BetVictor Championship League: Final Eight Confirmed as Stage Two Comes to a Dramatic Close
The second stage of the 2026/27 BetVictor Championship League has concluded, with the final eight players now confirmed for Wednesday’s decisive showdown at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
After two days of high-quality snooker and several dramatic group finales, Hossein Vafaei, Lei Peifan, Dylan Emery, Noppon Saengkham, Jak Jones, David Gilbert, Elliot Slessor and Zhang Anda have all secured their places in the final stage, where they will battle for the season’s first ranking title.
Vafaei and Lei strike first
Friday’s opening Stage Two action saw Hossein Vafaei and Lei Peifan become the first players to qualify for the final stage.
Vafaei continued his outstanding start to the new season by topping Group B. The Iranian opened with a convincing 3-0 victory over Luca Brecel before defeating Ian Burns 3-1, highlighted by a superb 110 break. A 2-2 draw against Pang Junxu in his final match was enough to secure top spot and keep alive his hopes of a second ranking title.
In Group A, Lei Peifan showed remarkable resilience to progress. After defeating David Grace 3-0 and drawing with Liu Hongyu, the Chinese star trailed Zak Surety 2-0 in his final match. Lei responded in sensational fashion, compiling breaks of 104 and 110 to earn a crucial 2-2 draw and seal qualification for the final stage.
Emery stuns the defending champion as Saengkham advances
Saturday produced one of the biggest stories of the tournament as Dylan Emery topped a difficult Group C containing defending champion Stephen Maguire, Gary Wilson and Stan Moody.
The Welshman opened with 2-2 draws against Wilson and Maguire before producing a superb 3-0 victory over Moody to finish top of the group. The result sees Emery reach the final eight of a ranking event for the first time in his career.
In Group D, Noppon Saengkham continued his pursuit of a maiden ranking title. Victories over Scott Donaldson and Zhou Yuelong, together with a draw against Iulian Boiko, ensured the Thai cueist progressed after another composed display.
Jones and Gilbert hold their nerve
Sunday’s action saw Jak Jones and David Gilbert join the growing list of finalists.
Jones emerged from a highly competitive Group F, overcoming Marco Fu before drawing with Mark Joyce to set up a winner-takes-all clash with Chang Bingyu. The Welshman raced into a 2-0 lead with a 101 break, before eventually clinching the decisive final frame after a tense 37-minute battle to secure qualification.
David Gilbert also booked his place in the final stage after victories over Ali Carter and Chris Wakelin. Although he lost his final fixture to He Guoqiang, Gilbert had already done enough to finish top of the group.
Slessor and Zhang complete the line-up
The final two places were decided on Monday as Elliot Slessor and Zhang Anda progressed.
Slessor began with a draw against Dean Young before defeating Jackson Page 3-1, leaving a winner-takes-all clash against Xu Si. Leading 2-1, the Englishman produced a composed 61 break in the final frame to complete another 3-1 victory and book his place in the last eight.
Meanwhile, Zhang Anda topped his group after whitewashing both Jack Lisowski and Cheng Ka Wai 3-0 before earning a 2-2 draw against Jimmy Robertson to comfortably secure qualification.
Final Stage Line-up Confirmed
The eight remaining players will now be split into two groups of four. Each group winner will advance to the Championship League final, where the winner will lift the first ranking title of the 2026/27 season.
Final Stage Qualifiers
- Hossein Vafaei
- Lei Peifan
- Dylan Emery
- Noppon Saengkham
- Jak Jones
- David Gilbert
- Elliot Slessor
- Zhang Anda
With several former ranking event winners, an in-form Welsh breakthrough star, and players chasing maiden ranking titles still in contention, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to the BetVictor Championship League.
