White and Fu awarded invitational tour cards

Jimmy White, a six-time World Champion, and Marco Fu, a three-time World Snooker Tour winner, have been given invitational tour cards to play for the next two seasons.

Although Englishman White, 62, and Hong Kong’s Fu, 47, did not advance to the Sheffield main draw, they did.

Although White was one of the most well-known players in snooker history, he never won the sport’s most important prize, only winning the 1984 Masters and the 1992 UK Championship.

In just 11 years, he placed fifth in a row in the Crucible finals between 1990 and 1994.

Fu has reached the Masters and UK Championship finals twice, and he has also advanced to the final four of the World Championship.

Both players would have missed the 2025-26 season without the discretionary invitations. White is 93rd on the list while Fu is 70th overall.

Steve Dawson, the chairman of the World Snooker Tour, and Jason Ferguson, the chairman of the WPBSA, both wrote in a joint statement: “Jimmy and Marco have both been incredible ambassadors for snooker and they both continue to contribute a lot to our sport.

Both players continue to be very competitive. Jimmy and Marco only managed to finish in the top 64 this year, winning the Northern Ireland Open and Jackson Page in particular.