The Unibet British Open is underway at the Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse, through Sunday 6 September. In the UK it is free-to-air on 5 and 5 Action. You do not need Sky Sports for this one.
This is a Cue Ball Talk viewing guide: channel numbers, the 5 app, what is left of the week, and where to go if you are outside the UK. Official rights lists live on the World Snooker Tour site; session times can move, so treat the TV guide as the last word.
You do not need a paid 5 subscription for this tournament in the UK.
Wednesday 2 September (last 64 continues)
From 10am
From 1pm
From 3pm
Thursday 3 September — quarter-finals
Friday 4 – Saturday 5 September — semi-finals
Sunday 6 September — final, two sessions
Higgins is chasing a fifth British Open, which would put him level with Steve Davis. Zhao Xintong is in as world number one after the Wuhan Open. That 1pm Wednesday match between Gilbert and Murphy is the one to park on if you can only watch one.
The draw is random every round, so the favourite can meet another favourite long before the weekend.
Watching this week? Drop a reply with who you are on and which channel you found them on. If 5 and 5 Action split a session we will keep this thread updated.
This is a Cue Ball Talk viewing guide: channel numbers, the 5 app, what is left of the week, and where to go if you are outside the UK. Official rights lists live on the World Snooker Tour site; session times can move, so treat the TV guide as the last word.
Quick facts
- Where: The Centaur, Cheltenham
- When: 31 August – 6 September 2026
- UK TV: 5 and 5 Action, every session
- UK stream: channel5.com and the 5 app (free account)
- Table 2: 5 app and website, not always on the linear channel
- Defending champion: Shaun Murphy
- Winner: £100,000 (total prize fund £502,000)
UK channel numbers
Coverage hops between 5 and 5 Action during a session. If the match you want disappears, it has usually moved, not finished.| Platform | 5 | 5 Action |
|---|---|---|
| Freeview | 5 (HD 105) | 33 |
| Sky | 105 | 150 (Sky Glass / Stream: 165) |
| Virgin | 105 | 150 HD / 187 SD |
| Freesat | 105 | 132 |
Watch on the 5 app
If you are not in front of a telly:- Open channel5.com or the 5 app on phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV.
- Sign in with a free 5 account (the old My5 login still works for a lot of people).
- The main table is on the linear 5 / 5 Action streams.
- Table 2 is listed as its own live stream on the app and site. That is the one to use when two matches are on at once.
You do not need a paid 5 subscription for this tournament in the UK.
Rest of the week
All times UK. Last 64 and last 32 are best of 7. Quarter-finals best of 9 (Thursday). Semi-finals best of 11 (Friday–Saturday). Final best of 19 over two sessions on Sunday.Wednesday 2 September (last 64 continues)
From 10am
- Matthew Stevens vs Fan Zhengyi
- Long Zehuang vs Ashley Carty
- Stan Moody vs Yao Pengcheng
- Mark Selby vs Lei Peifan
From 1pm
- Jamie Jones vs Wang Xinbo
- Bai Yulu vs Ross Muir
- Judd Trump vs Ricky Walden
- David Gilbert vs Shaun Murphy (defending champion)
From 3pm
- Aaron Hill vs Ben Mertens
- David Grace vs Zak Surety
- Noppon Saengkham vs John Higgins
- Zhao Xintong vs Daniel Wells
Thursday 3 September — quarter-finals
Friday 4 – Saturday 5 September — semi-finals
Sunday 6 September — final, two sessions
Higgins is chasing a fifth British Open, which would put him level with Steve Davis. Zhao Xintong is in as world number one after the Wuhan Open. That 1pm Wednesday match between Gilbert and Murphy is the one to park on if you can only watch one.
What you have already missed
- Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Allen both withdrew. Mark Joyce and Patrick Whelan came in.
- Liam Highfield made a 147 in Leicester qualifying — his first official maximum.
- Murphy whitewashed Reanne Evans. David Gilbert whitewashed Mark Williams.
- Kyren Wilson beat world champion Wu Yize 4–1 on Tuesday. Chang Bingyu, fresh from winning Wuhan, is through. Zhao beat Oliver Brown.
The draw is random every round, so the favourite can meet another favourite long before the weekend.
Outside the UK
- Republic of Ireland: not on 5. Use WST Play.
- Mainland Europe: Eurosport / HBO Max in the territories WST lists (broadly Europe and parts of the CIS).
- Everywhere else with no local deal: WST Play. Check wst.tv/wst-play-availability before you pay — geo-blocks apply while 5 has the UK live rights.
Tickets
If you would rather be in the room, WST still has tickets for the Centaur. Last advertised prices were adults from £18 and under-16s from £8. Ticket details on wst.tv.Club and league streams on Cue Ball Talk
The British Open itself is on 5, not on YouTube. Local club and league streams still sit on our Streams page — REELIVE, Shooterz and the rest — if you want a table on in the background.Watching this week? Drop a reply with who you are on and which channel you found them on. If 5 and 5 Action split a session we will keep this thread updated.
