Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters: New tournament with £2 million prize fund

The World Snooker Tour has announced that a new tournament worth two million pounds in Saudi Arabia, the Snooker Masters, will be held in August this year, making it the second highest prize money event after the World Championships.

It will be a ranking event open to all tour players plus six local wild cards.

Saudi Arabia will host both the World Pool Championship and the Snooker Masters under a ten-year deal with Matchroom support.

The tournament will be organized by the Saudi Arabian Billiards and Snooker Federation, with the participation of international players and under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports.

According to the agreement signed by Saudi Arabian Billiard and Snooker Federation President Dr. Nasser Al Shamri and Matchroom Support Chairman Eddie Hearn, the Kingdom will host the World Pool Championship (9 Ball) from June 3 to June 8.

At Jeddah’s Green Sports Hall, with a total prize pool of $600,000, a group of elite pool players will participate in the event, including world champion Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz, five-time US Open champion and 2022 world champion Shane. Van Boening and 2018 World Champion Joshua Fuller.

The Saudi edition of the Snooker Masters will be held from August 31 to September 7 at the Green Halls of Riyadh with the participation of the sport’s top professionals, making it the second biggest event on the 2024 World Snooker Tour calendar.

The Saudi Snooker Masters will be an open event, open to all 128 players except six professionals from the Saudi Arabian Billiards and Snooker Federation.

Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki said: ‘We are delighted to welcome two new sporting events, adding to the series of international championships hosted by the Kingdom, making it one of the most important events in all sports and events. Building a home for players.’

He added: ‘The sports sector is a clear strategy to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and to contribute to the country’s better future through the sports industry by contributing to its economy and development. Moving forward with One of the prominent efforts in this is to host various major sporting events.