Commencing Snooker Season 2024: The gigantic Championship League Snooker event kickstarts the new snooker season
The 2024/2025 snooker season commences today, June 10th, headlined by the Championship League. This ranking event sees snooker's elite battling in groups, all vying for the season's initial title. spectators can anticipate the current snooker world champion, 32-year-old Kyren Wilson, 48-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan, and numerous other players.
How does the Championship League operate in snooker?
The BetVictor Championship League Snooker [Link in English] exhibits an unconventional snooker format. It spans from June 10th to July 3rd and is broken down into four blocks:
- Block 1: June 10th – 15th
- Block 2: June 17th – 22nd
- Block 3: June 24th – 29th
- Block 4: July 1st – 3rd (Final round)
128 players engage in 32 groups. In the initial round, every player in a group takes on their competitors. The group leader then progresses to the second round. The remaining three players exit the competition.
In the second round, the 32 group victors are segregated into eight groups of four players each. They compete against each other, and the group winner advances to the third round. The eight group winners are then split into two groups of four players each and clash again.
The two winners emerging from these groups move on to the final, scheduled for July 3rd, and played in the Best of 5 format.
Financial rewards, location, and defending champion
The Championship League Snooker takes place in Leicester (England) at the Mattioli Arena. The venue will likewise host the qualifying rounds for the Xi’An Grand Prix 2024 in China in July.
The reward for winning the BetVictor Championship League is 20,000 GBP (roughly 23,632 EUR). Although it's not the tournament with the largest cash prize, it holds special significance as the inaugural tournament of the new season, likely explaining why many top players are partaking.
Sam Boswell, head of sponsorship at main sponsor BetVictor, expressed his excitement regarding the participant pool:
I'm thrilled to see the return of this distinctive event and the assembly of numerous snooker legends. We at BetVictor are proud to support substantial tournaments in the snooker calendar, and we can't wait to launch the World Snooker Tour season 2024/25. We're eager for this intriguing tournament that promises extraordinary performances and unforgettable moments.– Sam Boswell, Head of Sponsorship, BetVictor, Championship League Snooker**
Regrettably, the current defending champion, 40-year-old Mark Selby, will not be competing. No information is available about Selby's absence from the Championship League. Following his elimination at the 2024 Snooker World Championship, he expressed doubts about his career and stated plans to take some time off in the summer.
Which players are participating in the tournament?
The Championship League Snooker promises to be an engaging event. Among the 128 contestants are several of the world's best.
The current snooker world champion, Kyren Wilson, features in Group 1 alongside Scott Donaldson, 30, Baipat Siripaporn, 25, and Daniel Womersley, 32. It is expected that Wilson will strive to display his best form in his first tournament as the champion.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan also joins the Championship League Snooker 2024. He faces He Guoqiang, 23, Mitchell Mann, 32, and Kayden Brierley, 22, in Group 2. O'Sullivan recently embarked on a snooker marathon, traveling across China and Europe this summer.
Snooker enthusiasts can also look forward to Shaun Murphy, 41, Mark Williams, 49, Ali Carter, 44, Jak Jones, 30, and numerous other elite snooker players.
Female snooker players included
In the 2024 Championship League Snooker, several female snooker players will participate. This includes, among others, Reanne Evans, 38. Evans is a twelve-time women's snooker world champion and one of the most accomplished female snooker players of all time. She is assigned to Group 3, opposite Shaun Murphy, Tian Pengfei, 36, and Steven Hallworth, 28.
Visit this Instagram post [A post shared by Reanne Evans MBE (@reanneevans_mbe)]
Baipat Siripaporn, the 2023 world champion, will also feature, facing Kyren Wilson, Scott Donaldson, and Daniel Womersley in Group 1. The current Snooker World Champion Bai Yulu, 20, competes against Mark Williams, David Grace, 39, and Connor Benzey, 22, in Group 4.
Apart from that, matchroom.live will broadcast all the games as well. To watch, you'll require an account on their streaming platform. Interestingly, matchroom.live is available at no cost, but there might be fees for specific matches. In such cases, users will need to shell out some money to get access to those particular games by purchasing a pass.
Sports Betting Odds
The BetVictor Championship League Snooker marks the start of the new season and serves as the initial benchmark to analyze the current form of the players. For those enthusiastic about sports betting, you can place wagers not only on individual matches but also on the tournament's champion.
Based on the betting odds provided by bookmakers, these players have the highest likelihood of clinching the Championship League Snooker title:
- Ronnie O'Sullivan: 6.5
- Neil Robertson: 8
- Kyren Wilson: 10
- Mark Williams: 11
- John Higgins: 11
- Shaun Murphy: 11
Online casinos in Germany might be interested to know that the current snooker world champion, Kyren Wilson, is participating in the BetVictor Championship League Snooker. This tournament, taking place from June 10th to July 3rd in Leicester, England, also features prominent players like 48-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan and 40-year-old Mark Selby (although Selby won't be defending his title due to his absence from the event). Online gamblers in Germany looking for snooker betting opportunities could potentially place wagers on this tournament, which offers a 20,000 GBP prize for the winner.
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