That’s the question Phil Haigh is asking in this piece:

Ronnie O’Sullivan announced for big-money event and rare UK appearance

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 Champion of Champions does what it says on the tin, bringing together the winners of events over the last 12 months into one non-ranking tournament.

The Rocket has not won a tournament on the professional circuit since March 2024, but did win this year’s World Seniors Championship in May.

That would not necessarily earn him a spot in the 16-player Champion of Champions, but seen as there have been 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.

The Champion of Champions social media accounts posted on Wednesday: ‘One of the game’s biggest names is IN. 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.

The 50-year-old 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.

Champion of Champions qualified players

• Mark Selby – Champion of Champions, UK Championship, China Open, Championship League
• Zhao Xintong – Riyadh Season Championship, World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship
• Kyren Wilson – Masters
• Wu Yize – World Championship, Shenzhen Open
• Judd Trump – German Masters, Shanghai Masters
• Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – World Open
• Chang Bingyu – Wuhan Open
• Chris Wakelin – Scottish Open
• Barry Hawkins – Welsh Open
• Jak Jones – Championship League, British Open
• Ali Carter – English Open
• Alfie Burden – Shoot Out
• Panchaya Channoi – Women’s World Championship
• Shaun Murphy – World Championship runner-up
• Ronnie O’Sullivan – World Seniors Championship

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.

The Rocket 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.

It’s interesting that Phil Haigh what writes about Ronnie spending time in Ireland. I’m not sure if this is still the case, but some years ago, in 2016, Ronnie Wood came to an exhibition event at Goffs and, at the time, he had a property not far away from that venue. Ronnie and Ronnie 😉 are – or certainly were back then – close friends. Ronnie is godfather to one of Ronnie Woods twin girls¹. I’m not sure of anything but, possibly, he’s been visiting Ronnie Woods’ family and his goddaughter.

1. The twins , Gracie Jane and Alice Rose were born in May 2016. I took pictures of the two snooker players cuddling “their” baby but, at the request of the parents, I never shared them with anyone but them.. ↩︎