RONNIE O’SULLIVAN is set to miss out on a spot at the Champion of Champions.
The snooker star has previously won the tournament four times which will start on November 10 at the Mattioli Arena, Leicester.
Ronnie O’Sullivan could miss out on a spot at the Champion of Champions[/caption]
The prestigious competition was founded in 2013 and pits the previous year’s title winners against each other.
O’Sullivan, 49, is likely to be the biggest name to miss out on a spot at the invitational.
The Rocket won the Champion of Champions title in 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2022.
However, he has not lifted a single piece of silverware since the World Masters of Snooker in March 2024.
Usually, if there have not been enough champions to fill the 16-man field, then players would be added from the ranking list.
O’Sullivan could receive an invitation through this route as he is currently ranked world No4.
But it is believed that there are multiple other winners since the previous Champion of Champions tournament who could be asked first.
This could include Mark Allen, who triumphed at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in December.
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Bai Yulu and Alfie Burden could also be invited for their respective successes at the Women’s and Seniors World Championships.
The tournament will hand the winner a tasty cash prize of £150,000 out of the £440,000 pot.
O’Sullivan recently pulled out of the Wuhan Open for medical reasons.
He did claim that he is not close to retiring yet and will be the first to let people know when he puts his cue down for good.
Should he return to the cloth, then he could still earn an invitation to the Champion of Champions.
O’Sullivan could get his spot if he makes a miraculous return to action in the British Open or the Northern Ireland Open in October.
The last chance would be at the International Championship, which is scheduled to start on November 2.
Provisional 2025 Champion of Champions field
Here are the players who are expected to have already recieved an invitation for the tournament…
1. Mark Williams – Defending champion
2. Zhao Xintong – World champion
3. Judd Trump – UK champion
4. Shaun Murphy – Masters champion
5. Neil Robertson – Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, World Grand Prix
6. John Higgins – Tour Championship, World Open
7. Mark Selby – Championship League Snooker, Welsh Open
8. Stephen Maguire – Championship League Snooker
9. Kyren Wilson – German Masters, Players Championship, Shanghai Masters
10. Lei Peifan – Scottish Open
11. Xiao Guodong – Wuhan Open