The fourth edition of the Northern Ireland Open, it was the sixth ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season, the second tournament of the Home Nations Series.

The pair both reached the final in 2019, with Trump successfully defending the title, defeating O'Sullivan by the same scoreline.

[4][5] The defending champion was Judd Trump, who had won the 2018 event by defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–7.

[9] The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:[10] The first four rounds were played from 11 to 14 November as the best of seven frames.

Defending champion Trump defeated James Cahill in the opening round, then beat three Chinese players Zhang Anda, Si Jiahui and Yan Bingtao, whilst unseeded player Anthony Hamilton defeated Tom Ford, Rod Lawler and eighth seed Kyren Wilson to reach the quarter-finals.

[7] Fifth seed Mark Selby defeated Xu Si, Matthew Stevens, Luca Brecel and Ken Doherty in qualifying for the quarter-finals where he would meet John Higgins as he defeated Chang Bingyu, Kacper Filipiak, Billy Joe Castle, and 2019 World Cup partner Stephen Maguire.

[7][11] Fourteenth seed Joe Perry defeated Zhao Xintong, Ross Bulman, Graeme Dott and Robbie Williams to play Alexander Ursenbacher in the quarter-finals, who overcame Xiao Guodong and Martin O'Donnell in the opening two rounds.

[13] Seventh seed Shaun Murphy overcame Fraser Patrick, Luo Honghao, Ricky Walden and Barry Hawkins to meet Ronnie O'Sullivan, who defeated Oliver Lines, Lei Peifan, Stuart Carrington and Yuan Sijun.

"[18] O'Sullivan praised his opponent after the match, commenting that he "enjoyed watching" Trump's play.