2025 Tour Championship Snooker Preview - Who are the favourites for glory in Manchester?

The tournament’s format rewards the season’s most consistent performers, with the top four from the one-year list receiving byes into the quarter-finals: Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson and John Higgins. The remaining members of the season’s top 12 clash in the first round, with each and every match played as the best of 19 frames.

Who are the favourites to win the 2025 Tour Championship?

Undoubtedly the two outstanding players of the campaign - Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson - remain clear favourites for the tournament.

Both enter the draw fresh off the back of a tense encounter in the final of the Players Championship, where Wilson dramatically emerged victorious in the deciding frame. The pair will look at the event as a big opportunity to make a statement to the other before taking to Sheffield in a few week's time.

Elsewhere, Mark Williams begins his defence against Ding Junhui in the first round. Williams has had a strong yet steady 2024/25 campaign, and a second consecutive title victory here will put him in good standing to go far at the Crucible. Ding promises to be a stern test for the Welshman, as one of four Chinese players in this year's draw, along with Xiao Guodong, Si Jiahui and Wu Yize.

Neil Robertson can be considered another strong contender for the title in Manchester after his resurgence in recent months.

The Australian bounced back from a disappointing campaign in 2023/24 to become one of this season’s most improved players, winning the English Open and World Grand Prix. Robertson looks to be getting near to his brilliant best and will be confident of lifting the trophy for a third time at the Tour Championship.

Another player experiencing something of a snooker renaissance is John Higgins, who has had a fantastic second half of the season, winning the World Open in Yushan and going deep in several other competitions. His current position as the highest-ranked ‘Class of 92' member may be a surprise to most, but it shows that he is not finished yet at the highest level.

Outside favourites for the title are compatriots Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby, who have both registered significant successes in the current campaign.

2025 Masters winner Murphy will be looking to win this competition for a second time, whereas Selby will be looking to get his hands on one of the few trophies he has not yet lifted. The pair begin their campaigns in the first round, facing Barry Hawkins and Si Jiahui respectively.

What exactly is the Tour Championship? Tournament format explained

While the Tour Championship is a fairly new addition to the snooker calendar, it has quickly risen to become one of the most important fixtures outside of the Triple Crown events. The competition was established in 2019 as the third and final tournament in the Players Series, offering a handsome total prize fund of £500,000.

The Players Series was also conceived in 2019, consisting of the Tour Championship plus two other preceding events - the World Grand Prix and the Players Championship. These competitions stand out as players can only qualify for them via the one-year ranking list. This can often prevent a reigning champion from defending their title if they have not performed well in the current season.

The event initially began with only eight players, but this was expanded in 2024 with the introduction of the first round for players ranked 5-12 on the one-year list - a move that has sparked debate about scheduling and repeated matches.

Despite this, the Tour Championship promises to provide an outline of who will be going into the Crucible hot or cold, and a valuable opportunity for the game’s elite to get themselves acclimatised to the longer matches.

List of Tour Championship winners:

• 2019: Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-11 Neil Robertson
• 2020: Stephen Maguire 10-6 Mark Allen
• 2021: Neil Robertson 10-4 Ronnie O’Sullivan
• 2022: Neil Robertson 10-9 John Higgins
• 2023: Shaun Murphy 10-7 Kyren Wilson
• 2024: Mark Williams 10-5 Ronnie O’Sullivan