Ronnie O'Sullivan set to be offered Champion of Champions invite with Northern Ireland Open winner in line to secure final spot at elite snooker event
Published 22/10/2025 at 10:36 GMT+1
Ronnie O'Sullivan will earn a place in the Champion of Champions in Leicester next month based on his world ranking. Tournament organisers have confirmed the criteria for this year's event at the city's Mattioli Arena, with the highest player in the rankings claiming the 15th spot in the 16-player invitational event, and the winner of this week's Northern Ireland Open also securing a place.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to be offered an invite to the Champion of Champions tournament at Leicester's Mattioli Arena next month.
World No. 5 O'Sullivan, record winner of the coveted event in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2022, will earn his place in the 16-player starting line-up as the highest-ranked player who has not yet qualified, according to tournament organisers.
New Xi'an Grand Prix champion Mark Williams is defending the title following his 10-6 win over Xi'ao Guodong in last year's final in Bolton.
The final line-up for the event, staged this year between November 10-16, will be confirmed on Sunday evening, with the winner of the Northern Ireland Open also earning a spot if they have not yet qualified.
Women's world champion Bai Yulu's place at the tournament has been confirmed, with Shoot Out champion Tom Ford also earning a title shot in his home city.
But there is unlikely to be a spot in the tournament for Alfie Burden, winner of the World Seniors Championship, based on the latest information provided by promoters.
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The winner of the World Seniors was last sidelined from the event in 2018, but that could also happen this year with the winner of the International Championship in Nanjing, November 2-9, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, also apparently excluded from the qualifying criteria.
If O'Sullivan, who last won a ranking title at the 2024 Grand Prix, rejects his invite to participate, Ding Junhui, last year's International Championship winner, would be in line to earn a slot as world No. 7, the next highest-ranked player in the sport.
O'Sullivan has twice withdrawn from the competition, opting not to defend the title in 2015 and 2023.
The Dubai-based seven-time world champion has suggested he will not participate in the Masters at Alexandra Palace in London in January, but it remains to be seen if the Champion of Champions is part of his reduced playing schedule.
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Champion of Champions line-up
- Mark Williams (Wal) - Defending champion, Xi'an Grand Prix champion
- Zhao Xintong (Chn) - World champion
- Judd Trump (Eng) - World No. 1, UK champion
- Shaun Murphy (Eng) - Masters champion, British Open champion
- Neil Robertson (Aus) - World Grand Prix winner, Saudi Arabia Masters champion
- Mark Allen (NI) - English Open champion
- Kyren Wilson (Eng) - Players champion, German Masters champion, Shanghai Masters champion
- John Higgins (Sco) - World Open champion, Tour champion
- Xiao Guodong (Chn) - Wuhan Open champion
- Mark Selby (Eng) - Welsh Open champion, Championship League winner
- Lei Peifan (Chn) - Scottish Open champion
- Stephen Maguire (Sco) - Championship League winner
- Bai Yulu (Chn) - Women's world champion
- Tom Ford (Eng) - Shoot Out champion
- Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) - Highest-ranked player
- Northern Ireland Open Winner
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