2025 Champion of Champions – Who will be the true champion?

The Champion of Champions can make some claim to being the unofficial 4th crown in snooker.  The event will take place in Leicester between the 10th of November and the 16th of November. This is a tournament that is always highly anticipated. It brings together the champions of all the ranking and some non-ranking events from the previous 12 months. It also now includes the World Seniors and Women’s champions. The remaining spaces are filled by the highest-ranked players, ensuring a field of top players. In the following article, we are going to review the upcoming tournament and leave you with some ideas about what to expect and who to bet on.

Originally held in 1978 and 1980, the tournament was forgotten until it was revived in 2013. This is the 14th edition of the tournament. Ronnie O’Sullivan has been the most consistent player in its history winning 4 times from 6 finals. It is a mark of the quality of the tournament that of the 9 previous winners only Mark Allen (2), and Doug Mountjoy (1) have never been World Champions.

Last 16 Draw

• (1) Mark Williams (WAL) vs Alfie Burden (ENG)
• Mark Selby (ENG) vs Stephen Maguire (SCO)
• (4) Neil Robertson (AUS) vs Tom Ford (ENG)
• John Higgins (SCO) vs Xiao Guodong (CHN)
• (3) Kyren Wilson vs Jack Lisowski (ENG)
• Mark Allen (NIR) vs Zhao Xintong (CHN)
• Shaun Murphy (ENG) vs Lei Peifan (CHN)
• (2) Judd Trump vs Bai Yulu (CHN)

Who are the 2025 Champion of Champions players to watch out for?

Here we will profile the top 5 players we think have the best chance of winning this year’s Champion of Champions. These players we feel can potentially offer you the best chance of placing a winning bet on the outright tournament winner market. With this list of players we can help form our Champion of Champions – Prediction.

Mark Williams

• World Ranking: 4th
• How Qualified: Won – 2024 Champion of Champions
• Champion of Champions Record: 4 Appearances (Best Winner 2024)

The defending champion is ranked 4th in the world. One of the class of ‘92, he is still in top form having made it to his 5th world final earlier this year and won the Xi’an Grand Prix already this season. He starts off against World Seniors champion Alfie Burden and will be confident of making the last 8 in the Champion of Champions. From here, anything is possible if he plays like he did in the World Championship.

Kyren Wilson

• World Ranking: 2nd
• How Qualified: Won – 2025 Players Championship
• Champion of Champions Record: 7 Apperances (Best – Runner Up 2019)

With 3 ranking event wins (Players Championship, Shanghai Masters, German Masters) in the last 12 months, you could argue that Kyren Wilson is the most in-form player at this tournament over the last year. He can break build with the best and also trade safety battles. World Champion in 2024 he hasn’t gone past a Quarter FInal yet this season but always performs in the big tournaments. He has had two semi final appearances and was a losing finalist in 2019 at the Champion of Champions. He faces Jack Lisowski in the first round.

Mark Selby

• World Ranking: 10th
• How Qualified: Won – 2025 Championship League
• Champion of Champions Record: 12 Appearances (Best Semi Finals – 2013,2020,2022)

The jester from Leicester, as he is known, is playing in his home town in the Champion of Champions . He is desperate to win this one but has never gone further than the last four in 12 previous appearances. He has 2 semi-final appearances so far this season in ranking events. He favours the longer matches and excels in the drawn-out frames and longer event matches. If he can get through to the last four he will become a real danger to the others in the draw  He faces Shaun Maguire in the opening round.

Shaun Murphy

• World Ranking: 9th
• How Qualified: Won – 2025 Britsh Open
• Champion of Champions Record: 11 Appearances (Best Winner 2017)

Shaun Murphy is in fine form so far this season, having already won the British Open and lost in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix. That first win earned him a place at this tournament and he will hope to repeat his 2017 victory. A free-flowing attacking player who at times, divides opinion, he can be devastating when on his game. He starts off against young Chinese prospect Lei Peifan in the last 16 before likely playing Trump in the Quarters in this year’s Champion of Champions..

Bai Yulu (China)

• World Ranking: 99th
• How Qualified: Won – 2025 Women’s World Championship
• Champion of Champions Record: 1 Appearance (Best Last 16 2024)

While Bai Yulu may not be your best bet for a winner for the event she deserves mention as the only woman in the draw. She is a two time winner of the Women’s World Snooker title, earning her place at the  Champion of Champions for a second consecutive year. She has formerly won matches in mens ranking events, one of the few women’s players to do so. Her form on the men’s tour has been poor this season, but she has won two ranking events on the Women’s tour. She has a tough opening opponent, facing the world number 1

Judd Trump in the last 16, but in a short best of 7 match she may yet pull off an upset.

Where to watch the 2025 Champion of Champions

The 2025 Sportsbet.io  Champion of Champions.is to be broadcast live on the following channels

• ITV in the UK.
• Rigour in China.
• Viaplay in Scandinavia, Iceland, and the Netherlands.

Other national channels have yet to announce coverage, so check local schedules if outside these regions.  This is the best way to see how our Champion of Champions – Betting Tips have worked out.

Prediction for the 2025 Champion of Champions

My Champion of Champions -prediction for 2025 is for Judd Trump to earn his second title at this event. He is the number one-ranked player and he loves the big tournaments and takes this one very seriously. He hit form in Northern Ireland last month just missing out 9-8 to Jack Lisowski in a thrilling final. Back him to win the tournament and cover this with an each-way bet if you want to hedge your bets.