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

We've already had a flurry of qualifying round activity for mid and lower ranked players, and the behind-closed-doors Championship League title won by Jak Jones, but the Shanghai Masters will see many of the sport's star names make their first outings of the fledgling top-flight campaign.

Amongst those include newly-minted world champion Wu Yize, world number one Judd Trump, and seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The Shanghai Masters will be celebrating its 20th-year anniversary edition; Dominic Dale won the inaugural staging in 2007 when it was a ranking event. It remained with ranked status up to and including the 2017 vintage before becoming an invitational.

Kyren Wilson returns as the reigning and defending champion, he defeated Ali Carter, 11-9, in a thrilling 2025 final. O'Sullivan is the most decorated cueist in Shanghai Masters history with a record five titles to his name (2009, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023).

Who is playing at the 2026 Shanghai Masters and how does the draw work?

A total of 24 players will make up the field for the 2026 Shanghai Masters.

The world's top 16 were all invited to the tournament. Everyone opted in except for Mark Allen, meaning that world number 17 Jack Lisowski was first to receive a call-up, that he accepted.

The eight remaining players are exclusively Chinese; the four highest ranked outside of the top 16, and four amateur wildcards.

As the title holder, Wilson will be the number one seed and positioned at the top of the draw, although he and the other top eight seeds - Wu, Trump, Neil Robertson, Zhao Xintong, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams - go straight through to round two.

The opening round features cueists ranked 9 to 16 facing the remaining Chinese players, with the winners of these fixtures meeting the top eight seeds in the last 16.

Currently ranked 14th in the global standings, O'Sullivan - whose last professional title came in March 2024 - will play in the opening round against an amateur wildcard who is yet to be named (at time of writing). If he navigates that opening tie, O’Sullivan would meet Wilson.

Four-time world champion Mark Selby (world number nine) and China's original snooker trailblazing superstar Ding Junhui (world number 15) are also in the first round.

Matches up to and including the quarter-finals are the best of 11 frames scheduled to be completed in one session. The two-session semi-finals are the best of 19 frames, and the two-session final is the best of 21.

What is the prize money for the 2026 Shanghai Masters, how much does the champion get?

• Champion: £210,000
• Runner-up: £105,000
• Losing semi-finalists: £70,000 (each)
• Losing quarter-finalists: £35,000 (each)
• Last 16 losers: £17,500 (each)
• Last 24 losers: £10,000 (each)
• Highest break: £10,000
• Total prize fund: £825,000

Where to watch the 2026 Shanghai Masters:

• UK & Ireland: TNT Sports and HBO Max
• Mainland Europe and selected countries: Eurosport and HBO Max
• China: CCTV5 (showing evening session for final three days), SMG, Huya, Migu, CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel (pay-per-view), CBSA- WPBSA Academy Douyin
• Hong Kong China: Now Sports
• Malaysia: Astro Supersport
• Thailand: True Sport
• All other territories: WST Play