The 2026 Masters has reached the quarter-finals stage with eight players still in contention for the title at the Alexandra Palace.
A bizarre opening round of the prestigious invitational saw all eight fixtures conclude with 6-2 scorelines.
While that was a freaky coincidence that certainly provided a talking point, it would be fair to say that this hasn’t been a vintage edition of the Masters so far.
However, the business end of the event is still to come and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it deliver more drama as the week progresses.
Let’s take a look at the four quarter-final ties in the 2026 Masters draw.
2026 Masters Prize Money
Champion: £350,000
Runner-up: £140,000
Semi-final: £75,000
Quarter-final: £40,000
Last 16: £25,000
Highest Break: £15,000
Total: £1,015,000
Wu Yize vs Xiao Guodong
Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong were the first two players to make it through to the quarter-finals of the 2026 Masters draw back on Sunday.
Wu comfortably beat reigning champion Shaun Murphy, while Xiao produced a solid performance to overcome three-time winner Mark Selby.
The pair of debutants now have a terrific opportunity to reach the weekend’s play on their first ever visit to the Alexandra Palace.
Both are proven ranking event winners from this season, with Xiao successfully defending his Wuhan Open crown and Wu securing a maiden title at the International Championship.
They have encountered each other three times in the past – all during the last campaign – and each game has been close with Xiao leading the head-to-head 2-1.
When is it? Friday, 13:00 GMT
Neil Robertson vs Kyren Wilson
Neil Robertson is one of four former Masters champions who is still in the running for glory again at the 2026 edition.
The Australian would have initially been preparing to face Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first round, but the last-minute change to replacement Chris Wakelin didn’t cause any mishaps.
Robertson plays Kyren Wilson for a spot in the last four after the 2024 world champion easily beat Si Jiahui, ending the match by compiling a brace of century breaks.
Wilson has twice been a runner-up at Ally Pally, including last year when he was denied at the last hurdle by Murphy.
Robertson leads Wilson 10-9 in their overall head-to-head, although Wilson has the edge in matches of seven frames or longer.
When is it? Friday, 19:00 GMT
Judd Trump vs Mark Allen
In the Masters, it tends to be difficult to pick a tie of the round, but the clash between Judd Trump and Mark Allen promises much.
The two former champions know what it takes to etch their names onto the Paul Hunter Trophy, with Allen doing so in 2018 and Trump doubling up in 2019 and 2023.
The duo coasted through to the quarter-finals in London with respective victories over Ding Junhui and Mark Williams.
World number one Trump is still searching for his first title of this season, but if he wants to go all the way here he’ll have to overcome one of his toughest opponents.
Allen boasts a superior 19-15 head-to-head record from his prior matches with Trump in all competitions, although the Antrim man did lose their most recent tie at the Northern Ireland Open.
When is it? Thursday, 19:00 GMT
John Higgins vs Zhao Xintong
The first match at the quarter-finals stage of the 2026 Masters is certainly a humdinger, with Zhao Xintong in action against John Higgins.
Reigning world champion Zhao won his first ever match at the tournament with a straightforward triumph over Gary Wilson, while Higgins played well in beating Barry Hawkins.
For Higgins, that was the first time that he had won a Masters match since 2022, and despite being a two-time former champion the Scot doesn’t boast the best of records in the event generally.
Zhao emerged victorious in the last big invitational comp on the calendar, the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship to land his first piece of silverware since the Crucible.
Higgins, though, holds a stronger 7-4 head-to-head record, including a victory in this term’s British Open.
When is it? Thursday, 13:00 GMT
2026 Masters Draw
Round 1 (bo11)
Shaun Murphy (1) 2-6 Wu Yize (13)
Mark Selby (8) 2-6 Xiao Guodong (11)
Neil Robertson (5) 6-2 Chris Wakelin
Kyren Wilson (4) 6-2 Si Jiahui (15)
Judd Trump (3) 6-2 Ding Junhui (12)
Mark Williams (6) 2-6 Mark Allen (10)
John Higgins (7) 6-2 Barry Hawkins (14)
Zhao Xintong (2) 6-2 Gary Wilson (16)
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Wu Yize (13) vs Xiao Guodong (11)
Fri 16 Jan, 13:00 GMT
Neil Robertson vs Kyren Wilson (4)
Fri 16 Jan, 19:00 GMT
Judd Trump vs Mark Allen (10)
Thurs 15 Jan, 19:00 GMT
John Higgins (7) vs Zhao Xintong (2)
Thurs 15 Jan, 13:00 GMT
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Wu/Xiao vs Robertson/K. Wilson
Sat 17 Jan, 19:00 GMT
Trump/Allen vs Higgins/Zhao
Sat 17 Jan, 13:00 GMT
Final (bo19)
TBC vs TBC
Sun 18 Jan, 13:00 and 19:00 GMT
How to Watch the 2026 Masters
There are several options available to watch the upcoming snooker live, depending on your location.
Many of the popular betting sites provide live streaming of snooker events through signing up on their websites or apps, subject to regional restrictions.
Below is a full list of official options, as published on the World Snooker Tour website:
- UK – BBC, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
- UK & Ireland – BBC, TNT Sports and discovery+
- Mainland Europe – Eurosport and locally relevant streaming platforms (discovery+ in Germany, Italy and Austria, and HBO Max in all other markets)
- China – CCTV5; Huya.com; Migu; CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel (pay-per-view); CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin
- Macau – CCTV5
- Hong Kong – Now TV
- Taiwan – Sportcast
- Thailand – True Sport
- Mongolia – N Sports
- Philippines – TAP
- Malaysia & Brunei – Astro SuperSport
- All Other Territories – WST Play
Featured photo credit: WST
John Spencer, Stephen Hendry and Mark Selby remain the only players to win the Masters on debut.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the event a record eight times, appearing in a record 14 finals and a record semi-finals.
John Higgins will be a making a record-extending 32nd appearance. He’s been an ever present since his debut in 1995.
It’s 25 years now since the late great Paul Hunter clinched the first of three Masters titles in four years. It was shameful how long it took World Snooker to name the trophy after him. There’s a piece on the BBC snooker homepage marking this year being the 20th anniversary of Paul’s tragic passing. It’s mostly a interview with his dad Alan about how the family have coped and paying tribute to the man and player.
That wax meant to say a record 15 semi-finals for O’Sullivan.
With a strong field, minus rocket Ronnie O’Sullivan, hopefully it’s a good one! Shaun Murphy isn’t bubbling into one of his purple patches so one would have to mark Mark Selby as the form favourite but really it could be any of a dozen players from this entry list!
I said in a comment a short time ago that I felt it was only 50/50 that O’Sullivan would show up for the Masters — after hearing he was scheduled to play in the German Masters, in another comment I said I would be surprised if he played both the Masters and the German Masters (which starts a week after the Masters concludes) — the probability that he’ll play in Germany just went down substantially (assuming he’s not getting a significant appearance fee).
O’Sullivan ought to take a hiatus for a year or so — personally, I think these frequent, largely unexplained withdrawals, even/especially from big events like the Masters, are not good for his reputation.