There is still a lot of snooker left to play this season, but for those scrapping to remain on the professional tour, chances are running out to stay afloat.
While the biggest names in the game are preparing for the Masters this week, the rest of the tour head to Sheffield for German Masters and Welsh Open qualifiers.
The German Masters is then played in Berlin from January 26 to February 1, while the Welsh Open is held in Llandudno from February 23 to March 1.
For players fighting to remain in the top 64 in the world rankings – and therefore keep hold of their professional status – it is a huge week of qualifiers ahead.
If players are not booking trips to Germany and Wales, and they are not in the upcoming 32-player World Grand Prix, then the only ranking tournaments remaining this season for them will be the World Open and World Championship.
A bad week in Sheffield and it would mean an extremely bare schedule between the middle of January and the end of the season in May.
There is more than one way to stay on tour, but most will be aiming to secure a spot in the top 64 in the world rankings to maintain their pro status.
Players just outside the top 64 on the projected end of season rankings are Mark Davis (65), Sanderson Lam (66), Rob Milkins (67), Wang Yuchen (68) and Duane Jones (69).
Hanging on to the crucial last places within the 64 are Jordan Brown (64), Jamie Jones (63), Ben Mertens (62) and Robbie Williams (61).
Davis and Milkins both turned professional in the 90s, while Brown won the Welsh Open in 2021, all three would be notable losses from the tour.
The German Masters sees the top 16 players’ last 64 matches held over to the main stages in Berlin, with qualifying played in Sheffield from January 5-8.
The Welsh Open has two rounds of qualifying played on January 9-10 at Ponds Forge, with 32 players coming through to join the world’s top 32 in Llandudno.
The qualifiers are available to watch on Discovery+ in the UK.
German Masters qualifiers
Monday January 5
Round One
2.30pm
Dylan Emery vs Florian Nuessele
Michal Szubarczyk vs Kreishh Gurbaxani
Antoni Kowalski vs Liam Graham
Amir Sarkhosh vs Mahmoud El Hareedy
Steven Hallworth vs Gao Yang
Robbie McGuigan vs Mink Nutcharut
Julien Leclercq vs Ashley Hugill
Iulian Boiko vs Hatem Yassen
7pm
Huang Jiahao vs Jimmy White
Artemijs Zizins vs Liu Wenwei
Bulcsu Revesz vs Reanne Evans
Marco Fu vs Xu Yichen
Liam Highfield vs Fergal Quinn
Louis Heathcote vs Chatchapong Nasa
Farakh Ajaib vs Yao Pengcheng
Chang Bingyu vs Oliver Brown
Tuesday January 6
10am
Cheung Ka Wai vs Ng On Yee
Ben Mertens vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Mitchell Mann vs Mohammed Shehab
Liam Davies vs Leone Crowley
Chris Totten vs Lan Yuhao
Allan Taylor vs Mateusz Baranowski
Duane Jones vs Ross Muir
Haydon Pinhey vs Patrick Whelan
2.30pm
Gong Chenzhi vs Bai Yulu
David Grace vs Ian Burns
Haris Tahir vs Zhao Hanyang
Liam Pullen vs Jonas Luz
Wang Yuchen vs Ken Doherty
Sunny Akani vs Sahil Nayyar
Sam Craigie vs Connor Benzey
Jiang Jun vs Umut Dikme
Round Two
7pm
Robert Milkins vs Emery/Nuessele
Anthony McGill vs Szubarczyk/Gurbaxani
Mark Davis vs Kowalski/Graham
Matthew Stevens vs Sarkhosh/El Hareedy
He Guoqiang vs Hallworth/Gao
Oliver Lines vs McGuigan/Mink
Matt Selt vs Leclercq/Hugill
Zak Surety vs Boiko/Yassen
Wednesday January 7
10am
Sanderson Lam vs Huang/White
Jimmy Robertson vs Zizins/Liu
Jordan Brown vs Revesz/Evans
Martin O’Donnell vs Fu/Xu
Aaron Hill vs Highfield/Quinn
Ishpreet Singh Chadha vs Heathcote/Nasa
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Ajaib/Yao
Stan Moody vs Chang/Brown
2.30pm
David Lilley vs Cheung/Ng
Ryan Day vs Mertens/Ursenbacher
Fan Zhengyi vs Mann/Shehab
Luca Brecel vs Davies/Crowley
Ben Woollaston vs Totten/Lan
Robbie Williams vs Taylor/Baranowski
Daniel Wells vs D Jones/Muir
Jamie Jones vs Pinhey/Whelan
7.30pm
Liu Hongyu vs Gong/Bai
Xu Si vs Grace/Burns
Long Zehuang vs Tahir/Zhao Hanyang
Ricky Walden vs Pullen/Luz
Lyu Haotian vs Wang/Doherty
Scott Donaldson vs Akani/Nayyar
Noppon Saengkham vs Craigie/Benzey
Michael Holt vs Jiang/Dikme
Thursday January 8
Round Three
10am
Hossein Vafaei vs McGill/Szubarczyk/Gurbaxani
Zhang Anda vs Stevens/Sarkhosh/El Hareedy
Stephen Maguire vs He/Hallworth/Gao
Yuan Sijun vs Selt/Leclercq/Hugill
Jackson Page vs J Robertson/Zizins/Liu
Jak Jones vs O’Donnell/Fu/Xu
Elliot Slessor vs Hill/Highfield/Quinn
Pang Junxu vs Un-Nooh/Ajaib/Yao
2.30pm
Joe O’Connor vs Day/Mertens/Ursenbacher
Dave Gilbert vs Brecel/Davies/Crowley
Jack Lisowski vs Woollaston/Totten/Lan
Zhou Yuelong vs Wells/D Jones/Muir
Lei Peifan vs Xu/Grace/Burns
Ali Carter vs Walden/Pullen/Luz
Stuart Bingham vs Lyu/Wang/Doherty
Tom Ford vs Saengkham/Craigie/Benzey
Held over to main stages
Kyren Wilson vs Milkins/Emery/Nuessele
Barry Hawkins vs Davis/Kowalski/Graham
Mark Allen vs Lines/McGuigan/Mink
Shaun Murphy vs Surety/Boiko/Yassen
Mark Williams vs Lam/Huang/White
Wu Yize vs Brown/Revesz/Evans
Chris Wakelin vs Chadha/Heathcote/Nasa
Neil Robertson vs Moody/Chang/Brown
Judd Trump vs Lilley/Cheung/Ng
Si Jiahui vs Fan/Mann/Shehab
Xiao Guodong vs R Williams/Taylor/Baranowski
John Higgins vs Jamie Jones/Pinhey/Whelan
Mark Selby vs Liu/Gong/Bai
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Long/Tahir/Zhao
Gary Wilson vs Donaldson/Akani/Nayyar
Zhao Xintong vs Holt/Jiang/Dikme
German Masters prize money
Winner: £100,000
Runner-up: £45,000
Semi-final: £21,000
Quarter-final: £13,200
Last 16: £9,000
Last 32: £5,400
Last 64: £3,600
Last 96: £1,000
Welsh Open qualifiers
Friday January 9
Round One
10am
Marco Fu vs Xu Yichen
Lan Yuhao vs Mohammed Shehab
Farakh Ajaib vs Leone Crowley
Louis Heathcote vs Jonas Luz
Robbie McGuigan vs Reanne Evans
Haydon Pinhey vs Gao Yang
Ian Burns vs Mahmoud El Hareedy
Chris Totten vs Sahil Nayyar
1pm
Liam Highfield vs Ng On Yee
Steven Hallworth vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Amir Sarkhosh vs Riley Powell
Sam Craigie vs Zhao Hanyang
Mitchell Mann vs Fergal Quinn
Liam Pullen vs Ken Doherty
Bulcsu Revesz vs Oliver Briffett-Payne
Gong Chenzhi vs Liu Wenwei
4pm
Huang Jiahao vs Patrick Whelan
Wang Yuchen vs Mink Nutcharut
Sunny Akani vs Jimmy White
Antoni Kowalski vs Connor Benzey
Haris Tahir vs Bai Yulu
Artemijs Zizins vs Ross Muir
Michal Szubarczyk vs Hatem Yassen
Duane Jones vs Kreishh Gurbaxani
7pm
Jiang Jun vs Florian Nuessle
Julien Leclercq vs Ashley Hugill
Liam Davies vs Umut Dikme
Cheung Ka Wait vs Mateusz Baranowski
Iulian Boiko vs Chatchapong Nasa
Dylan Emery vs Yao Pengcheng
David Grace vs Liam Graham
Allan Taylor vs Oliver Brown
Saturday January 10
Round Two
10am
Robbie Williams vs Fu/Xu
Chang Bingyu vs Lan/Shehab
Luca Brecel vs Ajaib/Crowley
Zak Surety vs Heathcote/Luz
Daniel Wells vs McGuigan/Evans
Jordan Brown vs Pinhey/Gao
Stan Moody vs Burns/El Hareedy
Fan Zhengyi vs Totten/Nayyar
1pm
Sanderson Lam vs Highfield/Ng
Matt Selt vs Hallworth/Ursenbacher
Scott Donaldson vs Sarkhosh/Powell
Lyu Haotian vs Craigie/Zhao
Matthew Stevens vs Mann/Quinn
Rob Milkins vs Pullen/Doherty
Noppon Saengkham vs Revesz/Briffett-Payne
Mark Davis vs Gong/Liu
4pm
Michael Holt vs Huang/Whelan
Martin O’Donnell vs Wang/Mink
David Lilley vs Akani/White
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Kowalski/Benzey
Anthony McGill vs Tahir/Bai
He Guoqiang vs Zizins/Muir
Jamie Jones vs Szubarczyk/Yassen
Liu Hongyu vs D Jones/Gurbaxani
7.30pm
Oliver Lines vs Jiang/Nuessle
Ben Woollaston vs Leclrecq/Hugill
Ricky Walden vs Davies/Dikme
Aaron Hill vs Cheung/Baranowski
Ben Mertens vs Boiko/Nasa
Xu Si vs Emery/Yao
Ishpreet Singh Chadha vs Grace/Graham
Long Zehuang vs Taylor/Brown
Welsh Open prize money
Winner: £100,000
Runner-up: £45,000
Semi-final: £21,000
Quarter-final: £13,200
Last 16: £9,000
Last 32: £5,400
Last 64: £3,600
Last 96: £1,000
