Mark Allen to make decision over UK Championship as reasons for Northern Ireland Open return explained
Mark Allen says he will make a decision within the next six weeks over whether he will compete at December's UK Championship after his Northern Ireland Open exit - stating that 'something needs to change for me to show up'.
Allen gave an emotional interview to TNT Sports after his 4-2 defeat to Jordan Brown at the Northern Ireland Open - his first competitive match for six months - in which he admitted he was in a 'bad place' and could walk away from snooker permanently. The Northern Irishman had pulled out of every prior tournament during the 2026/27 season due to personal reasons.
Allen said that the 'last few months have been really difficult' and said that he does not 'see a future in snooker'.
Mark Allen to decide whether to play in UK Championship
Allen is currently ranked at world number 12, and should remain in the top 16 for the remainder of 2026 at least.
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The Order of Merit is compiled based on the results from the previous two years, meaning the £50,000 in prize money he earned from reaching the semi-finals of the UK Championship in 2024 will be on the line in December. The £21,000 he earned in the 2024 Scottish Open will also be replaced.
Allen currently holds an advantage of £175,095 in prize money over 17th-placed Zhou Yuelong, but that figure will of course fluctuate depending on player performances this season and how that differs from the same tournaments held two years ago.
Those figures could hold some significance in the context of Allen's comments in a separate interview to BBC Sport NI after his defeat to Brown.
"I am not going to announce [retirement] right now after a defeat, but it is something I have been contemplating for a while and something needs to change within the next six weeks before the UK Championship for me to show up," he said.
"And I need to work hard on myself in the next few weeks and see what is around the corner."
The UK Championship, held at the York Barbican, is a tournament that holds fond memories for Allen. He won it in 2023, having previously reached two finals.
It is a tournament he is sure to qualify for, with only the International Championship left to be played before it gets underway on November 27.
His time away from the baize will now take total precedence as he decides whether he wants to continue his snooker career.
What Mark Allen said after Jordan Brown match
The match against Brown carried extra significance for Allen, as he was playing in his home country and against a close friend and long-time practice partner.
He told BBC Sport NI that he did not want his last match in snooker to be his 2026 World Championship semi-final defeat to Wu Yize, which he lost 18-17. Wu went on to defeat Shaun Murphy in the final. But he says he has not definitively made a decision over his future.
"I think if I hadn't been playing Jordan, I probably would not have played," he said. "I felt like I did not want my last match to be remembered for that semi-final in Sheffield.
"I thought it would be a bit of nostalgia to go out playing Jordan in the Waterfront, where it all started in 2005, and that would be a more fitting end if I do call it a day."
Topics: Snooker
Ryan Smart