2026 Masters Snooker: Draw, results, schedule, format, prize money, how to watch

The second Triple Crown event of the season - following Mark Selby’s UK Championship triumph in early December - features an elite 16-player field with a £1 million-plus prize fund from which £350,000 will go to the eventual champion, as well as The Paul Hunter Trophy.

Shaun Murphy is the reigning and defending Masters champion having won the title for the second time in his career in January 2025 after defeating then reigning World Champion Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final at the ‘Ally Pally’.

How does the draw and format work for the Masters?

The top 16 ranked players in the world immediately following the conclusion of the 2025 UK Championship were invited to the eight-day extravaganza which features a one-table set-up throughout.

A straight knockout tournament with best of 11 frames matches up to and including the semi-finals and then a two-session best of 19 frames final, title holder Murphy is the number one seed and current World Champion Zhao Xintong is seed number two.

The remaining top eight seeds were then determined via the world rankings with world number one Judd Trump being seed three, world number two Wilson being seed four etc.

These top eight seeds were placed into the drawsheet into fixed positions - with Murphy at the top and Zhao at the bottom, etc - and randomly drawn against seed numbers 9 to 16 for round one.

Who is playing at the 2026 Masters?

A star-studded line-up is set to feature in North London, with Murphy beginning his title defence against the youngest player in the field, 22-year-old Wu Yize, in the opening match of the tournament on the afternoon of Sunday 11th January. Wu is one of two debutants this year.

Current Crucible king Zhao will be making only his second Masters appearance, and he’ll be aiming to complete a Career Triple Crown. The Chinese cueman meets Gary Wilson in round one.

Two-time Masters winner Trump faces Ding Junhui, while UK champ Selby - possibly the best player in the world at the moment - begins his quest for a fourth Masters crown against Xiao Guodong.

Top of the seasonal ranking list, Neil Robertson is trying to complete a Masters hat-trick and he plays substitute Chris Wakelin.

‘Class of 92' graduates Mark Williams and John Higgins - who are also going for a trio of titles in this event - share the baize with Mark Allen and Barry Hawkins, respectively.

Last year's runner-up Wilson - who also got silver in 2018 - meets Si Jiahui.

Why is Ronnie O’Sullivan not playing at the Masters?

Record eight-time Masters champion and arguably the greatest player of all-time Ronnie O’Sullivan will not be competing at the 2026 Masters after withdrawing due to medical reasons.

The World Snooker Tour released a post on its website on Friday evening, a couple of days before the event started, to announce O’Sullivan’s withdrawal.

O’Sullivan has been replaced in the draw by Chris Wakelin, who was first in line for a call-up. Wakelin - who made his Masters debut last year - missed out on qualification by one place following the UK Championship, but since then has got back into the world’s top 16 after winning the Scottish Open just before Christmas.

It is the fourth time that O’Sullivan has either elected not to enter or withdrawn from the Masters, and the second year in-a-row: 2013, 2020, 2025, 2026.

Tournament schedule

• Sunday 11th to Wednesday 14th: Round One
• Thursday 15th & Friday 16th: Quarter-Finals
• Saturday 17th: Semi-Finals
• Sunday 18th: Final

What is the prize money and how much does the winner get?

• Champion: £350,000
• Runner-up: £140,000
• Losing semi-finalists: £75,000 (each)
• Losing quarter-finalists: £40,000 (each)
• Losers in round one: £25,000 (each)
• Highest tournament break: £15,000
• Total prize fund: £1,015,000

How to watch the 2026 Masters:

• UK: BBC, BBCiPlayer, BBC Sport website
• UK & Ireland: TNT Sports and discovery+
• Mainland Europe: Eurosport and locally relevant streaming platforms (discovery+ in Germany, Italy and Austria and HBO Max in all other markets)
• China: CCTV5, Huya.com, Migu, CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel (pay-per-view), CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
• Macau China: CCTV5
• Hong Kong China: Now TV
• Taiwan: Sportcast
• Thailand: True Sport
• Mongolia: N Sports
• Philippines: Tap
• Malaysia and Brunei: Astro SuperSport
• All other territories: WST Play