Riyadh Season World Masters: How to watch, schedule and tournament draw

The World Snooker Tour heads to Saudi Arabia for the first time with the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.

The invitational tournament will feature eight of the world’s top snooker players along with two wild cards in a 10-player field.

It will also feature the introduction of a golden ball, known as the Riyadh Season ball, which can only be potted once all other balls have been cleared from the table if a player is on a maximum break.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, including who’s playing, the schedule, the format, and how to watch on Eurosport and discovery+…

When is the Riyadh Season World Masters?

The Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will run from March 4-6.

It will be held at Boulevard Arena in Boulevard City, Riyadh.

How to watch and stream the Riyadh Season World Masters?

You can watch every day of the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker live on Eurosport 1, while you can enjoy all the action ad-free on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.

Who is playing in the Riyadh Season World Masters?

The Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will be contested by 10 players: the top eight players in the world rankings at the end of the Players Championship on February 25 and two wild cards.

The top eight-ranked players are Luca Brecel, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams and Ali Carter.

Brecel is the top seed at the tournament as world champion and world No. 1 O’Sullivan is the second seed.

The two wild cards are yet to be confirmed.

What is the Riyadh Season World Masters schedule?

Opening night at the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will see the two wild cards take on the two lowest-ranked seeds, Mark Williams and Ali Carter.

All four quarter-finals will then be played on Tuesday, followed by the semi-finals and final on Wednesday.

Ronnie O’Sullivan will face either Williams or a wild card in his first match in the quarter-finals while Judd Trump plays Shaun Murphy.

Play will start at 7pm UK time on the opening day, then there will be two sessions starting at 2pm and 7pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Riyadh Season World Masters draw

Luca Brecel v Ali Carter/wild cardMark Allen v Mark SelbyJudd Trump v Shaun MurphyRonnie O’Sullivan v Mark Williams/wild cardLuca Brecel/Ali Carter/wild card v Mark Allen/Mark SelbyJudd Trump/Shaun Murphy v Ronnie O’Sullivan/Mark Williams/wild cardWhat are the Riyadh Season World Masters rules?

The format and rules at the Riyadh Season World Masters will be the same as all other World Snooker Tour tournaments, aside from one addition: a golden ball.

The golden ball, also known as the Riyadh Season ball, is worth 20 points and can only be potted once all other balls have been cleared from the table if a player is on a maximum break.

If the golden ball is potted that will complete a 167 break.

It has not been confirmed if the golden ball will be on the table throughout the frame or if it will only be added once a 147 has been completed.

What is the prize money?

The total prize pool for the tournament will be $1 million. (£788,000).

Stream top snooker action, including the Riyadh Season World Masters and World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at Eurosport.com.