Who could be snooker's world number one after the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters?

With a total £2.3 million in prize money on offer in Riyadh, and from the last 32 onwards the payouts being identical to the most recent World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre, the rankings picture could look very different indeed for those who do well at the new tournament.

Before we look ahead to the third ranking event of the 2024/25 season, though, let’s review how the rankings altered after the Xi’an Grand Prix - another new, big-money addition to the World Snooker Tour this term.

World snooker rankings update after the 2024 Xi’an Grand Prix

There were a couple of big changes at the top of the world rankings following the opening Chinese ranking event of the campaign.

With a very sizeable purse of £850,000 on offer in the Far East and prize money coming off players’ totals from the 2022 European Masters, there was the potential for changes at the top, and that was indeed the case as Judd Trump overtook Mark Allen to become the world number one for the fifth time in his career.

Allen’s last 16 defeat in Xi’an meant that Trump’s run to the final - where he banked £76,000 - was enough for the Englishman to return to the peak.

Somewhat bizarrely, Trump and Allen are now both on identical totals of £974,000, but the former takes precedence due to a better result from the most recent event; referred to as ‘countback’.

World Champion Kyren Wilson’s seventh career ranking event victory has juiced up the world number one angle even further, and the £177,000 top prize he pocketed from Xi’an means that he is only £25,500 behind both Trump and Allen in third.

Wilson’s triumph was good timing, as he initially lost £80,000 from his total for winning the European Masters two years ago, as per the two-year rolling list that keeps the professional standings dynamic.

Elsewhere near the top, Ronnie O’Sullivan (up to fourth) and Mark Selby (up to fifth) each gain a place, although Luca Brecel drops two spots to sixth (more on Brecel in a minute...).

The top 16 players remain in the elite band, although some are in different places. John Higgins preserves his place and goes up one to 15th, while Barry Hawkins - despite a last eight finish in Xi’an - goes down one to 16th due to having his European Masters runner-up prize money from two years ago removed.

Daniel Wells reached the third ranking event of his career last week, and the £34,500 he earned - his biggest payday from the sport, so far - pushes him into the crucial top 64 bracket in 53rd. It is Wells’ second season back in the professional ranks having previously been relegated.

Xu Si’s second career ranking event quarter-final outing - and his first in nearly seven years - saw him rise nine places to 49th; alleviating some pressure on him maintaining his tour card at the end of the season.

Wu Yize dropped seven places to 43rd partly as a result of his quarter-final finish in the European Masters in August 2022.

There is an extremely long way to go this campaign, but on the provisional end of season ranking list, several former world champions need results to keep their top 16 berth.

Selby is 14th, Shaun Murphy is 24th, and Brecel is 58th. Neil Robertson - who began this season outside the 16 - is 38th.

Players in the race for world number one in Saudi

With a top prize of £500,000 going to the first Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters champion on Saturday 7th September, that means anyone from Judd Trump in first (on £974,000) to Shaun Murphy in seventh (on £498,900) could leave the Middle East as the world number one.

As the amounts between payouts are so big (the Saudi runner-up scoops £200,000) this means if any of the current top four ranked players win the title in Riyadh - Trump, Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson or Ronnie O’Sullivan - they would be the world number one when the standings are updated, regardless of who else makes the final.

If Mark Selby (in fifth) or Luca Brecel (in sixth) win the title, they will finish as the number one, but only if neither Trump or Allen is the runner-up. (Selby is in the same half as Trump and Allen - Brecel is on the opposite side of the draw).

Murphy could mathematically realise a dream and reach the top of the world standings for the first time, but he would need to win the trophy and require early exits from the top three.

Similar to the UK Championship and World Championship, if a seeded player doesn’t win or progress from their opening match, their prize money will not get added to their ranking total.