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Ronnie O’Sullivan to face Neil Robertson in heavyweight first-round match at snooker’s Masters from January 11-18; Shaun Murphy is defending champion after beating Kyren Wilson in 2025 final; world No 1 Judd Trump begins against Ding Junhui; UK champion Mark Selby plays Xiao Guodong
Last Updated: 31/12/25 1:12pm
Shaun Murphy won snooker’s Masters at Alexandra Palace in 2025
The 2026 edition of snooker’s Masters runs from January 11-18 at London’s Alexandra Palace with Shaun Murphy the defending champion and Ronnie O’Sullivan a star attraction.
Murphy – a 10-7 winner over Kyren Wilson in the 2025 final – begins his campaign against Chinese talent Wu Yize on the opening afternoon of the tournament.
A heavyweight clash between eight-time Masters champion O’Sullivan and two-time winner Neil Robertson then concludes the first round on the evening of January 14.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will play Neil Robertson in his first-round match at The Masters
All matches in the 16-player, non-ranking tournament are best of 11 frames, except for the final which is best of 19.
The top 16 players in the rankings after the December’s UK Championship, which was won by Mark Selby, were invited to compete in The Masters.
Masters first-round draw
- Shaun Murphy vs Wu Yize
- Mark Selby vs Xiao Guodong
- Neil Robertson vs Ronnie O’Sullivan
- Kyren Wilson vs Si Jiahui
- Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui
- Mark Williams vs Mark Allen
- John Higgins vs Barry Hawkins
- Zhao Xintong vs Gary Wilson
Masters first-round schedule
Sunday January 11
- 1pm: Shaun Murphy vs Wu Yize
- 7pm: Mark Selby vs Xiao Guodong
Monday January 12
- 1pm: Mark Williams vs Mark Allen
- 7pm: Zhao Xintong vs Gary Wilson
Tuesday January 13
- 1pm: Kyren Wilson vs Si Jiahui
- 7pm: John Higgins vs Barry Hawkins
Wednesday January 14
- 1pm: Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui
- 7pm: Neil Robertson vs Ronnie O’Sullivan
