Australian Women’s Open 2026: a record field set for Sydney

A bigger field in Sydney

The Australian Women’s Open begins on 17 October at Mounties in Sydney, with the World Women’s Snooker Tour describing this year’s entry as a record 29 players. Six of the world’s top 10 are expected to contest the second women’s ranking tournament of the season.

Ploychompoo Laokiatphong returns as defending champion. Former two-time winners Onyee Ng and Mink Nutcharut are also in the field, while 12-time world champion Reanne Evans is set to make her first Australian Open appearance since 2018.

Local and international storylines

The field combines established names with players arriving from different recent runs. Last year’s runner-up Narucha Phoemphul returns, Anupama Ramachandran comes off a semi-final at the UK Championship, and Australia’s number one Jessica Woods will try to improve on her 2022 final.

Those details give the calendar entry useful context without predicting a winner. The draw and session schedule remain the right place to check a player’s route once group positions are confirmed.

How the format works

Players are split into six groups of up to five. The top two from each group and the four best third-place finishers progress to the knockout stage. Group matches are best of three frames, while the knockout rounds use best-of-five, best-of-five, best-of-seven and best-of-seven formats.

Under-21 and Seniors side events will run alongside the main tournament, with a Challenge Cup for players who leave the main competition before the knockout rounds. Follow the Australian Women’s Open event page for the dated schedule, draw and results area.