where you sit matters. Higher seats show the whole table like a diagram, and lower ones put you level with the players.

Watching without getting the evil eye

The etiquette here is stricter than at almost any other sport you could pay to watch. People take it seriously, and stewards enforce it.

• Stay still while a player is on a shot. Leave your seat and come back only between frames, when ushers usually open the doors.
• Phones go fully silent. A ringtone in a silent arena gets heard by the player, the referee and the TV microphones.
• No flash photography. It distracts players and is not allowed during play.
• Clap good pots and big breaks once the ball has dropped, never while it is still rolling.
• Keep your voice down when the table is live. Comments wait for the mid-session interval.

Regulars usually take their seats before a session begins rather than mid-frame, because getting in during play can mean a long wait at the door. Bring a layer as well: you will be sitting still for hours.

Getting to Leicester in November

Leicester railway station is on the Midland Main Line. East Midlands Railway runs direct trains from London St Pancras that take about an hour, and there are direct trains from Sheffield and Nottingham too. Most visitors coming from London do the trip as a day return, or stay one night for an evening session.

From the station, fans tend to take a taxi or the local buses to the arena rather than walk with bags. Mid-November in the English Midlands is cold, often wet, and dark by late afternoon. If you’re watching an evening session, plan your journey home for a dark night.

Filling the gaps between sessions

Leicester has more to do than most visitors expect, and much of it sits within walking distance of the centre.

• King Richard III Visitor Centre tells the story of the king’s remains, found under a city car park in 2012. You can see the excavation site itself.
• Leicester Cathedral, just across the way, holds his reinterred tomb.
• National Space Centre, north of the centre, is easy to spot by its tall rocket tower.
• Leicester Market is one of the largest covered outdoor markets in the country, and close to the shops at Highcross.

Timing adds something extra in 2026. Diwali falls in early November, and Leicester’s celebrations along Belgrave Road, known as the Golden Mile, are among the largest held outside India. The street is lined with Indian sweet shops and restaurants all year round, which makes it a natural place to eat before or after a session.

Where the details live

Matchroom Sport, which runs Champion of Champions, publishes the schedule, session list and ticket links on its official channels. The 16-player field depends on who won qualifying titles over the season. Each player’s route in is part of the story fans follow through the week.

Visitors travelling in for more than one day usually stay in central Leicester near the station. That way the trains, the old town and the Golden Mile are all within reach between sessions.