The draw for the 2025 Players Championship is confirmed after the conclusion of last week’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
Only the top 16 players from the one-year snooker rankings have qualified to compete at the Telford International Centre.
There will be a top prize worth £150,000 up for grabs in what is the third-last ranking event on the 2024/25 calendar.
Only the Tour Championship and the campaign-concluding World Snooker Championship are to come beyond next week’s event.
Judd Trump is the top seed in the 2025 Players Championship draw having accumulated almost a million pounds in prize money from ranking events this term.
The world number one will face Lei Peifan in the first round, the 21 year-old continuing to reap the rewards of his shock Scottish Open success in December.
World champion Kyren Wilson will face reigning Players Championship winner Mark Allen in a blockbuster opening-round clash.
Allen beat Zhang Anda to claim the title a year ago but has generally struggled for peak form in ranking events since then.
The Northern Irishman has dropped from first on the official world rankings list at the start of the season to his current position of number eight.
Arguably the most intriguing tie of the first round in Telford pits Neil Robertson against Stuart Bingham in a repeat of Sunday’s World Grand Prix final.
Robertson thrashed Bingham 10-0 at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong, but the latter will have an immediate opportunity to enact a modicum of revenge.
Bingham, Allen, and Lei – in addition to 13th seed Chris Wakelin – all need wins if they have aspirations of qualifying for the 12-strong Tour Championship in Manchester.
Wakelin faces a tough proposition against John Higgins, who cuts a rejuvenated force following his glory at the World Open in Yushan.
Elsewhere, there are several other humdinger ties to look forward to in the second of three events on the Players Series.
Barry Hawkins, who has a couple of times fallen just short of silverware in recent months, entertains Masters champion Shaun Murphy.
There is a heavyweight showdown between two former world number ones in Mark Williams and Ding Junhui.
An all-Chinese clash will see Wu Yize take on Xiao Guodong, who represents arguably the most improved competitor on the tour this season.
The first round’s other fixture has Mark Selby, a two-time champion from 2025 already, going up against Si Jiahui.
The 2025 Players Championship gets under way on Monday, March 17th with the champion to be crowned on Sunday, March 23rd.
2025 Players Championship Draw
Round of 16 (bo11)
Judd Trump (1) vs Lei Peifan (16)
Barry Hawkins (8) vs Shaun Murphy (9)
Xiao Guodong (5) vs Wu Yize (12)
John Higgins (4) vs Chris Wakelin (13)
Neil Robertson (3) vs Stuart Bingham (14)
Mark Selby (6) vs Si Jiahui (11)
Mark Williams (7) vs Ding Junhui (10)
Kyren Wilson (2) vs Mark Allen (15)
Featured photo credit: WST
