John Higgins set to make record-extending 31st consecutive Masters snooker appearance

Higgins is now guaranteed to finish inside the world's top 16 rankings following the conclusion of the UK Championship - the final cut-off for Masters qualification.

The four-time World Champion's latest invite to the Triple Crown event represents his 31st consecutive Masters appearance. This extends the record he holds for the most appearances and most successive appearances in the competition’s history.

Now 49-years-old, Higgins made his Masters bow in 1995 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London and has been back in the event every season since.

The great Scot reached the final on his debut, where he was denied the title by fellow teenager and ‘Class of 92’ member Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-3 in the final.

Higgins won his first Masters crown in 1999 when he defeated Ken Doherty 10-8 in the title match. That victory meant he held the World Championship, UK Championship and Masters titles all at the same time; he was also the world number one.

A second Masters accolade was secured in 2006 amidst one of the most famous finishes to a snooker match, ever, when he counter cleared with a memorable 64 break to oust O'Sullivan 10-9 in the final on the final black.

This was the third time that the two had met in a Masters final; 12 months earlier O'Sullivan was a comfortable 10-3 victor.

Higgins came very close to a trio of Masters glories in 2021 when the tournament was held in Milton Keynes behind-closed-doors due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. He made another final where he led debutant Yan Bingtao 7-5 before the Chinese cueist turned proceedings around for a 10-8 win.

Qualification for the 2025 Masters is a big deal for Higgins, whose place and streak was in real jeopardy, especially several weeks ago when he slipped outside of the world's top 16 rankings for the first time in a staggering 29 years.

However, he was only outside the world's elite bracket for a single week, as he showed his class and determination with a run to the British Open final that got him back in the 16 where he has stayed since.

At the time of writing (the quarter-finals stage of the 2024 UK Championship) the full field for the 2025 Masters is still unknown, although Si Jiahui and Gary Wilson are both guaranteed invites for their maiden appearances at the Alexandra Palace in London this January.

So too is new top 16 star Chris Wakelin, who now cannot go any lower that 16th when the world rankings are revised on Monday after the UK Championship has been completed.

UPDATE: The draw has since been made and can be viewed here