Ronnie O’Sullivan and Luca Brecel are among the players already guaranteed an invitation to the 2023 Champion of Champions.
The prestigious tournament will return to Bolton for a third consecutive year this season, taking place between November 13 and 19.
As usual, there will be 16 places up for grabs at the University of Bolton Stadium, selected from the various event winners across the previous 12-month span.
World number one O’Sullivan is assured of his spot in 2023 after winning the Champion of Champions last year for a record fourth time.
The Rocket beat Judd Trump 10-6 in the final to add to his previous glories in the competition in 2013, 2014, and 2018.
Brecel’s incredible World Snooker Championship success at the start of May has also landed him a ticket for the fifth time in his career.
There are 26 possible avenues on the qualifying schedule for the 2023 Champion of Champions with many already filled during the second half of last season.
Among the others to have safeguarded their spots are Trump, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, and Shaun Murphy.
Trump triumphed in the Masters at the start of the year, while Allen can rely on his victories in both the UK Championship and the World Grand Prix.
Selby’s brace at the English Open and the WST Classic and Murphy’s lucrative pair of wins at the Players and Tour Championships have sealed their positions as well.
Elsewhere, John Higgins will maintain his record of having participated in every Champion of Champions since its return to the calendar in 2013.
In March, the Scot won the invitational version of the Championship League – an event that is, like the Champion of Champions, promoted by Matchroom Sport.
Ali Carter (German Masters), Robert Milkins (Welsh Open), and Gary Wilson (Scottish Open) are definitely going to be involved later this year too.
It means there are six places at the 2023 Champion of Champions still up for grabs.
Women’s world champion Baipat Siripaporn, world seniors champion Jimmy White, Shoot Out king Chris Wakelin, and six red world champion Ding Junhui are in line to qualify as things stand.
But their presence will ultimately depend on tournament results between now and November.
There are eight events where champions are still to be crowned, so they will be desperately hoping for several repeat winners.
Two-time Champion of Champions winner Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, Kyren Wilson, and Jack Lisowski are some of the star players who still need to obtain silverware in order to gain an invitation.
Qualifying Criteria
The first 16 different winners on this list will qualify for the 2023 Champion of Champions.
(Q) = already qualified.
TBD = to be determined.
| No. | Event | Player (winner of event) |
| 1 | 2022 Champion of Champions | Ronnie O’Sullivan (Q) |
| 2 | 2022 UK Championship | Mark Allen (Q) |
| 3 | 2023 The Masters | Judd Trump (Q) |
| 4 | 2023 World Championship | Luca Brecel (Q) |
| No. | Event | Player (winner of event) |
| 5 | 2023 World Grand Prix | Mark Allen |
| 6 | 2023 German Masters | Ali Carter (Q) |
| 7 | 2023 Players Championship | Shaun Murphy (Q) |
| 8 | 2023 CLS (invitational) | John Higgins (Q) |
| 9 | 2023 WST Classic | Mark Selby (Q) |
| 10 | 2023 Tour Championship | Shaun Murphy |
| 11 | 2023 CLS (ranking) | champion TBD |
| 12 | 2023 European Masters | champion TBD |
| 13 | 2023 Wuhan Open | champion TBD |
| No. | Event | Player (winner of event) |
| 14 | 2023 International Championship | champion TBD |
| 15 | 2022 Scottish Open | Gary Wilson (Q) |
| 16 | 2022 English Open | Mark Selby |
| 17 | 2023 Welsh Open | Robert Milkins (Q) |
| 18 | 2023 English Open | champion TBD |
| 19 | 2023 Northern Ireland Open | champion TBD |
| 20 | 2023 British Open | champion TBD |
| No. | Event | Player (winner of event) |
| 21 | 2023 Women’s World Championship | Baipat Siripaporn |
| 22 | 2023 World Championship Runner-up | Mark Selby |
| 23 | 2023 Shanghai Masters | champion TBD |
| 24 | 2023 World Seniors Championship | Jimmy White |
| 25 | 2023 Snooker Shoot Out | Chris Wakelin |
| 26 | 2023 Six Red World Championship | Ding Junhui |
Featured photo credit: ChampOfChamps
