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The Masters kicks off the 2025 snooker calendar as 16 of the best players in the world gather at Alexandra Palace to compete for one of the sport’s biggest prizes.
The Masters celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and the tournament is one of snooker’s triple crown of events, along with the World Championship in April and the UK Championship won by Judd Trump last month.
Trump is the favourite to lift the trophy come next Sunday for the third time in his career, especially after Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew from the event at short notice on medical grounds.
Defending champion O’Sullivan was set to face old rival John Higgins on Sunday afternoon in a blockbuster clash to kickstart the Ally Pally tournament but has now been replaced by two-time winner Neil Robertson (who was ranked 17th at the seeding cut-off) and the Australian will have real ambition to win the event, as will the likes of Mark Selby, reigning world champion Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 Masters:
When is the tournament?
The Masters begins on Sunday 12 January at Alexandra Palace, and the final will be played on Sunday 19 January.
How to watch
The entire championship will be live on the BBC, with BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website showing every match across the eight days. The tournament is also broadcast on Eurosport in the UK. Subscribers can also stream the match online via the Discovery+ app.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
What is the prize money?
Winner: £350,000
Runner-up: £140,000
Semi-finals: £75,000
Quarter-finals: £40,000
Last 16: £25,000
Highest break: £15,000
Total prize pot: £1,015,000
Masters snooker schedule
First round (best of 11 frames)
Sunday 12 January
- 1pm: Neil Robertson v John Higgins
- 7pm: Shaun Murphy v Gary Wilson
Monday 13 January
- 1pm: Mark Williams v Ding Junhui
- 7pm: Mark Selby v Ali Carter
Tuesday 14 January
- 1pm: Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins
- 7pm: Mark Allen v Si Jiahui
Wednesday 15 January
- 1pm: Kyren Wilson v Zhang Anda
- 7pm: Luca Brecel v Chris Wakelin
Quarter-finals (best of 11 frames)
Thursday 16 January
- 1pm: Quarter-final 1 or 2
- 7pm: Quarter-final 1 or 2
Friday 17 January
- 1pm: Quarter-final 3 or 4
- 7pm: Quarter-final 3 or 4
Semi-finals (best of 11 frames)
Saturday 18 January
- 1pm: Semi-final 1 or 2
- 7pm: Semi-final 1 or 2
Final (best of 19 frames)
Sunday 19 January
- 1pm: Final – first session
- 7pm: Final – second session
