Masters Snooker 2026: Bracket and Timetable After Murphy and Selby's Early Exit

The 2026 Masters snooker tournament takes place from January 11 to 18 at Alexandra Palace, with Shaun Murphy as the reigning champion. Murphy, who won the 2025 title by defeating Kyren Wilson 10-7, starts his title defense against China's Wu Yize on the first day. However, record eight-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan will not participate for the second year in a row due to health reasons. Chris Wakelin has taken O'Sullivan's place in the draw and will face two-time champion Neil Robertson in the last first-round match on the evening of January 14. All matches in this 16-player, non-ranking event are best of 11 frames, except for the final, which is best of 19 frames. The top 16 players in the rankings following December's UK Championship, won by Mark Selby, were invited to compete. Notably, Wakelin was ranked 17th at the cutoff point.