Saudi Arabia to host Snooker Tour event for first time in 2020

The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will be a world ranking event with all 128 tour players contending, and will also showcase four local players competing against four Tour players as the Kingdom adds snooker to its grassroots portfolio. Total prize money will be £2.5 million.

All players will be required to win at least one match for prize money to count towards their world ranking. The newly formed partnership with World Snooker kick starts a ten-year deal.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “This is a giant leap forward for our sport. We have enjoyed tremendous global expansion over the past decade, particularly in Asia and Europe and we are thrilled to stage a new and momentous tournament in the Middle East. We have a packed calendar throughout the year which creates a competitive marketplace for new events. Snooker has grown to such an extent that we are now creating exceptional tournaments at this level.

“For the fans in Saudi Arabia it is a wonderful opportunity to see the best players in the world competing for a huge title. We look forward to working with our partners on delivering a huge event.”