Ten snooker players to follow during the 2025/26 professional season – form and betting analysis
An intriguing 2025/26 snooker season awaits, with several storylines set to develop throughout the campaign.
At the top of the rankings, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson will likely be battling it out for the world number one spot, while all three members of the fabled ‘Class of 92’ - Mark Williams, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan - start the term inside the top five.
Former world champions Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy all returned to the winners’ circle earlier this year and will be aiming to add to their trophy tally, while a new wave of exciting talent from the Far East – spearheaded by new ‘Crucible King’ Zhao Xintong – continue to threaten the status quo.
We’ve selected 10 players from across the rankings list to look out for in the coming months on the World Snooker Tour, so you can head over to one of the best betting sites for snooker and start betting with confidence.
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Judd Trump
Trump begins the term as the runaway world number one after winning two of the sport’s three biggest ranking titles last season – the Saudi Arabia Masters and the UK Championship.
‘The Ace in the Pack’ also broke the all-time record for making the most century breaks in a single campaign with 107, and in the process became only the third cueist in the history of the professional game to pass 1,000 career tons.
With around £1.7 million in tournament earnings, Trump smashed the previous benchmark for the most prize money won by one player in an individual season, too.
Trump’s consistency within such a competitive era for the sport is remarkable. Across the seven most recent seasons, the Englishman has scooped an incredible 25 titles. Some take Trump’s success for granted these days, but I can’t see him not adding to that tally over the coming months.
Away from the table, the 2019 World Champion now splits his time between the UK, Dubai and Hong Kong. His new lifestyle arrangements may mean that he will continue to prioritise the sport’s biggest tournaments.
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Kyren Wilson
One of the premier narratives for the season will be the battle for the world number one spot, which will likely be contested between Trump and Wilson.
Within the space of just 12 months, Wilson managed to double his career total of ranking event wins from five to ten.
That golden spell began with ‘The Warrior’ securing his maiden world title at the Crucible in the spring of 2024. Unlike several first-time world champions in the past, Wilson thrived while wearing the crown, with his game going up several levels, as he lifted four trophies in four different countries across the season.
What’s more, world number two Wilson defeated Trump in three of those finals, and he also eliminated him in the last four of the Masters.
Wilson has the upper hand on Trump now, and their ongoing rivalry will rise a few notches with potential ‘top dog’ status on in the line.
A different animal over the last year, it’ll be no surprise to see Wilson add to his silverware collection in the coming months, and unlike some of his fellow peers, he may elect to play in as much as he can.
Mark Williams
Williams continues to hold back the sands of time, starting the new season ranked third in the world.
In May, the 50-year-old became the oldest world snooker championship finalist ever, although his tilt for a fourth Crucible crown was ultimately scuppered by Zhao.
Although Williams talked down his chances before the tournament amid eyesight concerns, reaching another major final was no surprise to many pundits. In recent years, the Welshman has regularly featured at the business end of tournaments.
Runner-up at the 2023 Masters, Williams won the British Open in both 2021 and 2023, the 2024 Tour Championship, and last season’s Champion of Champions. He was also within a few pots of landing the inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters title in 2024.
Williams may be the player to break compatriot Ray Reardon’s long-standing record as the oldest-ever winner of a ranking event.
One of Williams’ greatest strengths is his virtually unshakable temperament, and he is often too crafty for younger opponents.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan
Snooker’s greatest-ever player endured a disappointing and disjointed last season during which he failed to reach a final yet alone win a trophy.
The seven-time world champion imploded at an event in January when he deliberately snapped his cue. That sparked a spate of withdrawals, and it wasn’t until Crucible in late April when he returned competitively.
Despite getting to grips with a new cue, ‘The Rocket’ still managed to make the semi-finals in Sheffield, although he was comprehensively dispatched by eventual champion Zhao.
During the world championship, O’Sullivan - who turns 50 in December – talked about the process of rebuilding his game. The Englishman will likely be in a stronger place this campaign, and he appears happy in his private life, having married his long-term partner over the summer and experimenting by moving to Dubai.
O’Sullivan’s career has been full of highs and lows – only the season before last he won five trophies, including record-extending Triple Crown triumphs at the UK Championship and Masters.
Expect O’Sullivan to be selective with what he enters – results in recent years suggest he is far more successful at smaller-field ‘elite’ events, rather than flat 128-player draws.
Zhao Xintong
All eyes will be on Zhao and how he copes with being a maiden world champion.
Zhao’s well-documented ban ended last year, and he was able to play competitively again. As predicted by many, it didn’t take him long to win back his professional stripes and mix it in the big time.
‘The Cyclone’ created history at the Crucible in the spring when he became the first Chinese player to win snooker’s blue riband event.
If that achievement wasn’t memorable enough, Zhao did it as a qualifier, and technically as an amateur, having been awarded an invitation due to his performances on the secondary circuit earlier that term.
This season will see his full-time return as a professional, and if that doesn't generate enough attention on its own, holding the world crown will put him front and centre pretty much everywhere.
Before his hiatus, Zhao was one of snooker’s hottest properties, having won his first two pro titles at the 2021 UK Championship and 2022 German Masters. He’s a cool cookie, but while he has so much potential, he is not yet a consistent winner of trophies - but that may come. I don’t buy into the idea that the 28-year-old will ‘dominate’ this season, but I do expect him to be a champion along the line.
Joe O’Connor
Many pundits believe that O’Connor has the attributes to become a top 16 player, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that happened this season or next.
From the cuesports hotbed of Leicester, O’Connor made a statement three seasons ago when he reached his first ranking final, and soon followed it up with a semi-final.
He didn’t initially build on that, though – despite being runner-up in the 2024 Championship League Invitational – and was under pressure last season to defend ranking points. However, coinciding with a change of cue, O’Connor bounced back, defeating an in-form Kyren Wilson en route to the last eight of the Welsh Open.
A few weeks later in China, O’Connor dispatched Trump, Murphy and Ali Carter as he made the final of the World Open in scintillating fashion, although he was denied the trophy by Higgins.
O’Connor’s calm demeanor around and on the baize is especially ideal when facing higher ranked opponents. A former world junior pool champion, he qualified for each of the last two World Championships, and on his Crucible debut he defeated Mark Selby.
Jackson Page
In his early twenties, Page – by some considerable distance – is the youngest British player ranked inside the world’s top 40 at the start of the season.
The Welshman made big headlines only a few months ago when he became the first player in professional snooker history to compile two maximum 147 breaks within the same match. The monumental feat pocketed ‘Action Jackson’ a bonus prize of £147,000.
Page is an exciting, and at times explosive talent. He has now established himself on the pro tour and is looking upwards instead of over his shoulder; Page begins the campaign 36th in the world rankings and could break into the top 32 soon.
A practice partner and good bud of Mark Williams, Page has really upped the ante over the last 15 months or so in reaching his maiden ranking event final, and appearing in another semi-final, and two quarter-finals. Before that spell, he’d never been past the last 16 of a ranked competition.
A two-time Crucible qualifier, consistency has been an issue, but that concern seems to be improving. If it all clicks for him, who knows what damage he could do?
Xu Si
Xu is attempting to follow in the footsteps of fellow Chinese Zhang Anda and Xiao Guodong who have recently made big breakthroughs after serving apprenticeships on the top tier.
The 27-year-old first turned professional in 2017, and last season he enjoyed – by far – his most fruitful and consistent campaign after reaching the semi-finals of the International Championship, quarter-finals of the Xi’an Grand Prix, and two further last 16 finishes in ranking events.
Prior to the start of last term, Xu had only been to the last 16 of a ranked tournament once in his entire career; within a matter of months, he did it four times. During the 2024/25 programme he also defeated big names such as Trump, Williams and Ding Junhui.
For three consecutive seasons now, Xu has bettered his personal best for most prize money earned in a single campaign – a metric of how he is improving.
If you’re seeking a player who is bubbling under the surface and could spring from the pack to win a title, you should consider Xu for your shortlist.
Stan Moody
Only 18 years old, Moody is the youngest Brit inside snooker’s world top 64 rankings.
The teenager arrived onto the World Snooker Tour for the first time a couple of seasons ago with a big reputation following a fantastic junior career.
Moody’s first season on the top tier was understandably very tough (collected £15,500 and made 9 centuries). However, he blossomed during his second campaign as he gets to grips with the rigors of the unforgiving pro tour environment.
During the 24/25 season he earned £74,950 and compiled 19 centuries. While he didn’t have a very deep run at an event – although he did feature in the last 16 of both the British and Northern Ireland Opens – his strength was picking up wins and prize money across the whole term.
Those results were enough for the Englishman to break into the sport’s top 64 after just two seasons and keep his tour card – a fine achievement, especially for someone so young.
Projected 43rd in the end-of-season provisional ranking list, Moody will likely have tour survival issues to contend with this season, and it will be interesting to follow his progress.
Chang Bingyu
Chinese youngster Chang is back on snooker’s top-flight having served a two-year ban from the sport.
Following the expiration of his ban last year, Chang returned to the amateur game in an attempt win back his professional tour card, and he did just that by winning the 2025 Asia-Pacific Open Championship in Australia.
Chang – who won the world amateur championship as a 16-year-old – didn’t set the world alight during his first stint on the pro circuit, but that’s not uncommon for someone so young; fellow countryman Zhao was briefly relegated from the tour after his maiden spell on it.
Following a victory over him in late 2020, an impressed Ronnie O’Sullivan spoke in a post-match interview on TV to heap praise on Chang, labelling him as a ‘super talent’ and someone who had the ‘super ingredient’ to become a dangerous player.
Chang starts at the foot of the ladder, but the 22-year-old began his comeback season by winning his opening two qualifying matches. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Chang go deep at an event this term.
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