Snooker’s biggest stars head to Saudi Arabia for the inaugural 2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, as the World Snooker Tour visits the Middle Eastern country for the first time.
The world’s top-eight players will feature at the 10-player tournament, including seven-time World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, reigning holder Luca Brecel and 2019 champion Judd Trump as players compete for a total prize pool of $1 million (£788,000).
Saudi Arabia’s Omar Alajlani and Qatar’s Ali Alobaidli will feature as wild card players in the opening round, while Mark Allen, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams and Ali Carter are also in action.
The invitational tournament will also see the introduction of the ‘Riyadh Season ball’, a golden ball which can only be potted once all other balls have been cleared from the table if a player is on a maximum break.
When is the Riyadh Season World Masters? And where?
The Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker runs from Monday, March 4 to Wednesday, March 6 2024.
The competition will be held at Boulevard Arena in Boulevard City, Riyadh.
Where can I watch the Riyadh Season World Masters?
What is the format for the Riyadh Season World Masters?
All matches are best-of-seven frames until the final, which will be best-of-nine frames.
- Wild card round: March 4
- Quarter-finals: March 5
- Semi-finals: March 6
- Final: March 6
Schedule and Results
Round One
Monday, March 4 (All UK times, schedule subject to change)
- Ding Junhui 4-0 Omar Alajlani
- John Higgins 4-0 Ali Alobaidli
Wild card Round
- Ali Carter 1-1 Ding Junhui
- Mark Williams v John Higgins
Quarter-finals
- Luca Brecel v Ali Carter / TBC
- Judd Trump v Shaun Murphy
- Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Williams / TBC
Semi-finals
Brecel / TBC v Mark Allen / Mark Selby
Judd Trump / Shaun Murphy v Ronnie O’Sullivan / TBC