UK Championship qualifiers 2026 at Mattioli Arena

Six days on the road to York

Sixteen places in the York final stages are decided here. Players outside the top 16 at the qualifying cutoff compete through this preliminary draw; the top 16 enter the final stages directly. WST places that cutoff after the International Championship in early November. The successful qualifiers then join the York field for 28 November–6 December. Mattioli’s qualifying admission and a York session are separate tickets.

WST announced public admission on 24 September. Its current announcement supplies the dates, starts, table counts and best-of-11 format. The arena’s event list still repeats a closed-doors description; the newer WST public sale is the evidence used here. The York event guide owns the main-stage timetable and prices.

Which table and what the day ticket covers

A £12 all-day ticket covers the sessions on its chosen date. Buy each date separately when following several days. The first four days have eight simultaneous table positions; the last two have four. There is no advertised single-table Leicester final. Each successful final-round qualifier earns a place in York.

All matches end when a player reaches six frames. That best-of-11 length applies throughout qualifying. The programme has up to three starts per day on 21–24 November, then two on 25–26 November. The published starts identify the session boundaries; match finishes depend on the score and frame lengths.

[UNVERIFIED: reserved/unreserved seats, partitions, table-area movement and event-specific re-entry.] The WST article gives the day scope and table numbers, while these seating details remain unpublished. The arena’s general no-re-entry rule applies until staff confirm an exception. Ask which table area your admission covers.

Move under steward direction: a break on one table can coincide with a shot on another. The match schedule gives the named player’s allocation. Eight tables provide the broadest simultaneous programme; four-table Judgement Days focus attention on the last qualifying places.

How to pick a qualifying day

Choose 21–24 November for eight tables and starts at 9.30am, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. A morning arrival can follow several starts within the daily admission and venue rules. A shorter visit can focus on one start, at the same published day price.

Choose 25 or 26 November for Judgement Day. Four tables start at 1pm and 7pm; successful players secure their York places. The price remains £12, so the choice is about your available time and the completed draw.

WST’s September announcement named possible qualifiers using the rankings at that time. The actual field depends on the cutoff after the International Championship. Wait for the completed draw when booking to see a named player: it supplies the day, start and opponent.

A first family visit can begin with a morning start, leaving the evening optional within the day’s admission. Check the venue’s age and accompanying-adult rule before payment. Every attendee needs a ticket. The hub’s families section records the remaining age-policy gap.

All published qualifying admission prices

WST publishes one £12 all-day amount for each of six dates. Annual WST Play members can attend free by claiming tickets through their member email. Bring that issued ticket and any evidence the seller requests.

There is no separate published child, concession or hospitality band in the announcement. The £0 member column represents WST’s claim entitlement, rather than a publicly available free ticket. Buy or claim through WST.

[UNVERIFIED: delivery, payment, administration and other checkout-fee amounts.] The linked ticketing service indicates potential extra fees, but its numerical total was inaccessible. Enter the actual whole-party quote below. The £12 figure is the published admission amount.

Budget for the qualifying days

For UK Championship qualifiers 2026, choose a published admission day or session, then its priced category. Enter the actual booking fees from checkout. Travel and food cover your whole party; rooms cost nights × rooms × room price. This is a budget estimate, calculated on your device.

Daily admission and a changing finish

A qualifying match can end as soon as a player reaches six. The daily ticket covers the advertised qualifying programme, with several matches in the hall, rather than a fixed number of hours for one match. Use the original seller’s terms for a cancellation or material change.

Cashless payments, A4 bags, catering, quiet phones and the venue’s entry rules are on the Mattioli day guide. Confirm qualifying doors against the issued ticket. Ask before going outside during a day pass: the general arena policy bars returning after you leave. The event-specific seating and re-entry gap is recorded above.

An overnight Leicester qualifying trip

A local room can suit a morning start or an evening finish followed by another qualifying day. The hub lists six hotels by area: Highcross/waterfront bases shorten the arena walk; station and Cultural Quarter bases can suit rail arrival. Book the nights around the qualifying dates you selected.

For these preliminary rounds, the 25-minute station walk, daytime buses and parking are on the venue page. Leicester’s Hop ends at 6pm, before evening snooker finishes. Named food stops fit before entry or after leaving, with catering inside during the day. Accessible positions should be arranged through the access guide.

Checked qualifying information

UK qualifying details checked 8 October 2026 against WST’s 24 September sale, the official calendar and venue rules. Booking.com hotel links through CJ may earn this independent guide a commission at no extra cost to you. Our standards explain the gaps.

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