Coral Cup: World Grand Prix first on the agenda for new competition

What is the Coral Cup? Who’s involved? How does it work?

The 2018-19 snooker season is over halfway towards its conclusion and now things are about to get even more serious with the start of the inaugural Coral Cup.

Taking in the Coral World Grand Prix, the Coral Players Championship and the Coral Tour Championship, the Coral Cup isn’t like anything else on the circuit.

Want to know more, find out who’s involved and what the odds are for the first event? Then read on.

What tournaments make up the Coral Cup?

The Coral Cup is made up of three separate tournaments. These are the Coral World Grand Prix (4th-10th February), the Coral Players Championship (4th-10th March) and the Coral Tour Championship (19th-24th March). You’ll be able to tune in to all three on ITV4 over the next couple of months.

Each is a prestigious event in its own right – something which is reflected by the prize money. Win the Grand Prix? You’ll receive £100,000. Take home the Players Championship at the famous Guild Hall? That’s £125,000 in your pocket. And scoop the Tour Championship in Wales? You’re in line for £150,000.

How do you win the Coral Cup?

Qualification for each competition is based on the one-year ranking lists compiled by World Snooker. Players need to be in the top 32 to qualify for the first event, the top 16 to qualify for the second and the top eight to make it to Llandudno. That means there are no guarantees.

Now baize masters will want to make even surer they qualify for all three, because the Coral Cup is decided on accumulated prize money from each of the three events.  Any player good enough to win all three won’t just chalk up the Coral Cup – we’ll also round up their prize money to £500,000.