IBSF World Snooker Championship 2026 in India: Dates, Format and Pakistan's Entry

The IBSF World Snooker Championship 2026 runs from 12 to 21 November in Indore, India. The men's main event starts on 17 November and both finals are on Saturday 21 November. Entries closed on 25 September. No list of Pakistani entries has been published, so whether Pakistan's players will travel to India is not yet clear.

We read the championship notice on the website of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), the world body for amateur snooker, on 10 October 2026. The host is the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India. The venue is the Yeshwant Club on Racecourse Road, Indore.

Pakistan is one of the strongest snooker nations at this level. The IBSF ranked Pakistan first among nations for its 2026 World Team Snooker Championship. That makes the travel question a real one. On 9 October, Pakistan's hockey team, Asian Games bronze medallists this month, was missing from the official team list for the Asian Champions Trophy in India.

Key dates for the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2026

Players meet at the venue on 12 November. Qualifying starts on Friday 13 November. The men's main event and the women's event both start at 10:00 am on Tuesday 17 November, and both finals are on Saturday 21 November. The IBSF annual meeting is on 20 November.

All times are local India time, which is 30 minutes ahead of Pakistan. So a 10:00 am start in Indore is 9:30 am PKT, by our conversion.

How the men's championship works: 64-player qualifiers, then a 48-player main event

The men's event has two stages. Stage 1 is two qualifying events of up to 64 players each, played as knockouts over two days. Eight players from each qualifier go through. Stage 2 is the 48-player main event: 32 pre-qualified players plus those 16 qualifiers.

1. Each country may enter two men on the IBSF entry system, plus two reserves by email.
2. Qualifying matches are best of 7 frames, and each qualifier stops at the last eight.
3. A player who fails in the first qualifier can try again in the second.
4. The 32 pre-qualified players join the 16 qualifiers in the main event.
5. Main event matches are best of 7 frames until the semi-finals, which are best of 9, like the final.

The last 16 of each year's main event go straight into the next year's main event. That rule rewards a deep run, and it is how strong players avoid the qualifiers.

The women's event is separate. Each country may send four women. Matches are best of 3 frames in the round robin and best of 5 in the knockouts.

Prize money: USD 10,000 for the men's champion

The IBSF sets a minimum prize fund of USD 25,000 for men and USD 10,500 for women. The men's winner gets at least USD 10,000 and the women's winner USD 4,000. The entry fee is USD 150 a player, and qualifiers who reach the main event do not pay again.

The money is modest by professional standards. But this is the top amateur title in the sport, and for many Pakistani players it is the main stage they can reach.

Pakistan's recent record at IBSF world events

Pakistan won the IBSF World Cup Team Snooker title in Muscat in November 2025. Muhammad Asif and Asjad Iqbal beat Hong Kong China-2 3-2 in the final, after beating India-1 3-1 in the semi-final. Asjad Iqbal also reached the final of the 2025 Individual World Cup, losing 5-2.

At the 2025 World Snooker Championship in Doha, the men's title went to Poland's Michal Szubarczyk, aged 14, who beat Qatar's Ali Alobaidli 5-2. So the 2026 champion in Indore will be a new name or a repeat from that field.

What is not known yet about Pakistan's entry

The IBSF notice does not list which countries or players have entered. It mentions a list of 32 pre-qualified players, but that list was not attached on the page we read. We found no announcement from Pakistan's snooker federation either.

Travel between the two countries for sport is a live issue this month. The IBSF notice says India will issue visas on arrival to many countries and that the host will send visa support letters. It does not say anything about Pakistan specifically. We will not guess.

If Pakistan does send players, the IBSF website will show the draw and results once play starts on 13 November. That is the place to check, rather than social media posts.

Common questions

When is the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2026?

From 12 to 21 November 2026 in Indore, India. The men's and women's finals are on Saturday 21 November.

Where is the World Snooker Championship 2026 being played?

At the Yeshwant Club, Racecourse Road, Indore, in India's Madhya Pradesh state. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India is the host.

Is Pakistan playing in the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2026?

Not confirmed. Entries closed on 25 September, but the IBSF has not published the entry list, and Pakistan's federation has made no public announcement we could find.

How much does the world snooker champion win?

At least USD 10,000 for the men's winner and USD 4,000 for the women's winner, according to the IBSF notice.

How many players are in the main event?

48 men: 32 pre-qualified players and 16 who come through two qualifying events of up to 64 players each.

Who won the 2025 IBSF World Snooker Championship?

Poland's Michal Szubarczyk won the men's title in Doha, beating Qatar's Ali Alobaidli 5-2. India's Anupama Ramchandran won the women's title.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 10 October 2026, about 6:10 am PKT. We read:

• IBSF event notice, 2026 IBSF World Snooker Championships, Indore, 12 to 21 November 2026, including format, calendar, entries and prize money.
• IBSF event notice for the 2026 World Team Snooker Championship, which lists Pakistan first in its selection ranking.
• IBSF news of 22, 23 and 30 November 2025 on the World Cup Team Snooker final, the semi-final against India-1 and the 2025 season review.

The PKT conversion is ours. The entry list, the pre-qualified list and Pakistan's participation were not published when we checked.