Time running out for Ronnie O'Sullivan to qualify for the 2025 Champion of Champions

The unique, 16-player tournament features champions from the snooker scene across the past 12 months. Last year, Mark Williams - who had never previously won a match in the event - defeated debutant Xiao Guodong in the final to claim the title and a £150,000 payday.

The Champion of Champions will be held at a new home in 2025, with the Mattioli Arena in Leicester set to host the competition for the first time, between November 10-16. Venues in Coventry (2013-16), Milton Keynes (2021 - behind closed doors due to Covid), and Bolton (2022-24) have had the honour in the past.

ITV4 in the United Kingdom has been the host television broadcaster for the tournament over the past 12 years, but this will be the last time that the station shows it for the foreseeable future, as its current contract with the World Snooker Tour ends this event.

Who has qualified for the 2025 Champion of Champions Snooker?

At the time of writing, tournament promoters Matchroom Multisport have yet to officially release a full programme of who will be assured of a place in Leicester.

There are only 16 spaces available for the event. Many times in the past - due to players winning more than one competition and therefore qualifying for the Champion of Champions more than once - Matchroom have invited event champions away from the professional circuit, and then used the world ranking list to fill the 16-player quota.

However, this year, there may not be enough space for all the winners of professional events from over the past year, yet alone inviting the women’s and seniors world champions.

If we have more than 16 champions, it is unknown which events will take preference, although we do have an idea of which players could miss out.

One player who definitely will be invited is reigning champion Williams, as the annual qualification cycle begins with last year’s Champion of Champions.

The winners of the Triple Crown events will all receive an invite; these are Judd Trump (UK Championship), Shaun Murphy (Masters) and Zhao Xintong (World Championship).

World number two Kyren Wilson currently holds three professionals (German Masters, Players Championship, Shanghai Masters), while Mark Selby (Championship League Invitational, Welsh Open), John Higgins (World Open, Tour Championship) and Neil Robertson (World Grand Prix, Saudi Arabia Masters) each hold two. These players can make travel plans for Leicester.

Xiao recently joined an exclusive club of players who successfully defended their maiden ranking event title when he retained the Wuhan Open. He’ll get a call-up, as will surely Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan - who would be a Champion of Champions debutant - and Championship League Ranking Event winner Stephen Maguire because the event he won was also run by Matchroom.

Two current professional title holders who may have to wait for a guaranteed ticket are Shoot Out champion Tom Ford, and Riyadh Season Championship winner Mark Allen, due to the prestige of those tournaments compared to others on the Tour.

In recent years, there has also been space for both the women’s and seniors world champions. Currently, Bai Yulu and Alfie Burden possess thoseother trophies, and they will be watching closely over the coming weeks to see if they get in the 16-player field.

It seems unlikely that either Bai or Burden would get the nod over a professional event champion, but not impossible.

In total, there are 15 names above, but there are still five more WST tournaments to be staged before the 2025 Champion of Champions: English Open, British Open, Xi’an Grand Prix, Northern Ireland Open, International Championship - so other cueists can still qualify for it.

Will Ronnie O’Sullivan be at the 2025 Champion of Champions?

The biggest name missing from the list of potential qualifiers above is Ronnie O’Sullivan, who at present, will not be at the 2025 Champion of Champions.

O’Sullivan is the most successful player in Champion of Champions history with four titles (2013, 2014, 2018, 2022) and two runner-up finishes (2016, 2017) on his sensational career CV.

However, it has been a largely frustrating time on the professional circuit over the last 12 months for O’Sullivan.

Last season - amidst a series of event withdrawals - O’Sullivan did not reach a professional final, yet alone win one. The season before, he won five titles.

A few weeks ago, O’Sullivan memorably made the final of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters in Jeddah after compiling two maximum 147 breaks during his semi-final victory over Chris Wakelin, but he was denied the trophy by Robertson in a deciding frame having battled back from 7-2 down.

Of course, even if O’Sullivan qualified for this year’s Champion of Champions, there is no guarantee that he would accept the invite; he has opted out of playing in this competition on multiple occasions in the past. But if the 49-year-old Englishman does want to feature in it, he only has a few more opportunities to qualify.

O’Sullivan has not entered the English Open in Brentwood, nor the Northern Ireland Open. He is in the draw for the British Open, but it’s very possible he’ll withdraw. That leaves two Chinese ranking events - the Xi’an Grand Prix and the International Championship; the latter event finishes the day before the Champion of Champions begins.

There is still a possibility, though, that O’Sullivan could get in via the side door because of his world ranking position. Should the winners of the next five tournaments all be qualified already, then the organisers would top the list of 16 through the world rankings, inviting the highest ranked player who hasn’t qualified by winning an event.

It is also possible that organisers may use this ranking list route ahead of inviting either Bai or Burden.

It would be a pity - given ITV4s last dance with the competition - if four-time champion O’Sullivan was not in the 2025 field, but one of the charms of the Champion of Champions is that players have to earn their place.