This week’s end-of-season snooker event brings an elite 16-man field to Leicester to be crowned Champion of Champions.
When the tournament returned in 2013 after a 33-year absence, Ronnie O’Sullivan won it and then defended his title in 2014. But that was the last time we had back-to-back winners with all the Marks: Mark Allen, Mark Williams and Mark Selby winning the last three editions.
Expect the likes of Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong among the leading contenders vying for the name on the trophy. Read on for how they qualified for the tournament, the unique format, and all the latest key betting odds.
We're Backing Mark Selby to Win
There’s plenty to like about Mark Selby's chances, the 5.5 favourite. As we explain below, he’s the defending champion and will benefit from raucous support from the crowd as he’ll be playing in his home city of Leicester; players often say home support is worth a frame in every match, so that could make all the difference.
As we also discuss below, he’s in what is arguably the easiest group of the four, so assuming he wins it, he could well end up playing Judd Trump in the semis. If that’s the case, he won’t be afraid of facing Trump, whom he has an excellent record against.
Finally, we can’t but mention Selby’s tenacity and determination in never giving up, even from seemingly hopeless positions, so that will count in his favour, as will the fact that he’s one of the few players who is just as good at potting and putting on big breaks as he is at playing the more defensive side of the game.
He’s the favourite for a reason and will be very hard to beat.
What Is the Tournament of Champions?
Now that we’re into November, this is the season of season-ending tournaments, with equivalent ones staged this week also in the world of tennis and golf to reward those who have been the most consistent throughout the year and to give them one last shot for 2026 at winning another major trophy and getting their hands on some seriously big prize money.
And in snooker, the tournament wrapping up the season is the 2026 Champion of Champions.
Only players who won at least one tournament this season qualify for this 16-man field of the sport’s elite.
The 2026 edition, sponsored by Sportsbet.io, takes place from 9–15 November at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, so tournament favourite Mark Selby, also the defending champion, will feel right at home here. After all, his nickname, the ‘Jester from Leicester ’, should give you a big clue as to where he’s from!
Sixteen players will compete for the trophy and a substantial share of the £440,000 total prize fund.
The winner receives £150,000, making it one of the sport's most lucrative invitational competitions, though being able to say you were the 2026 Champion of Champions will be just as motivating for the 16 players as the money. However, as an invitational non-ranking event, there aren’t ranking points up for grabs here.
The Tournament Format
The tournament features 16 players, and they’re divided into four groups of four.
Each group contains two opening matches, with the winners meeting later that day in a group final. All opening matches are best-of-seven frames, while the group finals are best-of-11. On Monday, Group One is in action; on Tuesday, Group Two, and so on.
The four group winners progress to the semi-finals, which are played over best-of-11 frames on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November. The two semi-final winners then meet in Sunday's final, which is a best-of-19 contest played across two sessions.
Here are the groups:
- Mark Selby, Alfie Burden, Barry Hawkins, Chris Wakelin
- Zhao Xintong, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Kyren Wilson, Ali Carter
- Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Wu Yize, Chang Bingyu
- Neil Robertson, Panchaya Channoi, Judd Trump, Jak Jones
Who Are the Favourites?
First up, remember that only the winner of each group progresses to the semi-finals, so who else is in your group has a significant bearing on the players’ outright winner odds.
That helps to explain why Ronnie O’Sullivan is available at average odds of 11.0, a huge price for a man of his ability. His form this season has been pretty inconsistent, though, and a four-time winner of this event, no less.
He’s in the same group as the reigning world champion Wu Yize (8.5) and another former world champion, Shaun Murphy (13.0), so all three have their work cut out for them to win the Group (Chang Binyu completes the quartet), let alone the semi-final and final after that.
At the top of the betting is home favourite and 2025 winner Mark Selby at 5.0, who, with all due respect to the other three players in his group, has a pretty straightforward draw, and it would be a considerable surprise if Selby didn’t at least make the semis.
Another player expected to join him in the semis is current World Number 1 Zhao ‘The Cyclone’ Xintong, the 2025 world champion, who should be a cut above the likes of Ali Carter and who had an excellent 2025-6 season that included three major tournament wins.
Xintong is the 5.5-second favourite, the same odds as Judd Trump, no stranger to winning this tournament himself, but who has fallen down the rankings of late and is now just at 5.
Kyren Wilson (9.0), Robertson (9.00) and Bingyu (also 9.0) are others to look out for, while 49-year-old veteran Alfie Burden (250.0) and Panchaya Channoi (500.0) are the two outsiders.
Unmissable Upcoming Matches
There’s a treat for snooker fans when O’Sullivan and Murphy meet on Wednesday afternoon, and you’d think the winner of that will probably go on to top the group and book their place in the semis. Interestingly, it’s also the tightest betting heat of the eight, with O’Sullivan the marginal 1.9 favourite and Murphy the 2.0 slight outsider.
Another close one is expected to be the match between Yize and Bingyu, with the former at 1.83 and Bingyu at 2.05. Then on Thursday we have Kyre Wilson (1.53) up against Ali Carter (2.5), so plenty to look forward to before we reach the semi-final stage at the weekend.
