HE Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced the appointment of Mr. Naif Al-Jaweini as the General Manager of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in its second edition. The tournament, set to take place over three days starting this Wednesday in Boulevard City, will feature the world’s top snooker players.
Organized under a historic agreement between HE Turki Alalshikh and the World Snooker Tour (WST), the championship is renowned for introducing the unique Golden Ball. Worth 20 points, it can only be played after achieving the maximum break of 147 points, offering players the chance to reach an unprecedented 167 points — the highest possible score in snooker history.
The 2024 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship will feature the top 10 players on the official snooker rankings as of the conclusion of the UK Championship on December 1, 2024. With three ranking tournaments remaining, players still have opportunities to secure spots in this prestigious event.
In the first edition, snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed victory after defeating John Higgins and Judd Trump en route to the final, where he overcame Luca Brecel with a score of 5–2.
Steve Dawson, Chairman of the World Snooker Tour, commented:“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Riyadh Season for a second time in 2024. This year, we’ve seen remarkable progress in developing snooker in Saudi Arabia, and it’s exciting to witness the sport’s rapid growth and its appeal to a new audience. The upcoming weeks will provide great motivation for players vying for a top-10 spot and a chance to participate in this thrilling event. We look forward to seeing one of them make history by scoring the Golden Ball!”
Additionally, Saudi snooker stars Ahmed Asiri and Abdulraouf Al-Sayegh have earned wildcard invitations to the championship after winning qualifiers held last week at the Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy in Riyadh.
In the first round, scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, December 18, the Saudi players will face the 9th and 10th seeds, Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda. Later that evening, the winners will meet the 7th and 8th seeds, Luca Brecel and Shaun Murphy.
The quarterfinals, set for Thursday, December 19, will feature Mark Selby against Mark Allen in the opening match, followed by Kyren Wilson against the winner of Zhang, Brecel, or the wildcard. Judd Trump will then face Mark Williams in a rematch of the Saudi Masters Snooker final, while defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will take on one of Ding, Murphy, or a wildcard winner.
The semifinals and final will take place on Friday, December 20. All matches will follow a best-of-seven frames format, except for the final, which will be played in a best-of-nine format.
The prize pool has been doubled this year, with $1 million awarded to the player who scores the Golden Ball (167 points).
