2025 UK Snooker Championship preview and betting analysis

The biggest tournament of the snooker season, so far, the 2025 UK Championship takes place at the Barbican Centre in York across nine days starting from Saturday 29th November. 

Over £1.2 million in prize money will be dished out at the first Triple Crown event of the term, and all the world's top ranked stars are set to feature in it. 

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The draw in York consists of 32 cueists; the world's top 16 and the 16 lower-ranked players who emerged from qualifying in Wigan just days before. These two batches of hopefuls have been randomly drawn against each other in round one. 

The World Snooker Tour appears to be more competitive than ever before, with 11 different winners from the first 11 events of the campaign.  

A total of 16 maximum 147 breaks have been made on the circuit since mid-July, a new seasonal record-high - astonishing considering there are still several months of top-flight action left to go.

The bookies favourites 

The pre-tournament odds make for interesting reading and represent a recent shift in power, and how the allocation of first round match-ups can alter paths.

10 of the top 11 seeds have won the UK Championship before - only world number two Kyren Wilson has yet to add that entry to his career CV. 

Bookmakers are struggling to separate defending champion Judd Trump and reigning world champion Zhao Xintong at the top of the ratings, with both around 4/1, 9/2 for glory over the coming days.

Third favourite is record eight-time UK Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.

READ MORE: Which players could be the value picks at the UK Championship? 

Of course, Trump and O'Sullivan are in the top three because of their reputations, but both are currently experiencing title droughts.

World number one Trump hasn't lifted a trophy since this event last year, while O'Sullivan's last triumph was in March 2024 (and his last ranking title was before that in January). 

It's perhaps crazy to say but Trump is a bit of an unknown quantity in York. The Bristolian has recently made the finals of the Northern Ireland Open and Champion of Champions but hasn't looked anywhere near his top form - probably down to getting used to a new cue.   

However, Trump recently ditched the new equipment and has apparently returned to his old cue that he enjoyed so much success with. He used this in Riyadh last week and looked good in a whitewash win over Mark Williams before being ousted by eventual winner Zhao in the semis. 

If Trump was looking to ease himself into the tournament, his first round draw is a nightmare as he faces a blockbuster tie with 2004 champion Stephen Maguire.

Robertson the standout in an open top half

The first quarter of the drawsheet looks very open indeed with none of the four seeds there - Trump, Si Jiahui, Ding Junhui, Mark Allen - in any great form. Allen did win the English Open in September, though. 

Ding loves playing in the UK Championship. He has won it three times before and was back-to-back runner-up in 2022 and 2023; he'll be looking to draw on those fond memories. 

Due to the unpredictability of that top section, I'm focusing on the second quarter, and fancy Neil Robertson to win the half and go all the way in York to claim his fourth UK crown. 

On top of his brilliant record in this event, Robertson won the Saudi Arabia Masters a few months ago, and last week made the final in Riyadh - both big-money events, just like this one. 

The Australian faces Julien Leclercq first, the lowest ranked player in the draw. He might then have to play newly-minted International Championship winner Wu Yize in the last 16 which really would be a mouthwatering prospect given the current buzz around the Chinese youngster. 

Elsewhere in this quarter are seeds Mark Williams and Xiao Guodong, but like other big names in this half, neither are really coming here with loads of confidence.

FIRST.com’s top tip - UK Championships

Pick: Neil Robertson to win the 2025 UK Championship (8/1 Betway)

Zhao fizzing after scooping Saudi jackpot

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry recently labelled current Crucible king Zhao as the man to beat at the Barbican following his title glory in Saudi Arabia - his first trophy since the Worlds in May. 

Zhao was a surprise winner here in 2021 - his maiden ranking title - and followed that up with his second just weeks later in Germany. 

One of a record 12 Chinese players in the last 32, Zhao has recovered from a slow start to the season, reaching back-to-back semi-finals before looking ravishing in Riyadh on his way to the top prize. He can continue to ride that crest of a wave in York. 

The 28-year-old may have to overcome either John Higgins or Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals, but Zhao doesn't seem to be bothered about reputations, and he defeated Murphy last week in the Middle East. 

The contenders

Further up this side of the draw are two of the sport's most decorated champions, O'Sullivan and Mark Selby, who will clash in the last 16 if they win their opening assignments. 

That third quarter is particularly devilish with 2024 World Champion Kyren Wilson and last year's UK runner-up Barry Hawkins also placed there. Qualifiers Elliot Slessor (world number 21), Lei Peifan (current Scottish Open champion), and Zhou Yuelong (English Open runner-up to Allen) could also be very dangerous as well. 

Selby has to be highlighted here, though, as he returns off the back of his Champion of Champions triumph on home soil earlier this month.

‘The Jester from Leicester’ has won nine Triple Crown titles throughout his illustrious career, but his recent record in that series has been very disappointing for a player of his caliber. He is 5/2 with Betway to win his quarter.

Having admitted to ‘have found something’ in his game over the past few weeks, Selby’s latest bid for a hat-trick of UK glories cannot be discounted. 

Qualifier Maguire has enjoyed a revitalising 2025 during which he has made two ranking finals - winning his first ranking trophy in five years - as well as reaching the semis in Nanjing earlier this month.

It's a punt, but in a competitive quarter, if he can get past Trump then I don't see why he can't kick on and make the last four for the eighth time in his career.

FIRST.com’s value plays - UK Championships

Pick: Zhao Xinting to win the 2025 UK Championship (9/2 Ladbrokes, Betway, Coral)

Pick: Zhao Xinting to reach the final of the 2025 UK Championship (5/2 Ladbrokes, Betway, Coral)

Pick: Stephen Maguire to win quarter one is 12/1 (Ladbrokes, Betway, Coral)

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Odds correct at the time of writing.