How Ronnie O'Sullivan can retain world No. 1 spot after World Snooker Championship, Mark Allen and Judd Trump lead chase

Updated 24/04/2024 at 15:57 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan has held top spot in the sport's rankings since the 2022 Tour Championship, but the snooker GOAT needs victory at the 48th World Championship to extend his stay at the summit heading into next season. Mark Allen holds the provisional world No. 1 ranking, but must also avoid an early exit at the Crucible to boost his prospects with Judd Trump only 44,000 points behind him.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan will need to win the World Snooker Championship to extend his stay at the summit of the sport beyond the Crucible Theatre final on May 6.

O'Sullivan - world champion in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022 - is chasing a record eighth world title in Sheffield which will see him surpass Stephen Hendry as the most prolific winner since the Crucible first housed the sport's landmark event in 1977.

The UK and Masters champion has held top spot in the rankings since the 2022 Tour Championship, a month before his 18-13 victory over Judd Trump in the 2022 world final, but will see the 500,000 points he earned from that success drop off his points total at the conclusion of this year's tournament.

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That would see O'Sullivan drop to fifth in the end-of-season rankings, with Northern Irishman Mark Allen taking over as world No. 1 for the first time in his 19-year professional career and Trump remaining as world No. 2.

Trump moved within 44,000 points of Allen with his 10-5 win over Hossein Vafaei in the first round.

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O'Sullivan is set to begin a record 32nd straight Crucible campaign against Welsh qualifier Jackson Page on Wednesday afternoon with last year's finalists, world champion Luca Brecel and runner-up Mark Selby, already eliminated from the competition.

The 41-time ranking event winner will move back into third spot above Brecel and Selby in the world rankings if he reaches the semi-finals this year, but would need to claim the £500,000 top prize to overtake Allen or Trump in the end-of-season list.

Only an Allen run to the final would deny O'Sullivan the chance to retain the sport's most coveted ranking, while Trump would need to claim the title for a second time if Allen reaches the final, with £300,000 the difference between winning and losing the sport's biggest match.

Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui remain in contention to become world No. 1, but would need a title victory plus an early Allen exit at the Crucible for such a scenario to develop.

Allen begins his campaign against former British Open semi-finalist Robbie Williams on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30pm before they play to a finish on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, John Higgins will need a victory over Jamie Jones in the first round on Wednesday and Thursday to boost his prospects of starting next season inside the top 16.

The four-time world champion has been an ever-present among the game's elite since 1995, but the former world No. 1's remarkable 29-year run is under threat this season.

He starts the tournament in 17th place (£253,500) on the provisional ranking list, within touching distance of Ryan Day (£275,500) and Robert Milkins (£268,500) immediately above him, but must overcome Jones to have a chance of catching Day or Milkins.