Liam Highfield is not in the verified facts for this British Open preview, but Shaun Murphy is. The defending champion will return to Cheltenham for the 2026 Unibet British Open, which runs from Monday 31 August to Sunday 6 September 2026.
Murphy goes back as world number six after beating Anthony McGill 10-7 in last year’s final to lift the Clive Everton Trophy. He said, “I have had two of my best ever seasons but if I'm honest I want to start filling up my trophy cabinet.”
Murphy, McGill and Cheltenham
The event will be staged at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse, with the British Open again using an FA Cup-style random draw and no seeded players. That setup puts the 128-player field into a straight knockout where every round is drawn afresh, which is why a top name can land an awkward opponent early and an underdog can stay alive deep into the week.
Murphy’s route back to Cheltenham is built on more than one run. In the spring he reached the World Championship final before losing 18-17 to Wu Yize, and he was runner-up at the Xi'an Grand Prix and the German Masters. He said, “I have had a few near misses, none more so than the World Championship which is still living large in the back of my mind.”
Shaun Murphy at 44
Murphy is 44 and says he still sees a long runway ahead. He said, “I have just turned 44 but judging by today's standards I have at least seven or eight years left.”
That matters because he is not talking like a player winding down. Murphy said, “Over my career I have not been great at winning multiple titles in seasons,” adding, “We have seen the likes of Ding Junhui and Judd Trump winning five or six in a season, I have never been near to that.”
His own standard is changing, too. “I feel now I'm the most complete snooker player I’ve ever been and that has come from practice and hard work,” he said, and the target is no longer just consistency but turning these runs into more trophies.
Judd Trump in the field
Judd Trump, Wu Yize, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Zhao Xintong, John Higgins, Neil Robertson and Mark Selby are all named for the field, giving Cheltenham a line-up with both recent major finalists and established winners. The British Open was first staged in 1985, and the 2026 edition gives that format another week to produce the kind of early collision the draw is designed to create.
For readers, the practical takeaway is simple: the title defence is set, the field is already stacked, and tickets are still available for a week that starts on 31 August and ends on 6 September. Murphy has made clear he is chasing more than one title this season, so Cheltenham is not just hosting a return visit — it is getting a player who thinks the cabinet still has room.
