Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker: Date, TV channel, schedule, rules with Ronnie O’Sullivan competing in Saudi
THE inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will be the first ever WST event to take place in Saudi Arabia – and begins NEXT WEEK.
The brand new tournament will feature eight of the world’s top players, two wild cards… and a new ‘GOLDEN’ ball.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has confirmed he will compete in the new tournament in Saudi ArabiaGETTY
The top eight stars in the official world rankings at the end of the Players Championship will automatically qualify to compete.
In addition to the best eight stars, two wild cards will join to complete the ten-player field.
Luca Brecel will be the top seed following his World Snooker Championship triumph last year.
World No1 Ronnie O’Sullivan will also compete at the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, along with the likes of Judd Trump and Mark Selby.
On X, The Rocket announced: “Very excited to be playing in the @RiyadhSeason World Masters of Snooker! Can’t wait to get out there and play in Saudi Arabia for the first time!”
When is the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker?
The Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will begin on Monday, March 4.
The tournament will conclude on Wednesday, March 6.
Eurosport will have full coverage of the tournament in the UK.
Session times are yet to be confirmed.
What are the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker rules?
Each game will be played under the World Snooker rules and regulations with one MAJOR difference.
There will be a special new 23rd ‘golden’ ball in use, which is known as the Riyadh Season ball.
The new ball will be worth 20 points and can only be potted once all of the other balls have been successfully cleared from the table if a player is on course to make a maximum break to make it 167 – which would be a world record.
However, it has not yet been confirmed where the ball will be positioned on the table, if it will be in play during a frame, or if it arrives on the table once a 147 is on the cards.
SunSport has been told by one player that the ball could be placed in the middle of the baulk – which would make a 167 “tough” to accomplish.
Players have also been unable to practice with the ball with confirmation expected to come later this week.
The matches will be best-of-seven frames with the final best of nine.
Who is playing at the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker?
The eight qualifying players are:
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Judd Trump
Mark Allen
Luca Brecel
Mark Selby
Shaun Murphy
Mark Williams
Ali Carter
The two wildcards will be local players who are winners of an invitational event that will be shown on Eurosport in the days leading up to the tournament.
What is the prize money for the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker?
The total prize pot has been announced to be $1 million (approx. £790,000), although a further breakdown has not yet been announced.
It is also unclear if there will be an additional bonus should a player pot the golden ball and score a 167.
What is the schedule for the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker?
Quarter-Final Draw:
Luca Brecel vs Ali Carter/wild card
Mark Allen vs Mark Selby
Judd Trump vs Shaun Murphy
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Mark Williams/wild card
What’s been said?
HE Advisor Turki Alalshikh said: “We are thrilled to be hosting our first-ever professional snooker tournament in the Kingdom.
“Snooker is watched and played by millions around the world and we look forward to welcoming some of the greatest players and snooker fans to our country and showing them what Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Season has to offer.”
Matchroom COO Steve Dawson said: “It is a great privilege for the World Snooker Tour to work in partnership with HE Advisor Turki Alalshikh to stage an event in Saudi Arabia for the first time.
“This is a huge breakthrough for snooker into a new territory, and we see this as the beginning of a new adventure for our sport in the region.
“We are looking forward to being a part of Riyadh Season on this fantastic new event featuring the world’s best players.
“We will be honoured to bring our sport to the amazing city of Riyadh, and for the local fans, this will be their first chance to see some of snooker’s all-time greats.”
