John Higgins set to extend record appearance streak at upcoming Masters in London

Four-time world champion Higgins - who turned 50 last May - enjoyed a career-reenergising 2025 during which he won two ranking event titles, and reached the final of another.

It all seems like a far cry from less than 18 months ago when the great Scot slipped outside of the world’s top 16 for the first time in over 29 years.

That spell looking in on the sport’s elite bracket lasted only a week, though, following a run to the final of the British Open in September 2024, but his wait for a ranking crown continued.

Higgins was featuring at the business end of many tournaments, but was gaining a reputation for being unable to put matches away from being in a strong position. A perfect example of this came at last year’s Masters when he let slip a 5-1 lead to Neil Robertson and suffered a 6-5 defeat in the opening match of the tournament.

However, just several weeks later in Yushan, China, Higgins claimed the 32nd ranking title of his long, illustrious career - but his first in four years - after denying Joe O’Connor 10-6 in the 2025 World Open final.

Just over a month later, Higgins lifted another ranking trophy after winning the final five frames of the title match to defeat Mark Selby 10-8 and secure the 2025 Tour Championship at the Manchester Central.

No further titles have been won this season by Higgins, although he did reach the final of the International Championship in November. As a consequence of a brilliant calendar year, he begins 2026 as the world number five.

Higgins set to make 32nd consecutive Masters outing

In what is set to be his first tournament appearance of the new year, Higgins is due to face Barry Hawkins in round one of the 2026 Masters at the Alexandra Palace in London on the evening of Tuesday 13th January.

Higgins has been an ever regular at the annual Masters extravaganza since 1995 when he made his debut after being awarded a wildcard. The next year he was there as a top 16 player, a status he has continued to enjoy every year since.

When ‘The Wizard of Wishaw’ shares the baize with Hawkins in the capital city, it will be his 32nd Masters appearance, and all of those will have come consecutively.

The 50-year-old already holds the record for the most Masters outings in the competition’s history. Higgins currently has 31 to his name, two clear of second-placed Ronnie O’Sullivan (29 appearances) and four clear of Steve Davis, Jimmy White, and Mark Williams who are all joint-third on the list with 27 appearances.

World number four Williams is in this year’s Masters draw, though, meaning he would go into outright third by himself - this would also result in all three members of the fabled ‘Class of 92’ being in the top three by themselves.

Record eight-time Masters champion O’Sullivan first featured in the event in 1994 - a year before Higgins did - after winning the qualifying event a few months before.

‘The Rocket’ has qualified for the Masters each and every year since then, but he opted not to play in it in 2013, 2020, and 2025.

Two-time champion Higgins’ chequered Masters record

Higgins' long Masters record is a bit bizarre. He reached the final on debut in 1995 - losing to fellow teenager O'Sullivan 9-3 - before wearing the crown in 1999 and 2006.

That title triumph two decades ago culminated in one of, if not the, greatest clearance of all-time when he produced a counter-finish of 64 to pip O'Sullivan 10-9 on the final black. That was the last Masters match to be held at the Wembley Conference Centre which had been the home of the event since 1979.

Since then, though, Higgins has made the final 'just' once, in 2021 when the competition was held behind-closed-doors in Milton Keynes because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Higgins led tournament debutant Yan Bingtao 7-5 but he had to settle for the runner-up prize as the Chinese youngster scored a 10-8 victory.

From his 31 Masters appearances to date, Higgins has lost in the opening round 16 times - including in each of the last three years.

Should Higgins complete a hat-trick of Masters glories in 2026, not only would it be his first Masters triumph in nearly 20 years, but his first Triple Crown title since winning the 2011 World Championship.