Ronnie O'Sullivan defends title: Who has qualified for elite Champion of Champions alongside snooker GOAT?

10 of the 16 spots at the elite Champion of Champions event in Bolton (13-19 November) have been filled with the invitational tournament set to provide one of the strongest fields of the new season. Defending champion and world No. 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to chase a record fifth victory since 2013 following his 10-6 win over Judd Trump in last year's final.

Ad The criteria for a spot in this year's event has been released with O'Sullivan, Trump, world champion Luca Brecel, Mark Allen, Ali Carter, Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Gary Wilson and Robert Milkins all guaranteed places. SnookerTrump enjoys unbeaten start to season in winning Championship League group12 HOURS AGO Higgins (2016), Murphy (2017), Allen (2020) and Trump (2021) are all former champions of the event. A qualifying spot is worth a minimum of £12,500 with the winner receiving £150,000.

Four initial groups of four provide four semi-finalists before a best-of-19 frame final at the Champion of Champions, involving the winners of the biggest tournaments on the snooker calendar over the previous 12 months. The final six places will be awarded at the outset of the new 2023/24 campaign with the Championship League, European Masters, Wuhan Open, International Championship, English Open and Northern Ireland Open set to provide access to the event. Women's world champion Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan needs one of the 10 qualifiers to win one of those events to finalise her place at the tournament.