The landscape of professional snooker is undergoing a seismic shift. The era where one superstar could dominate an entire season appears to be conclusively over, replaced by an unprecedented level of competition at the summit of the game.
A Season of Unprecedented Variety
This dramatic change is starkly illustrated by the statistics from the current 2025-26 campaign. Remarkably, 14 tournaments have so far produced 13 different champions. This list of victors notably excludes some of the sport's biggest names, including world number one Judd Trump, the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan, four-time world champion John Higgins, and Chinese snooker icon Ding Junhui.
The sole exception to this rule of new winners is Mark Selby. The former world champion managed to secure two titles, first winning the Champion of Champions event in his hometown of Leicester in November, before claiming the prestigious UK Championship crown just three weeks later.
The variety extends beyond just the winners. An incredible 23 different players have contested finals this season, filling 28 available spots. Judd Trump is the only player to reach three finals, but he lost all three, underscoring the newfound difficulty in consistently closing out tournaments.
What's Driving the Snooker Shake-Up?
This level of parity marks a fundamental departure from snooker's historical norms. For decades, the sport was defined by eras of individual dominance: Steve Davis in the 1980s, Stephen Hendry in the 1990s, followed by the 'class of 92'—O'Sullivan, Higgins, and Mark Williams. The contrast with recent seasons is sharp; just two years ago in the 2023-24 campaign, only eight different players won the first 18 events.
Experts are divided on the cause. Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry points to a dramatic increase in depth throughout the rankings. "The standard generally is very high, but it’s down the rankings where it shows to me more than anywhere else," Hendry explained. "When you go from ten to 30 or 40 in the rankings, that’s where it’s gone up a hell of a lot."
In stark contrast, Ronnie O'Sullivan has suggested the opposite—that a perceived decline in quality among younger players is allowing more veterans and journeymen to triumph. "I think it’s easier to win tournaments now than it ever has been," O'Sullivan stated last year, controversially adding that many younger players "are not that good really."
New Stories and a Crowded Calendar
This shift has undeniably created compelling new narratives. This season has already witnessed three first-time ranking event winners: talented 22-year-old Chinese player Wu Yize, the popular six-time finalist Jack Lisowski, and 49-year-old veteran Alfie Burden. These breakthroughs provide fresh storylines for a sport competing for attention in a crowded entertainment market.
The expansion of the tour is also a significant factor. Where the 2005-06 season featured just six ranking events, and 2015-16 had ten, the current calendar boasts around 20. This congested schedule makes it virtually impossible for even the best players to peak for every event, naturally leading to a wider distribution of titles.
The long-term implications of this extreme parity are now a major topic of debate. It presents a quandary similar to that in tennis: is it better for the sport to have a few transcendent superstars who drive global interest, or a deep field where dozens of players can win on any given week, creating constant jeopardy and excitement?
For now, the age of a single player like Hendry or Davis winning over half a season's events is a distant memory. The 2026 snooker season is poised to be one of the most fascinating and unpredictable in history, with an ocean of possible winners for every trophy.
