Snooker

Prize Money In Snooker And The Biggest Tournaments

9 months ago

| BY Sam Cox

Snooker is the most popular cue sport in the world. The snooker betting markets attract bettors in their thousands for the major events like The Masters and World Championship.

The sport isn’t packed with the biggest sports betting stars. Most of the best snooker players in the world can go about their life as normal, rather than dealing with the excessive attention most celebrities face.

Despite a lower profile than many of their fellow sportspeople, the top snooker players still make plenty of money – as do some of the more well known snooker commentators.

Here are the top five snooker tournaments for prize money:

World Open (Total Prize Money – £815,000)

Judd Trump won the World Cup, held in Yushan, in March 2024. Trump pocketed £170,000 in prize money, which is roughly three times the average UK annual salary.

Runner-up Ding Junhui received £73,000 after defeating Neil Robertson in the semi-final. With a maximum earning the highest break in the tournament, Zak Surety earned £5,000 in additional prize money, despite losing to Ding in the qualifying rounds.

World Open Prize Money Breakdown

Winner: £170,000
Runner-up: £73,000
Semi-final: £32,500
Quarter-final: £21,500
Last 16: £14,000
Last 32: £9,000
Last 64: £5,000
Highest break: £5,000

International Championship (Total Prize Money – £825,000)

The International Championship has £10,000 more in total prize money than the World Open. Half of that additional money goes to the winner, with the runner-up getting an extra £2,000 in the International Championship compared to the World Open.

Ding Junhui, one of the highest-earning snooker players in 2024, won the tournament by defeating Chris Wakelin in the final. It was the second time Ding had won the competition, making him the joint-most successful player in the history of the International Championship alongside Mark Selby and Judd Trump.

International Championship Prize Money Breakdown

Winner: £175,000
Runner-up: £75,000
Semi-final: £33,000
Quarter-final: £22,000
Last 16: £14,000
Last 32: £9,000
Last 64: £5,000
Highest break: £5,000

Shanghai Masters (Total Prize Money – £825,000)

First held in 2007, the Shanghai Masters was a ranking event until 2017. Despite becoming a non-ranking event, the competition remains among the most lucrative in snooker with a total prize fund of £825,000.

The winner pockets £210,000, and the runner-up receives half of that amount.

With a 24-person field, the Shanghai Masters is a much more lucrative event than the International Championship despite the two tournaments having the same amount of money in the prize fund.

Making the semi-final of the Shanghai Masters has over double the prize money of the equivalent performance in the International Championship, for example.

Judd Trump won the 2024 final over Shaun Murphy. Barry Hawkins took home the £10,000 prize money for the largest break with his 141 in his first-round defeat to Zhou Yuelong.

Shanghai Masters Prize Money Breakdown

Winner: £210,000
Runner-up: £105,000
Semi-final: £70,000
Quarter-final: £35,000
Last 16: £17,500
Last 24: £10,000
Highest break: £10,000

UK Championship (Total Prize Money – £1,205,000)

Broadcast on the BBC and one of the Triple Crown events, winning the UK Championship is a milestone in any player’s career. Judd Trump defeated Barry Hawkins in the 2024 final, securing a second UK title.

The prize money on offer for the event held in York is far clear of all but one other competition. A quarter of a million pounds was paid to Trump for winning the UK Championship in 2024, while Hawkins pocketed £100,000.

UK Championship Prize Money Breakdown

Winner: £250,000
Runner-up: £100,000
Semi-finalists: £50,000
Quarter-finalists: £25,000
Last 16: £15,000
Last 32: £10,000
Last 48: £7,500
Last 80: £5,000
Last 112: £2,500
Highest break: £15,000

World Championship (Total Prize Money – £2,395,000)

By far the most lucrative event in snooker, the World Championship has a prize fund almost double that of the UK Championship. The finalists each receive double the winnings of the UK Championship, as do the semi- and quarter-finalists.

A deep run at the Crucible can be career-defining. Some players have a knack for delivering their best performances when the pressure is greatest, while others have consistently crumbled. Perhaps that’s down to the life-changing sums of money on offer.

Kyren Wilson defeated Jak Jones in the 2024 World Championship final to claim the half-million prize money.