The Northern Ireland Open returns to Belfast's Waterfront Hall from 18 to 25 October for its tenth year in the city, with Jack Lisowski back to defend the title he took 9-8 from Judd Trump. But that is only half the story of who gets to play there. The rest of the field had to earn Belfast the long way round, through a qualifying round that quietly decided the tournament before a single ball is potted on the river Lagan.
Belfast's tenth year, told through the results in MyiCue's tournament data
Years of the NI Open at the Waterfront Hall, with play running 18-25 October.
Players in the NI Open bracket in MyiCue's data - one long road with Belfast at the end of it.
Sijun Yuan's qualifying defeat by Mateusz Baranowski - 19 days before he went and made a ranking final anyway.
Baranowski's clearance to take the final frame of that match after Yuan had made a 69 of his own.
4-0 wins in MyiCue's qualifying results: Ben Mertens over Iulian Boiko, Matthew Selt over Antoni Kowalski.
Jack Lisowski's Belfast final win over Judd Trump last year - the prize every new qualifier is chasing.
Four men who booked their Waterfront ticket in Leicester - how they arrive in Belfast.
Recent results for each player, data as at 15 October 2026.
Head-to-head data is unavailable right now.
We never show estimates - figures return once the data feed is reachable.