Ronnie O'Sullivan has been confirmed in the line-up for next month's Champion of Champions, which will see him make a rare UK appearance. The 50-year-old has not won a tournament on the professional circuit since March 2024 but did win this year's World Seniors Championship in May.
Seniors title secures spot
The Champion of Champions brings together the winners of events over the last 12 months into one non-ranking tournament. O'Sullivan's Seniors title would not necessarily earn him a spot in the 16-player field, but with multiple repeat winners of events over the last year, the Seniors champ gets the nod.
O'Sullivan does not play in many events in the UK since moving to Dubai and also spending time in Ireland, so it is not exactly a sure bet that he will play in Leicester next month, but he is being advertised to be there.
Social media confirmation
The Champion of Champions social media accounts posted on Wednesday: 'Ronnie O'Sullivan will be at the Sportsbet.io #champofchamps next month.'
O'Sullivan has a fantastic record in the tournament, winning it four times and reaching two more finals. However, recent years have been less successful as he pulled out of the event in 2023, lost in the opening round in 2024 and didn't qualify last year.
Field nearly complete
O'Sullivan joins 14 other players in the confirmed field, with the Northern Ireland Open offering the chance for someone to take the last spot. If an already-qualified player triumphs in Belfast, then it will be the highest ranked player not yet qualified, which would be Neil Robertson.
O'Sullivan's last professional outing in the UK was a World Championship last 16 defeat to John Higgins in April. He did then win the Seniors at the Crucible in May and the Snooker 900 Global Championship in Reading shortly after.
The seven-time world champion has been playing this season but only at events in China, competing at the Shanghai Masters, China Open, Wuhan Open and Shenzhen Open. He is in the draw for next week's Northern Ireland Open and could still take on Cheung Ka Wai in his first match on Monday afternoon, but it would be no surprise if he withdrew before that happened. He hasn't played at the Belfast event since 2022.
The Champion of Champions runs from November 9-15.
