A select and prestigious collection of snooker players – the Top 16 of the World Snooker rankings boasts the top talent and highest performing snooker players on the planet. However, is the tide turning? The standard of professional snooker is higher than ever, with Top 16 veterans’ places under threat from a new wave of talent, with perhaps the difference in quality between the ‘elite’ and the ‘outsiders’ not too far away…
The evidence is there. Break building in the sport, once acknowledged as a key distinction between the best and the rest, has improved dramatically in recent years. This can be seen with the rise of professional 147s – 24 in the 2025/26 season compared to an average of 9 per season in the 2010s, with many made by lower ranked players and in qualifying events. Jackson Page is perhaps the best example, becoming the first player to make two 147s in the same match, in World Championship qualifying in 2025 (and claiming a handsome £167,000 prize by doing so!).
The number of maximum breaks and overall rise in standard has been helped by a significant increase in tournament opportunities for the lower ranked players. There are 18 ranking tournaments in the 26/27 calendar, compared to 7 in the 06/07 season, offering valuable chances to claim prize money and ranking points. This in turn has caused a great diversity in the winners of tournaments, where in recent times, it has been very difficult for the players to win multiple tournaments in a season. Last season alone, there were 15 different winners of ranking events, with only two players winning multiple ranking titles. It is becoming so hard for the top players to dominate the sport, with winnings seemingly being shared amongst the masses.
We wonder if this could be a knock on effect of lower ranked players benefitting from qualifying for tournaments. Players who need to qualify end up having many more hours of table time before the big hitters join the race, meaning they get a feel for the tournament and have more consistent practice on the table. This enables them to go further in tournaments, knocking out the top 16 players more than ever. Take the most recent Northern Ireland Open for example, 10 of the top 16 were knocked out in the first round.
All this considered – is it good for the game?
Out of Baulk answer: Yes
More competition, closer matches, higher viewing figures, lucrative prize money will continue to grow the game, improving snooker for both the player and the viewer. Who knows what the Top 16 may look like in 2, 5, 10 years time, or by then, will it be considered a Top 32? Only time will tell…
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