Champion of Champions Snooker 2025 Predictions: Can Williams defend his title?
The snooker season is in full swing and Betfred's tipster Craig Edwards shares his top bets for the Champion of Champions tournament, which starts on Monday at Leicester's Mattioli Arena. Welshman Mark Williams is defending his title and with the International Championship in Nanjing ending on Sunday, many players face a quick turnaround and long travel before the week ahead.
With that in mind, here are his Champion of Champions Snooker 2025 Predictions...
Champion of Champions Snooker Betting Tips
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Ronnie O’Sullivan is the notable absentee in Leicester, where World Seniors Champion Alfie Burden and Ladies World Champion Bai Yulu are included in the field.
History, Location and Format
The International Championship is the 13th running of this event, having been revived by Matchroom Sport back in 2013 and features winners from significant World Snooker Tour events over the past 12 months
The Mattioli Arena in Leicester is again the host venue for the second year running, with the tournament running from Monday, November 10, through to Sunday, October 16. The action will be broadcast live on ITV in the UK.
There have only been three multiple winners of this event, with Ronnie O'Sullivan a four-time winner, whilst Neil Robertson and Mark Allen have both held this title twice.
The defending champion is Mark Williams, who beat Ziao Guodong 10-6 in the 2024 final.
Champion of Champions Draw
Prize Money
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | £150,000 |
| Runner-Up | £60,000 |
| Semi-Final | £30,000 |
| Group Runner-Up | £17,500 |
| Group Semi-Final | £12,500 |
| Total | £440,000 |
Champion of Champions Snooker Odds
1 pt Mark Williams each-way @ 7/1
Mark Williams has a strong chance of consecutive Champions titles, a feat last achieved by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2014. Williams withdrew from last week’s China event with a respiratory infection, which may prove advantageous. for him. My sources inform me that Mark has recovered well and been spotted on the golf course in the last few days.
Williams’ recent win at the Xi’an Grand Prix gave him the record as the oldest winner of a ranking title at 50 years old. It could be argued that the “Class of '92” player is wearing slightly better than his classmates, Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins.
Not only did Williams win this tournament last year, but he also made the final of the World Championship, beating Judd Trump in the semi-final.
His opening match versus Alfie Burden should be the perfect loosener for the next three matches. Burden is no pushover. Only a year ago, he beat Ding Junhui on the World Snooker Tour.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
1 pt Mark Allen each way @ 14/1
Turning to other contenders, the only player to not make the arduous trip to and from China last week was Mark Allen, who lost in qualifying to Mitchell Mann.
Like Williams, this could be an advantage for Mark Allen, who has already won one event this season: the English Open.
His section of the draw has been called the “group of death.” The draw has thrown up an opening contest against the world champion, Zhao Xintong. The winner will play last year’s world champion, Kyren Wilson, or the newly crowned Northern Ireland Open champion, Jack Lisowski.
The Northern Irishman has always had a strong affinity with the event, having won it twice in the last five years. The 39-year-old has never been afraid of reputations. He could go under the radar as a potential winner of this section, and that has undoubtedly helped his price this week in Leicester.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
1pt Neil Robertson to win @ 13/2
The final selection for the Champion of Champions is the Australian, Neil Robertson, like Allen a two-time winner of the title.
The key to this selection is Robertson’s shock loss to Zak Surety in the last 16 of the International Championship, which will have allowed him the luxury of a couple of days back at home after travelling back.
Robertson plays the Shootout winner, Tom Ford, who is making his debut in the event, and then plays the winner of John Higgins and Xiao Guodong.
The veteran Scot, Higgins went deep in the Chinese event, and on writing is scheduled to play a best of 17 frame semifinal on Saturday. We can be forgiven for thinking that at fifty-years-old, the travel back, then going straight into competition will undermine his challenge in Leicester.
Like Williams and Allen, Neil Robertson is a previous winner of the Champion of Champions and quirkily, a left hander too. All three have very solid credentials for adding another Champ of Champ to their impressive CVs.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Check out the rest of our Snooker Betting Tips over at Betfred Insights.
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