Q Tour
Snooker tournament
title: "Q Tour" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["q-tour", "snooker-amateur-competitions", "snooker-non-ranking-competitions", "snooker-tours-and-series", "snooker-competitions-in-the-united-kingdom", "recurring-sporting-events-established-in-1994", "1994-establishments-in-the-united-kingdom", "recurring-sporting-events-disestablished-in-2005", "2005-disestablishments-in-the-united-kingdom", "recurring-sporting-events-established-in-2018", "2018-establishments-in-the-united-kingdom"] description: "Snooker tournament" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_Tour" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Snooker tournament ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox sports league"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | WPBSA Q Tour |
| current_season | 2025–26 Q Tour |
| logo | Q_Tour_logo.png |
| pixels | 240px |
| sport | Snooker |
| inaugural | 1994 (as the Minor Tour) |
| 2018 (current format) | |
| organiser | WPBSA |
| country | Worldwide |
| champion | By Order of Merit: |
| Zhao Xintong | |
| qualification | Q School |
| Open entry (Preliminary rounds and non-Europe events) | |
| level | 2 |
| promotion | World Snooker Tour (Main Tour) |
| tournament_format | Knockout events with play-off finals |
| website | https://wpbsa.com/events-list/wpbsa-q-tour/ |
| subdivision | Q Tour Europe |
| Q Tour Global (Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle East) | |
| :: |
| title = WPBSA Q Tour | current_season = 2025–26 Q Tour | last_season = | logo = Q_Tour_logo.png | caption = | pixels = 240px | sport = Snooker | founded = | inaugural = 1994 (as the Minor Tour) 2018 (current format) | folded = | commissioner = | organiser = WPBSA | fame = | motto = | teams = | singles = | headquarters = | country = Worldwide | champion = By Order of Merit: Zhao Xintong | most_champs = | qualification = Q School Open entry (Preliminary rounds and non-Europe events) | level = 2 | promotion = World Snooker Tour (Main Tour) | tournament_format = Knockout events with play-off finals | website = https://wpbsa.com/events-list/wpbsa-q-tour/ | subdivision = Q Tour Europe Q Tour Global (Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle East)
The Q Tour, officially the WPBSA Q Tour, is a second-tier series of snooker tournaments immediately below the level of the World Snooker Tour, consisting of amateur and ex-professional players to compete for qualifying places to the main tour. It is administered by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).
Originally known as the Minor Tour, UK Tour and then the Challenge Tour, the WPBSA then operated a three-level circuit with the professional main tour and the pro-am Open Tour until the end of the 2002–03 season; it was partially replaced by the International Open Series (PIOS) and subsequently the Players Tour Championship from the 2004–05 season.
The Challenge Tour was revived from the 2018–19 season after a 14-year hiatus, with only amateurs being allowed to participate. The series expanded to other European countries outside of England and rebranded to its current name from the 2021–22 season, and since the 2023–24 season regional Q Tour franchises, established under the Q Tour Global banner, are also introduced to form a full-fledged multi-continental snooker development tour. There are now over 20 Q Tour events to be held during a regular snooker season.
History
Early editions
The concept of a secondary professional tour was first experimented with in the 1994–95 season in the form of the WPBSA Minor Tour to provide competition for lower ranked professionals, but only ran for a season. A two-tiered tour structure was formally adopted from the 1997–98 season due to over-subscription of the Main Tour, where all professionals can compete in the UK Tour and the best performers could earn promotion. From the 1999–2000 season, entry was limited to players not competing on the Main Tour and exclusive membership was implemented from the 2001–02 season. From the 2000–01 season it was rebranded the Challenge Tour.
In its first season there were five events, but the number was reduced to four in the following seasons. There were two official maximum breaks at the UK Tour, both in the 1998–99 season; the first was made by Stuart Bingham against Barry Hawkins in Event 3, and the second by Nick Dyson against Adrian Gunnell in Event 4.
After the split with the English amateur governing body EASB, PIOS became another second-tier tournament, and the Challenge Tour was subsequently axed upon completion of the 2004–05 season.
Pro-am replacement
Main article: Players Tour Championship
The Pro Challenge Series was introduced for the 2009–10 season, all tour players being eligible to play. Only four of the planned seven events were played before the series was axed due to low player participation. The following 2010–11 season saw the Pro Challenge Series replaced by the Players Tour Championship, a series of minor-ranking tournaments that were open to the entire professional membership with an amateur leg, effectively making it an open tour. They also counted towards the rankings for professionals on the Main Tour, and any player who finished in the top 8 of the PTC Order of Merit was guaranteed a tour card for the following season.
Return to amateur-only event and expansion
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/WST_feeder.png" caption="2019–20 season]]."] ::
From the 2020–21 season, the Challenge Tour was rebranded as the Q Tour (retrospectively known as Q Tour Europe). It was expanded to other regions in the form of Q Tour Global from the 2023–24 season.
Format
Q Tour events are generally played over three days with the first day being an open qualifying day.
In a Q Tour Europe event, the main draw starts on the second day when the 16 open qualifiers are joined by the 48 seeded players to form a 64-player knockout competition. It consists of the top 32 eligible players from the Q School Order of Merit, another top eight junior players who are not already qualified, and the last eight places from the Asia-Oceania version of Q School. In other regional events, entrants are largely local players and do not involve seedings.
Prize money
Q Tour Europe
Each Q Tour Europe event featured a prize fund of £30,000, with the winner receiving £6,000.
- Winner: £6,000
- Runner-up: £3,000
- Semi-final: £2,000
- Quarter-final: £1,250
- Last 16: £750
- Last 32: £350
- Total: £30,000
Event finals
::data[format=table]
Order of Merit winners
::data[format=table]
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| UK Tour (professional non-ranking) | |
| 1997–98 | SCO Paul McPhillips |
| 1998–99 | ENG Alfie Burden |
| 1999–2000 | ENG Barry Hawkins |
| Challenge Tour (professional non-ranking) | |
| 2000–01 | ENG Shaun Murphy |
| 2001–02 | WAL Ryan Day |
| 2002–03 | ENG Martin Gould |
| 2003–04 | ENG Brian Salmon |
| 2004–05 | ENG Jamie Cope |
| Challenge Tour (amateur) | |
| 2018–19 | ENG Brandon Sargeant |
| 2019–20 | ENG Ashley Hugill |
| Q Tour (amateur) | |
| 2021–22 | CHN Si Jiahui |
| 2022–23 | ENG Martin O'Donnell |
| 2023–24 | ENG Michael Holt |
| 2024–25 | CHN Zhao Xintong |
| :: |
References
References
- (26 April 2002). "2000 / 2001 Challenge Tour". The Frank Callan Suite.
- Hendon, Dave. (30 June 2009). "Pro Challenge Series Launched". Snooker Scene.
- Hendon, Dave. (2 March 2010). "Pro Challenge Series Axed". Snooker Scene.
- (22 June 2010). "Players Tour Championship pits stars against amateurs". [[BBC]].
- Turner, Chris. "Players Tour Championship". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive.
- (7 February 2018). "World Snooker Challenge Tour 2018/19". [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]].
- (2020-07-21). "WPBSA Q Tour Launched".
- (10 September 2021). "WPBSA Q Tour 2021/22".
- (24 June 2024). "WPBSA Q Tour Global Expanded for 2024/25".
- Hayton, Eric. (2004). "The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker". Rose Villa Publications.
- "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event One". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event Two". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event Three". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2002-3 WSA Challenge Tour Event 4". Global Snooker Centre.
- "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 1". Global Snooker Centre.
- "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 2". Global Snooker Centre.
- "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 3". Global Snooker Centre.
- "Pontins World Snooker Challenge Tour - Event 4". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event One". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event Two". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event Three". Global Snooker Centre.
- "2004-5 Pontin's Challenge Tour - Event Four". Global Snooker Centre.
- "WPBSA Secondary Professional Tour". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive.
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