Ronnie O’Sullivan is set to receive an invitation to compete at the 2026 Champion of Champions after Wu Yize’s victory at the Shenzhen Open created an additional place in the prestigious tournament.
Wu defeated fellow Chinese player Yuan Sijun 10-5 in Sunday’s final to secure his third ranking title. However, the 22-year-old had already qualified for the Champion of Champions through his victories at the 2025 International Championship and the 2026 World Championship. His latest success therefore allows another player to enter through the qualifying criteria.
O’Sullivan has been handed a late opportunity after winning the World Seniors Championship in May. The seniors event was added to the qualifying list last month, meaning the 50-year-old could now gain entry despite his recent lack of form.
The five-time world champion is a particularly notable omission from the field because he is the tournament’s record four-time winner. O’Sullivan captured the Champion of Champions title in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
However, it remains uncertain whether O’Sullivan will accept the invitation. He previously withdrew from the tournament in 2015 and 2023 despite entering both editions as the defending champion. He has also increasingly skipped several UK-based events in recent seasons.
The 2026 Champion of Champions will be held at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena from November 9-15, with the winner receiving £150,000.
Mark Selby will return as defending champion after defeating Judd Trump 10-5 in last year’s final to claim the trophy for the first time. Trump, world champion Wu Yize, world number one Zhao Xintong and Masters champion Kyren Wilson are among the leading names expected to compete.
Other likely participants include Shaun Murphy, Barry Hawkins and Chris Wakelin. Murphy qualifies as the 2026 World Championship runner-up despite not winning a tournament during the past 12 months, largely because of the number of repeat winners on the circuit.
Chang Bingyu will make his Champion of Champions debut following his Wuhan Open triumph, while Jak Jones, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Alfie Burden are set for their second appearances.
Thailand will potentially have another representative in Panchaya Channoi, who earned her place by winning the 2026 Women’s World Championship. Ali Carter also secured qualification after winning the English Open for the seventh ranking title of his career.
The Northern Ireland Open is now the final qualifying event. If another player wins a tournament already won by someone in the field, the remaining place will go to the highest-ranked player who has not yet qualified. At present, that player would be Neil Robertson, a former Champion of Champions winner in 2015 and 2019.
The 2026 International Championship will be played before the Champion of Champions, but it does not count toward qualification. Former champions John Higgins and Mark Williams are also among the prominent players still outside the confirmed field.
If O’Sullivan accepts the invitation, his return would add another major name to an already strong Leicester line-up and give the record four-time champion another chance to compete for the title.
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