Saturday to Saturday in Nanjing
The dates are October 31 to November 7, 2026. That’s a Saturday start and a Saturday finish, with eight days of ranking snooker in between. The International Championship is one of the professional tour’s biggest events in China. Results here count towards the world rankings, so the players treat it as serious business rather than an exhibition.
The timing falls well after China’s National Day Golden Week in early October. Trains and hotels are back to their normal autumn rhythm by then. Nanjing in late October and early November tends to be mild and dry, which suits a week of shuttling between an arena and the city.
Eight days, two different tournaments
Ranking events like this one change shape as the week goes on. In the early rounds the arena floor is usually split into several tables, each with its own lights and its own small cluster of officials. A single ticket can let you watch two or three matches at once. You’ll hear applause from one table while a player at the next one settles over a long red.
As the draw narrows, the tables come out one by one. By the closing weekend the room usually holds a single table under a single pool of light. The final is typically played over two sessions on the last day, and that’s when the hall is at its fullest.
- Early days: the most snooker per hour, plenty of players, and room to move between tables.
- Quarter-finals onward: fewer tables, more tension, and a fuller room.
- Final day: one match, two sessions, and the trophy presentation at the end.
Tickets and the venue
The tournament sits on the World Snooker Tour calendar. The tour’s site carries the draw, the results and the schedule of sessions for each ranking event. In China, tickets for big sporting events are commonly sold through domestic ticketing apps, and session-by-session tickets are the usual format for snooker.
Large events in China often use real-name ticketing tied to an ID document. International visitors usually buy with their passport number and carry the passport to the gate. Fans who want the final generally go for the closing-weekend sessions first, because the single-table matches are the ones that fill.
Sitting in a snooker arena
Snooker is a quiet sport, and the crowd keeps it that way. This is the part first-timers most need to get right.
- Stay seated during a shot. People move between frames or at the mid-session interval, not while a player is down on the cue.
- Phones on silent, flash off. A camera flash or a ringtone in the middle of a break gets a referee’s glance and a hall full of turned heads.
- Applaud at the right moments: a frame won, a big break, or a brave escape from a snooker. Applause while the balls are still rolling is unwelcome.
- Keep talk to a whisper. In the multi-table rounds, sound carries to every table in the room.
Chinese crowds know the game well. Snooker has had a big following in China since Ding Junhui’s rise in the 2000s, and Ding comes from Yixing, here in Jiangsu province. A century break gets warm, knowing applause, and so does a home player taking a frame.
Getting into Nanjing
Most visitors come by rail. Nanjing South Railway Station is the main high-speed hub. Fast trains from Shanghai take around an hour or a little more, and Beijing is a few hours north on the same network. Station security and ticket checks use your passport, so keep it to hand.
Nanjing Lukou International Airport lies south of the city and is linked to the centre by metro. Inside the city, the Nanjing Metro covers both the railway stations and the main districts. Taxis and ride-hailing apps fill the gaps. Mobile payment runs nearly everything. Alipay and WeChat Pay both let you link an international card, and most visitors set that up before arrival.
Duck between sessions
Nanjing is a duck city, and the gap between afternoon and evening sessions is the natural time to eat.
- Salted duck (yánshuǐ yā): pale, cold-sliced and lightly cured. It’s the dish the city is known for.
- Duck blood vermicelli soup (yā xuě fěnsī tāng): glass noodles in clear broth with duck blood cubes, offal and coriander. It comes fast and costs little.
- Soup dumplings and dumplings in general: they’re everywhere around Fuzimiao, the old Confucius Temple quarter.
Fuzimiao sits on the Qinhuai River. Its lanes and lit boats make a good after-session walk once the evening matches finish.
The city around the tournament
Early November is a good week to be in Nanjing. The plane trees that line many of its central roads turn gold around then. On Purple Mountain (Zhongshan) you’ll find the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Ming Xiaoling tomb of the first Ming emperor, and a full morning covers both.
The Ming city wall is one of the longest surviving city walls in China. You can walk on stretches of it, for example near Zhonghua Gate or alongside Xuanwu Lake. Qixia Mountain, northeast of the centre, is known for its red maples, which usually colour in November. The Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre is a sombre, essential visit that needs a few unhurried hours.
Most fans pick up sightseeing on mornings or rest days in their schedule. The early rounds usually run in afternoon and evening sessions, so a morning out still gets you back in your seat.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 International Championship in Nanjing?
October 31 to November 7, 2026. That's eight days from a Saturday to a Saturday, with the final on the closing day.
Where are the tickets, draw and session schedule published?
The World Snooker Tour carries the draw, results and session schedule for its ranking events. In China, tickets for big sporting events are commonly sold through domestic ticketing apps, usually as session-by-session tickets. International buyers generally use their passport number for real-name ticketing.
How do I get to Nanjing from Shanghai?
High-speed trains from Shanghai reach Nanjing South Railway Station in around an hour or a little more. The Nanjing Metro links the station to the rest of the city. You need your passport for train tickets and station checks.
What is the etiquette inside the arena?
Stay seated and silent while a player is on a shot, and only move between frames or at the interval. Keep phones on silent with the flash off. Applaud frame wins, big breaks and good escapes, never while the balls are still moving.
What can I see in Nanjing between sessions?
Within easy reach you have Purple Mountain with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Ming Xiaoling, the Ming city wall, Xuanwu Lake, and Fuzimiao on the Qinhuai River. There's also the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, and Qixia Mountain's red maples, which usually colour in November. For food, try salted duck and duck blood vermicelli soup.
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