Champion of Champions 2025 | Day Four Preview and Order of Play

John Higgins and Neil Robertson headline day four as the Champion of Champions group stage draws to a conclusion in Leicester.

Group Four is the focus on Thursday’s play at the Mattioli Arena, where former winners Higgins and Robertson are joined by home favourite Tom Ford and 2024 runner-up Xiao Guodong, with the quartet aiming to join Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong and Mark Selby in the semi-finals.

Higgins is back in the popular invitational event after missing out for the first time 12 months ago, securing his return with victories in last season’s World Open and Tour Championship.

The Wizard almost added to his silverware collection at last week’s International Championship, losing to an inspired Wu Yize in the final.

It is now nine years since Higgins lifted the Champion of Champions trophy, while he was also runner-up to Trump in 2021.

He takes on the player who reached the final on debut last year in Xiao, who is back after successfully retaining his Wuhan Open crown.

The Chinese’s run to the showpiece of this event saw him recover from 3-0 down to edge out Ronnie O’Sullivan, before also seeing off Selby in a deciding frame. He then ousted Mark Allen in the semi-finals, before succumbing to champion Mark Williams.

Elsewhere in Group Four, Robertson begins his quest to complete a hat-trick of Champion of Champions titles.

A champion in 2015 and 2019, the Thunder has also reached the 2020 final and a further three semi-finals at the tournament, from which he has only been absent on one previous occasion.

Robertson is seeking a return to form having struggled to build on the momentum of his lucrative triumph at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, with a run to the International Championship last 16 representing his best performance since.

Standing in his way is debutant Ford, who will be eager to delight his home crowd once again.

It was here at the Mattioli Arena last December that the Leicester cueist finally won his maiden ranking title, courtesy of a dramatic victory in the Shoot Out.

Ford would love more of the same 11 months on, as he and the other three players in the group look to complete a stellar semi-final line-up.

The action breaks off at 1pm GMT on Tuesday with the two group semi-finals, which will be contested over the best of seven frames. The two winners then return at 7pm for a best-of-11 group final at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.

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Champion of Champions 2025 Schedule

Thursday November 13

Group Four

1pm
Neil Robertson v Tom Ford
John Higgins v Xiao Guodong

7pm
Final