Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters prize fund announced: Champion collects £500,000

Taking place in Green Halls in Riyadh between Friday 30th August to Saturday 7th September, this new big-money tournament is in partnership with the Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation. It has been reported there is a 10-year contract for the competition, the same as the World 9-Ball Pool Championship that was held for the first time in the Kingdom in June.

It is the first time that Saudi Arabia will host a professional snooker ranking event, although they did present the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker invitational earlier this year that featured a unique golden ball that could be potted to make a maximum 167 break for a big bonus prize of $500,000. This additional kitty is expected to rise to $1,000,000 for the next edition of that event.

Whilst history will be made for Saudi, it is not the first time that the Middle East has held ranking events on the pro snooker scene, with both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain hosting competitions in the past. Information about the format for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters has been made public over recent weeks, with news that all 144 players will compete at the main venue and that a round each day will be completed. As well as the professional players, 17 local wildcards will also be invited to play in the event.

What is the prize money for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters?

The World Snooker Tour has announced the prize money breakdown for each round of the tournament, with a total of over £2.3 million on offer.

The inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters champion will collect £500,000, matching the sport’s highest-ever first prize which has been awarded to the winner of the World Snooker Championship each year since 2019.

Comparing prize money between the World Snooker Championship* - the sport’s blue-riband event that was first won in 1927 - and this new addition to the circuit, there is only £93,000 difference in the total prize pots with the worlds carrying slightly more.

Both events use the same 144-player tiered format, and prize money pay-outs from the last 32 onwards - when the world’s top 16 ranked players enter the fray - are identical.

The runner-up in Saudi will pocket £200,000, while the losing semi-finalists each receive a six-figure prize of £100,000.

Everyone who competes in Saudi will be on prize money, even those who lose in the opening qualifying round - this is not currently the case for the World Championship. The main differences in prize money between the events come during the opening four rounds, as lower ranked players try to qualify for the last 32 and a meeting with the seeds.

As per the current World Snooker Tour, prize money won in ranking tournaments (excluding bonus prizes) are added to a player’s world ranking total on a rolling two-year cycle. With so much prize money at stake in Riyadh, this represents a huge opportunity to make huge strides up the rankings.

On top of the regular prize fund, there is a £50,000 bonus purse for making a maximum 147 break during the event.

The tournament will also counts towards a special £147,000 bonus for any player that makes two maximum 147 breaks during this season across the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, UK Championship, Masters and World Championship events.

Full prize money breakdown for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters:

Winner: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finals: £100,000

Quarter-finals: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

Last 32: £20,000

Last 48: £11,000

Last 80: £7,000

Last 112: £4,000

Last 144: £2,000

147 Break: £50,000

*comparisons from the 2024 World Snooker Championship