Mark Allen shares ultimate snooker goal after Crucible heartbreak

Mark Allen has admitted he was left feeling devastated after missing the black that would have sent him into this year's World Snooker Championship final, although he still believes he will eventually win the sport's ultimate prize.

Northern Irish ace Allen is preparing for his 22nd season on snooker’s top-flight; he has been a permanent fixture there since his rookie campaign in 2005/06.

The world number 12 has elected to skip the Shanghai Masters invitational at the end of July, but is in the draw for the China Open (August 8-16) and Wuhan Open (August 23-29) ranking events in the Far East later this summer.

At the start of last season, Allen began the campaign with some concerns over his provisional ranking, but eased any such pressure relatively early on when he won the 12th ranking title of his career at the 2025 English Open.

Allen conjured up a remarkable path to glory in Brentwood, winning his final five matches via a deciding frame, including a thrilling 9-8 success over Zhou Yuelong in the final to pocket the £100,000 top purse.

Overall, the 25/26 term was a very consistent one for Allen who would reach a further five ranking event semi-finals. The last of those memorably came at the season-ending World Championship where he recovered from 5-2 down to defeat Zhang Anda 10-6 in round one before victories over fellow top 16 stars Kyren Wilson (13-9) and Barry Hawkins (13-11) in the last 16 and eight, respectively.

Allen: “There is no point being a bad loser”

Making it through to the famous one-table set-up at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for the third time in his career where he faced Chinese youngster Wu Yize, Allen missed a black off its spot to win 17-15 and reach his maiden world final.

Wu sank the black to force a deciding frame which he won having been 47 points down, and went on to become snooker’s second youngest-ever world champion when he ousted former winner Shaun Murphy - again, in a deciding frame - in an epic final.

The infamous missed black will go down in history, but despite his heartbreak of getting so close to a world championship title match, Allen was gallantly gracious in defeat, warmly congratulating Wu in the arena and afterwards in his post-match interviews.

Now several weeks on, Allen recently reflected on his Crucible journey when speaking to Rob McConnell - the CEO of the Waterfront Hall in Belfast - on the Encore Podcast.

As well as the extraordinary closing stages to his encounter with Wu, that semi-final also featured the longest-ever frame in Crucible history during the second session when Allen was in the ascendancy having strung together five consecutive frames to go from 6-2 behind to 7-6 in front.

After four sessions of play and tension, Allen admitted on the Podcast to how emotionally bruised he felt after losing it - and in such painful circumstances - but reiterated that Wu was the deserved winner: "I was devastated with how that match went, but you need to be a good loser as well as a good winner.

“Wu Yize potted the balls at the right times and he deserved to be in that final. There is no point being a bad loser and two people made a great match.

“Yes I missed an easy black to get to the world final but it was a great match. Ultimately there has to be a loser and unfortunately it was me that day.”

Allen believes “he will” win world title one day

Allen is one of the most prolific title winners in professional snooker history. He is currently 11th on the all-time list for most ranking event wins - a tally that includes the 2022 UK Championship crown - and he has completed two-thirds of a ‘Career Triple Crown’ having won the Masters title at the Alexandra Palace in 2018. The 40-year-old is also a former world number one, an accolade he earned in 2024, becoming the first Northern Irishman in the sport to hold such a status.

However, for a player with such a decorated career CV, Allen’s World Championship record up until a few years ago was very average. Undoubtedly in the conversation as one of the greatest players never to have won the world title, Allen has started to repair his Crucible history book, making the last four in 2023 and 2026, and he joined an elite club in 2025 when compiling a maximum 147 break on snooker’s grandest stage during his last 16 tie with Chris Wakelin.

Following his opening round win at the Crucible this year, Allen spoke about how disappointed he would be if his world title ambition goes unfulfilled. After another deep run in the sport’s blue riband event, Allen feels that he is closer than he has ever been to lifting the trophy, and believes that he will achieve it.

"I want to be World Champion. That is the ultimate goal. If I do that, I'm not saying I'd stop or rest on my laurels, but I feel like my CV would be complete.

“That is the one tournament that as a kid growing up I wanted to do well in. I believe I will. I feel like I'm slowly getting closer. I was 17-15 in the semis against Selby a few years ago and I was 17-16 this year.

“I'm not going to avoid the obvious. It was one that got away. I had a real chance to get to the final and I think I had a good chance in it.”