The 2026 Masters snooker tournament will take place from January 11–18 at Alexandra Palace in London, with Shaun Murphy returning as the defending champion and Ronnie O’Sullivan once again among the headline acts.
Murphy, who beat Kyren Wilson 10-7 in last year’s final, opens his title defence against China’s Wu Yize on the first afternoon of the event. One of the standout ties of the opening round sees eight-time Masters winner O’Sullivan drawn against two-time champion Neil Robertson, with their blockbuster clash scheduled for the evening of January 14.
World No 1 Judd Trump begins his campaign against Ding Junhui, while UK Championship winner Mark Selby faces Xiao Guodong. Other notable first-round matches include Mark Williams versus Mark Allen and John Higgins against Barry Hawkins.
The Masters is a 16-player invitational tournament featuring the top-ranked players following December’s UK Championship. All matches are played over a best-of-11 frames format, except for the final, which is contested over 19 frames.
Masters first-round draw
Shaun Murphy vs Wu Yize
Mark Selby vs Xiao Guodong
Neil Robertson vs Ronnie O’Sullivan
Kyren Wilson vs Si Jiahui
Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui
Mark Williams vs Mark Allen
John Higgins vs Barry Hawkins
Zhao Xintong vs Gary Wilson
Masters first-round schedule
Sunday January 11
1pm: Shaun Murphy vs Wu Yize
7pm: Mark Selby vs Xiao Guodong
Monday January 12
NOW
1pm: Mark Williams vs Mark Allen
7pm: Zhao Xintong vs Gary Wilson
Tuesday January 13
1pm: Kyren Wilson vs Si Jiahui
7pm: John Higgins vs Barry Hawkins
Wednesday January 14
1pm: Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui
7pm: Neil Robertson vs Ronnie O’Sullivan
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