Riyadh Season Snooker Championship: Dates, format, prize money, history & more

Previously known as the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship is an annual non-ranking event staged in Saudi Arabia.

It is the first professional snooker tournament to be hosted in the Middle Eastern country and the event consists of 12 competitors, including the top ten players on the snooker world rankings.

The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship features a unique Gold Ball which is worth 20 points and can only be potted after a player had completed a maximum break of 147, extending it to a 167 break.

Riyadh Season Snooker Championship dates

The 2025 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship dates are still to be finalised.

The second edition of the event was held in December 2024, eight months on from the inaugural staging.

Riyadh Season Snooker Championship venue

The event will be held at the Global Theatre In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The venue is part of Boulevard City, a 220-acre mixed-use development at the Prince Turki al-Awwal Road in the Hittin neighbourhood of Riyadh.

Boulevard City was opened in 2019 and features gardens, sports areas, music venues and theatres. 

It is the WST event that has been held in Saudi Arabia. 

Riyadh Season Snooker Championship players 

The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship consists of the top 10 players on the snooker world rankings and two local wildcard players.

In 2024, the event saw Ronnie O'Sullivan seeded first, with world champion Kyren Wilson seeded second.

Riyadh Season Snooker Championship schedule and format

The first round will consist of the two wildcard players and the ninth and 10th seed playing in a best-of-seven frames to reach the second round.

Each winner of the first round contests will then face the seventh and eighth seeds in the second round, with the victors of those matches advancing to the quarter-finals where the top six seeds enter the competition.

The tournament remains a best-of-seven frames until the final, where players battle it out in a best-of-nine frames contest.

Matches are played under regular snooker rules with the exception of the gold ball which is worth 20 points, but can only be potted at the end of a 147-break, making a score of 167 possible. 

Riyadh Season Snooker Championship prize money

The December 2024 event consisted of a total prize pool of £785,000.

• Winner: £250,000
• Runner-up: £125,000
• Semi-finals: £75,000
• Quarter-finals: £50,000
• Round 2: £25,000
• Round 1: £5,000

An additional prize of $1,000,000 (£787,000) was available to the first player to compile a 167 break.