_2014-01-29_11_(cropped).jpg) Higgins in 2014 | |
| Born | (1975-05-18)18 May 1975 (age 50) Wishaw,Lanarkshire, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  Scotland |
| Nickname | The Wizard of Wishaw[1] |
| Professional | 1992–present |
| Highestranking | 1 (May 1998 – May 2000, May 2007 – May 2008, May–September 2010, December 2010 – May 2011) |
| Current ranking | 6 (as of 9 November 2025) |
| Maximum breaks | 13 |
| Century breaks | 1,052 (as of 23 November 2025) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 33 |
| Minor-ranking | 3 |
| World Champion | |
John Higgins (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professionalsnooker player fromWishaw inNorth Lanarkshire. Since turning professional in 1992, he has won 33 ranking titles, placing him in third position on theall-time list of ranking event winners, behindRonnie O'Sullivan (41) andStephen Hendry (36). He has won fourWorld Championships, threeUK Championships and twoMasters titles, for a total of nineTriple Crown titles, putting him level withMark Selby and behind only O'Sullivan (23), Hendry (18) andSteve Davis (15). He first entered the top 16 in the1995–96 world rankings and remained there continuously for over 29 years until September 2024, setting a record for the longest uninterrupted tenure as a top-16 player.[2][3] He reached theworld number one position four times.
In 1994, two years after turning professional, Higgins won his first ranking event at the1994 Grand Prix. He also won two more ranking events that season, the first teenager to win three ranking events in a single season. He reached his first Triple Crown final at the1995 Masters losing to O'Sullivan, and then the1996 UK Championship, losing on adeciding frame to Hendry. Two years later, at the1998 World Snooker Championship, Higgins won his first World Championship, defeatingKen Doherty in the final. He won theUK Championship twice in1998 and2000 and the1999 Masters before reaching the world championship final again at the2001 World Snooker Championship, losing to O'Sullivan. Higgins won the World Championship again in2007 and2009, the UK Championship in2009 and2010 and the Masters in2006.
In 2010, a tabloid newspaper carried out asting operation inUkraine, in which it claimed to show Higgins and his then-manager arranging to lose specific frames in future matches for money. An investigation cleared Higgins of match-fixing allegations but theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association found that he had brought the sport into disrepute by failing to disclose an invitation to breach the sport's betting rules and giving the impression of agreeing to it. Higgins was banned from professional competition for six months and fined £75,000. After winning his fourth world title in2011, Higgins' form became less consistent and he has gone for lengthy periods without title wins. He reached three consecutive World Championship finals between 2017 and 2019, but lost each time, to Selby in2017, toMark Williams in2018, and toJudd Trump in2019. In the2021–22 season, he lost five ranking finals. In the2024–25 snooker season, Higgins won two ranking events in the same season for the first time since 2015.
Higgins made his 1,000th professionalcentury break at the2024 English Open, becoming the second player, after O'Sullivan, to reach that milestone. He has made 13 officially recognisedmaximum breaks in professional competition, second only to O'Sullivan's 17.[4] He also holds the record for the biggest time span between a player's first and most recent ranking tournament win, having won his first ranking event at the1994 Grand Prix and his latest at the2025 Tour Championship, 30 years and 165 days later.[5] Alongside O'Sullivan and Williams, he is one of the three players known as the "Class of '92", who all turned professional during the1992–93 snooker season.
As amateur players, Higgins andMark Williams faced each other in two finals in 1991. At the World Junior Masters Higgins won, while Williams won theBritish Junior Championship.[6] The following year, Higgins turned professional. He reached the last eight of the1993 British Open during his first season on the tour, before losing 3–5 toJimmy White. Aged 19, Higgins defeatedDave Harold 9–6 in the final of the1994 Grand Prix. This was the first ranking title of his career.[7] The same season, he also won the1995 International Open and the1995 British Open, making him the first teenager to win three ranking events in a single season.[8][9] He reached the finals of the1995 Welsh Open, losing 3–9 toSteve Davis, and the1995 Masters, losing by the same score toRonnie O'Sullivan. His first time playing at theWorld Snooker Championship in1995 he lost 3–10 in the first round to fellow Scottish playerAlan McManus. Later that year he won his fourth ranking title at the inaugural1995 German Open beatingKen Doherty 9–3 in the final.[10][11]
At the1996 International Open he defeated Rod Lawler 9–3 in the final, to retain the championship. Later that season, at the1996 World Snooker Championship, he defeatedMartin Clarke 10–5 in the first round and McManus 13–5 in the second round. Facing O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals, he led 12–10, but lost the match 12–13 after O'Sullivan won the last three frames.[12] At the1996 UK Championship, he defeatedTony Drago, Williams and Doherty to reach the final, where he faced the world champion,Stephen Hendry. Higgins trailed 4–8 before winning five consecutive frames to lead 9–8; however, he lost the final 9–10.[13] He won his sixth ranking title at the1997 European Open, defeating Parrott 9–5 in the final. He reached the quarter-finals again at the1997 World Championship, but lost 9–13 to eventual winner Doherty. He won the1997 German Open, beating Parrott 9–4 in the final, and won his eighth ranking title at the1998 British Open, beating Hendry 9–8 in the final.[14][15]
At the1998 World Snooker Championship, Higgins defeatedJason Ferguson 10–8,Anthony Hamilton 13–9,John Parrott 13–11 and O'Sullivan 17–9 in the semi-finals. In the final, he defeated the defending champion Doherty 18–12 to win his first World Championship and ninth ranking title. He made a then-record 14 centuries during the tournament (Hendry beat his record, with 16 centuries, at the2002 World Championship, whichMark Williams equalled at the2022 World Championship).[16] Higgins' success had seen him advance rapidly up the world rankings. In the1994/1995 rankings, he was 51st; in the1995/1996 rankings, he was 11th; and in the1996/1997 and1997/1998 rankings, he was second. After winning the world title, Higgins becameworld number one in the1998/1999 rankings, ending Hendry's eight consecutive years in the top spot.[17]
During the1998–99 season, Higgins won the1998 UK Championship, defeatingMatthew Stevens 10–6 in the final,[18] and the1999 Masters, defeating Doherty 10–8 in the final.[19] By winning the UK, Masters and World Championships, Higgins completed a careerTriple Crown. He was also the third player, afterSteve Davis and Hendry, to hold the three titles simultaneously, an achievement later emulated byMark Williams. Higgins is also one of six players to have won both the World Championship and UK Championship in the same calendar year; the others are Davis, Hendry, Parrott, O'Sullivan andMark Selby.[20]
Higgins held the world number one position for two seasons[21] before Williams replaced him at the top of the rankings.[22] Higgins and Williams met in the1999 Grand Prix final, where Higgins came from 2–6 down to claim a 9–8 victory.[23] They also met in the2000 World Snooker Championship semi-finals, where Higgins initially led 14–10 but ultimately lost 15–17.[24] They also played again in the2000 UK Championship final, where Higgins won 10–4 to claim his second UK title.[25][26] Higgins reached his second world final at the2001 World Snooker Championship, but lost 14–18 to O'Sullivan.[27][28] At the beginning of the2001–02 season, he became the first player to win the opening three tournaments in a season: the2001 Champions Cup in August,[29] the2001 Scottish Masters in September,[30] and the2001 British Open in October.[31] He failed to win a major title for another three years, until the2004 British Open.[32]Clive Everton later claimed that Higgins "lost his edge" during this period, due to becoming preoccupied with fatherhood; Higgins' wife Denise confirmed that she had to "push him out of the house to practise".[33]
In the2005 Grand Prix final, Higgins comprehensively defeated O'Sullivan 9–2.[34][35] He became the first player to make four consecutive centuries in a ranking event, with breaks of 103, 104, 138 and 128 in frames 7–10. Higgins also scored a then-record 494 points without reply in the match.[33] Of Higgins' performance, O'Sullivan commented that he had "never seen anything like it", while Everton stated that Higgins was "back to the kind of form which gave him the 1998 world title".[33] Higgins and O'Sullivan also faced each other in consecutive Masters finals in2005 and2006. Higgins lost 3–10 in 2005.[36][37] In 2006, he lost the first three frames, but won the next five to lead after the first session. O'Sullivan levelled the scores in the evening session and the match went to a deciding frame. O'Sullivan missed ared ball to abaulk pocket while on abreak of 60, and Higgins made aclearance of 64 to win 10–9 and claim his second Masters title.[38][39]
At the2007 World Snooker Championship, Higgins beatMichael Holt,Fergal O'Brien, O'Sullivan andStephen Maguire en route to the final. Trailing 10–14 against Maguire, Higgins won 17–15,[40] making the 1,000th century to be made at theCrucible Theatre,Sheffield since the World Championship was first staged there in 1977. In the final, Higgins held a 12–4 advantage over Selby overnight, but Selby reduced his arrears to a single frame on day two. However, at 14–13, Higgins rediscovered his form to win four consecutive frames to clinch the match 18–13 to secure his second World title at 12:54 am, the latest finish to a World final (equalled whenNeil Robertson beatGraeme Dott in 2010); and nine years after his first title – the longest time span between successes sinceAlex Higgins (1972, 1982) and the longest at the Crucible. He regained world number one status.[41][42][43]
As World Champion, Higgins best performance was only reaching the quarter-final stages in theWelsh Open[44] andChina Open[45] tournaments. He helped to establish, and actively promoted, theWorld Series of Snooker[46][47] – a tour intended to bring snooker to new venues outside the traditional United Kingdom and recently developed Far East markets. He won the inaugural event inSt. Helier in June 2008, beating Mark Selby 6–3 in the final. Higgins also devised a new players' union with his manager Pat Mooney, called The Snooker Players Association. He won the Grand Prix for the fourth time in 2008,[48] beatingRyan Day 9–7 in the final inGlasgow – his first ranking tournament win on home soil.[49]
At the2009 World Snooker Championship, Higgins beat Michael Holt 10–5 in round one. His second-round and quarter-final matches both went the full distance of 25 frames, with Higgins overcomingJamie Cope[50] and Mark Selby,[51] respectively, to win 13–12. He established a 13–3 lead in the semi-final againstMark Allen and progressed 17–13 .[52] Higgins recorded an 18–9 victory overShaun Murphy in the final[53] to become the ninth player to win the World title three or more times afterJoe Davis,Fred Davis,John Pulman,John Spencer, Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan.[54]
In the2009–10 season, as reigning World Champion, he lost 5–6 on the black ball to Neil Robertson in the semi-final of the Grand Prix;[55][56] and 8–10 to Ding Junhui in the final of the UK Championship,[57][58] after surviving a comeback by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final when leading 8–2, to advance 9–8 the previous evening. He also defeated Neil Robertson 9–8 during the tournament.[59] He captured the Welsh Open title by defeatingAli Carter 9–4 in the final,[60][61] and ended the season as world number one despite an 11–13 loss to Steve Davis in round two of the World Championship.[62][63]
On 2 May 2010, Higgins and his manager, Pat Mooney, aWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) board member, were the subject ofmatch-fixing allegations. They were filmed in asting operation conducted by theNews of the World.[64] On 30 April, an undercoverNews of the World team, led byMazher Mahmood, posing as promoters, had met Higgins and his manager in a hotel room inKyiv under the pretence of organising a series of events linked to the World Series of Snooker. The newspaper alleged that Higgins and Mooney had agreed to lose four frames in four separate tournaments in exchange for a total payment of €300,000 and further discussed the mechanics of how to fix a frame, which tournaments and opponents to choose and how Higgins would receive the money. Higgins was immediately suspended from the game and Mooney resigned from his position on the WPBSA board.[65][66] Higgins issued a statement on the day of the allegations. He denied that he had ever been involved in match-fixing and explained that he had decided to "play along" out of fears for his safety, suspecting the involvement of theRussian Mafia.[67]
A full investigation was conducted into the allegations by David Douglas, former Metropolitan Police detective chief superintendent and head of the WPBSA's disciplinary committee. The independent tribunal that followed in September 2010, hosted by Sports Resolutions (UK) and chaired by Ian Mill QC, concurred that the WPBSA was right to conclude that Higgins had truthfully accounted for his words and actions and to withdraw the more serious charges of match-fixing, but found him guilty of "giving the impression" that he would breach betting rules and of failing to report the approach made to him by theNews of the World. Higgins received a six-month ban, backdated to the start of his suspension period, and was fined £75,000.[68]
Higgins returned to professional competition on 12 November 2010 in theRuhr Championship –European Players Tour Championship (EPTC) event five inHamm and went on to win the tournament beating Shaun Murphy 4–2 in the final.[69] At the next event, thePrague Classic, the sixth European Players Tour event, he reached the final again, but lost 3–4 to Michael Holt.[70]
At the2010 UK Championship, his first tournament on British soil since his return, he reached his third final in succession. He fought back from 2–7 and 5–9 down against Mark Williams, and from 7–9 after trailing 0–61 and needing asnooker to level the match.[71] He made a 68 break in the decider and sealed a 10–9 victory with adouble on thebrown ball.[72] As a result of his progress in those three events, where he won 18 out of 19 matches, Higgins earned sufficient points to regain his position as world number one under the new two-year rolling ranking system after having slipped to third by missing the start of the2010–11 snooker season.[73]
Higgins lost in the first round of the2011 Masters 4–6 against Graeme Dott,[74] and withdrew from theGerman Masters after defeatingRobert Milkins 5–3 in round one,[75] to return home due to the deteriorating health of his father, who subsequently died from cancer.[76] A little over two weeks later, Higgins successfully defended hisWelsh Open title by beating Stephen Maguire 9–6 in the final[77] – dedicating victory to his late father. Higgins won theHainan Classic, defeating Jamie Cope in the final.[78] Higgins reached the quarter-final of theChina Open, where he lost 2–5 against Shaun Murphy.[79] Higgins' next tournament was theScottish Professional Championship, where he defeated Anthony McGill 6–1 in the final.[80][81]
In the2011 World Snooker Championship, Higgins defeatedStephen Lee 10–5 in the first round,Rory McLeod 13–7 in the second round and Ronnie O'Sullivan 13–10 in the quarter-finals.[82] On the way to a 17–14 victory over Mark Williams in the semi-finals, Higgins was heckled by an audience member who shouted out, "How do you swallow that three hundred thousand, John? ... You're a disgrace to snooker."[83] Higgins went on to defeatJudd Trump 18–15 in the final to win his fourth world title,[84][85] which prompted Steve Davis to comment "I think John Higgins is the best snooker player I've ever seen in my life".[86] Despite the victory, Higgins lost the world number one ranking to Mark Williams.[87]
In the2011–12 snooker season, reaching only two quarter-finals of major ranking events. His season-best performance was reaching the semi-finals of theMasters, where he lost 4–6 to Shaun Murphy.[88] Before the2012 World Snooker Championship, he admitted that he had not practiced much throughout the season and did not feel confident about defending his title.[89] In the first round of the tournament, he came from 6–8 down to defeatLiang Wenbo 10–9.[90] He then played Hendry in the second round, the first time the two players had ever met in a World Championship match, but Hendry won 13–4, with Higgins calling it the worst he had ever played at the Crucible.[91] He finished the season ranked world number five.[92]
_2013-01-30_02.jpg)
Higgins started the2012–13 season by winning his 25th ranking title at theShanghai Masters, after coming back from 2–7 down to defeat Judd Trump 10–9 in the final.[93] He made amaximum break during the final and another in his second-round match againstMark Davis at the2012 UK Championship.[93][94] He won the minor-rankingKay Suzanne Memorial Trophy, defeating Trump 4–2 in the final, also reaching the final of the minor-rankingBulgarian Open, where he lost 0–4 to Trump. However, Higgins did not enjoy sustained success for the rest of the season, reaching only one other semi-final of a major ranking event, theWorld Open, which he lost 2–6 to Mark Allen.[95][96] He exited the2013 World Snooker Championship in the first round, losing 6–10 to Mark Davis.[97] Afterward, he admitted that doubts about whether he could remain at the top of the world rankings after 20 years as a professional had affected his form.[98] He finished the season ranked 11th, slipping out of the top 10 for the first time in 17 seasons.[99]
Playing with a new cue, he won the minor-ranking2013 Bulgarian Open with a 4–1 victory over Neil Robertson in the final, having beaten Shaun Murphy and Ronnie O'Sullivan earlier in the event.[100] He reached the final of the season's first major ranking event, the2013 Wuxi Classic, which he lost 7–10 to Robertson.[101] He changed his cue again before defending hisShanghai Masters title, but lost 1–5 to Mark Davis in the last 16.[102] HisKay Suzanne Memorial Cup title defence ended when he was whitewashed 0–4 byAndrew Higginson in the last 128.[103] He lost 2–4 to Ding Junhui in the last 16 of the2013 Indian Open,[104] and 2–6 to Matthew Stevens in the last 32 of the2013 International Championship.[105] In the invitational2013 Champion of Champions, he lost 3–4 in the first round to Maguire.[106]
Higgins called his form "soul-destroying"[107] as lost 3–6 to Maguire in the last 16 of the2013 UK Championship.[108] Referring to Higgins' frequent changes of cue,Joe Johnson alleged in commentary that Higgins was "searching for something that is not there" and "looking for someone or something to blame" for his poor form.[109] Higgins retaliated by claiming that players in Johnson's era had struggled to make breaks of 30 or 40 on tables with much larger pockets and by calling Johnson one of the sport's worst commentators.[110] After the UK Championship, he slipped to number 12 in the world rankings, having failed to progress beyond the last 16 of any tournament since the Wuxi Classic in June.[111][112]
Before the2014 Masters, Higgins revealed that he had reached the "depths of despair" after the UK Championship, after spending months "in turmoil".[113] He also revealed that he had switched to a fourth new cue, had regained his tempo and felt that he was playing better than he had in some time.[113] He defeatedStuart Bingham 6–2 in the first round,[114] but lost 5–6 in the quarter-finals to defending champion Selby, despite having led the match 5–3.[115]
_2014-01-29_09.jpg)
At the2014 German Masters, Higgins lost 3–5 toDominic Dale in the last 32.[116] At the2014 Welsh Open, he defeated Trump 4–3 in the last 16,[117] but lost 1–5 to O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals.[118] He reached a third consecutive ranking tournament quarter-final at thePlayers Tour Championship Finals, but lost 1–4 toMarco Fu.[119] He suffered a second consecutive first-round exit from theWorld Championship when he lost 7–10 to fellow ScotAlan McManus.[120] After the match, Higgins described himself as a "journeyman top-16 player now," suggesting that he no longer regarded himself among the top contenders at tournaments.[121] He ended the campaign as the world number 11, the lowest he has been at the end of the season in 19 years.[122]
Higgins continued to struggle in the opening ranking events of the2014–15 season, losing 4–5 to Alan McManus in the last 32 of theWuxi Classic,[123] 2–5 to Robert Milkins in the last 16 of theAustralian Goldfields Open,[124] and 4–5 to Ryan Day in the last 32 of theShanghai Masters.[125] He defended his minor-rankingBulgarian Open title, but lost 1–4 against Judd Trump in the last 64.[126] At the rankingInternational Championship, he lost 1–6 toLi Hang in the last 64.[127] He lost 1–4 toBarry Hawkins in the first round of theChampion of Champions invitational tournament,[128] and in the last 64 of the minor-rankingRuhr Open, he failed to score a single point on his way to a 0–4 defeat by Marco Fu, who outscored Higgins by a cumulative total of 412 points to 0.[129]
Higgins arrived at the2014 UK Championship stating that he was struggling for confidence and concerned that a poor result in the championship could cost him his top-16 ranking and his place at the Masters.[130] However, he defeatedLee Walker 6–2, Jamie Cope 6–4 andMatthew Stevens 6–2 to reach the last 16, where he lost 5–6 to Anthony McGill.[131] This was enough to keep him inside the top 16, at number 14. At theMasters, he faced Mark Allen in the first round. Even though he made three century breaks, Higgins lost the match 4–6.[132] After the match, he said that "I feel my form is steadily coming back – even when I've been losing matches I have still been gaining nuggets of confidence and I thought I played pretty well again."[133]
In the2015 German Masters, Higgins lost 2–5 toPeter Ebdon in the first round,[134] but he at theWelsh Open, he defeated Stephen Maguire 5–1 in the quarter-finals,Luca Brecel 6–4 in the semi-finals andBen Woollaston 9–3 in the final to claim a fourth Welsh Open title, his first ranking title in two and a half years.[135] In the last 16 of the2015 Indian Open, he suffered a sixth consecutive defeat to Mark Davis when he lost 0–4, scoring only 38 points in the match.[136] He lost 3–4 to Graeme Dott in the last 32 of theWorld Grand Prix and lost by the same scoreline to Stephen Maguire in the last 32 of thePlayers Championship Grand Final. In theChina Open, he reached the quarter-finals, defeating Dott and Trump along the way, but lost 4–5 to Ding Junhui.[137] At the2015 World Snooker Championship, Higgins won his first match at the event since 2012 with a 10–5 first round victory over Robert Milkins, but he lost 9–13 to Ding Junhui in the second round, despite winning five of the first six frames.[138]
Higgins won his 27th ranking title at the2015 Australian Goldfields Open by beatingMartin Gould 9–8 in the final.[139] Later that year, he also defeatedDavid Gilbert 10–5 in the final of the2015 International Championship. This put Higgins level with Steve Davis in the list of total ranking events won.[140] Higgins started his quarter-final with Neil Robertson at the2015 UK Championship by making the 600th century break of his career, but lost the match 5–6.[141] Higgins reached the semi-finals of theChina Open, but lost 5–6 afterRicky Walden made a 131 break in the deciding frame.[142] He defeated Ryan Day 10–3 and Walden 13–8 at the2016 World Snooker Championship, but lost 13–11 to Alan McManus in the quarter-finals, having been 11–9 ahead. He said later that he had "cracked under pressure".[143]
Higgins lost in the quarter-finals of both the2016 English Open andInternational Championship, 5–1 to Judd Trump and 6–2 to Ding Junhui respectively.[144] He faced Stuart Bingham in the final of the inauguralChina Championship; with the scores tied at 7–7, Higgins made three successive centuries to claim the title and £200,000, which was, at the time, the highest prize awarded outside the United Kingdom.[145] At the2016 Champion of Champions, he defeated Ding 6–5 in the semi-finals despite Ding making four centuries in the match.[146] Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–7 in the final to win his second title in a week.[147] In the second round of the2016 Northern Ireland Open, he made the eighth maximum break of his career and also scored breaks of 137 and 130 in a 4–1 victory overSam Craigie.[148] He lost a deciding frame to Selby in the quarter-finals of the2016 UK Championship.[149] He closed out 2016 by beating O'Sullivan 5–2 in the quarter-finals of theScottish Open and then came back from 5–1 down to Judd Trump to win the semi-final 6–5.[150] In the final against Marco Fu, he made three centuries in moving 4–1 ahead, but then lost eight frames in a row to lose 4–9.[151] Higgins won the non-rankingChampionship League by beating Ryan Day 3–0 in the final.[citation needed]
At the2017 World Snooker Championship, Higgins reached his first world final in six years. He became, aged 41, the oldest finalist in 35 years.[152] In a rematch of the 2007 final, he faced Mark Selby. Higgins took a 10–4 lead, but then lost 12 of the next 14 frames, eventually losing 15–18.[153]
He won the2017 Indian Open, defeatingAnthony McGill 5–1 in the final.[154] The following year, he won his thirtieth ranking event at the2018 Welsh Open, defeating Barry Hawkins 9–7 in the final.[155] Higgins also reached the final of the2018 World Snooker Championship, but lost again to Mark Williams. At the2019 World Snooker Championship Higgins reached the final again, only to be beaten 18–9 by Judd Trump.[156] This was Higgins' third consecutive World Championship final and his eighth overall.[157]
Higgins surpassed Stephen Hendry's career total of 775 centuries during the2019 Scottish Open. He made his 775th century on 11 December during his match againstAlexander Ursenbacher and his 776th againstJack Lisowski the following day.[158][159] Higgins made his 800th career century on the first day of the2020 Champion of Champions, although he lost the match to Ding Junhui.[160]
In the 2020–21 season, Higgins reached his first Masters final since 2006 after beating Allen, O'Sullivan and David Gilbert.[161] However, he was defeated by tournament debutantYan Bingtao 8–10 in the final.[162] On 28 February 2021, Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final of thePlayers Championship to claim his 31st ranking title and his first ranking title in three years. After his win, Higgins said that was "the best week of [his] snooker career" in terms of the way he played.[163] In his quarter-final against Mark Selby, Higgins outscored his opponent 546–7 in a 6–0 victory. After the match, Selby stated that, "I've never had a match where I had so few chances. John froze me out from start to finish, he played an incredible match.”[164]
Before the beginning of the2021–22 snooker season, Higgins lost a significant amount of weight by takingspin classes. He weighed15+1⁄2 stones (217 lbs or 98.5 kg) during the2021 World Championship, but began the new season at 12 stones (168 lbs or 76 kg).[165] At the2021 Northern Ireland Open, he won six consecutive frames to defeat Yan Bingtao 6–2 in the semi-finals, but lost the final 8–9 to Mark Allen, despite having led 8–6.[166] At the2021 English Open, Higgins came from 3–5 behind in the semi-finals to defeat O'Sullivan 6–5,[167] but he lost the final 8–9 to Neil Robertson, despite again having led 8–6. This defeat meant that Higgins had lost six of his previous seven major finals.[168] In his post-match comments, he expressed doubt about his ability to compete in ranking finals, stating: "The last two finals I really do think show I've not really got it at this level."[169] Higgins went on to lose the2021 Champion of Champions final 4–10 to Trump,[170] and the2021 Scottish Open final 5–9 to Luca Brecel.[171] Even though he lost in the round of 32 at theGibraltar Open, he won the BetVictor Series bonus of £150,000 by winning the most prize money across the series as a whole.[172] At the2022 Tour Championship, he came from 4–8 behind to defeatZhao Xintong 10–9 in the quarter-finals, a victory he called one of his "best ever wins",[173] and went on to face Robertson in the final. Higgins established a 9–4 lead, but lost his fifth major final of the season after Robertson won six consecutive frames to win 10–9.[174] Afterwards, Higgins admitted that losing the final from a position of being five frames up with six to play would leave "real mental scars".[175] At the2022 World Championship, Higgins won his quarter-final match against Jack Lisowski on a deciding frame,[176] but lost 11–17 in the semi-finals to eventual champion O'Sullivan,[177] finishing the season ranked fifth in the world.[178]
Higgins reached the quarter-final of the2024 World Championship with a 13–12 win over Allen in the last 16.[179] He then played Kyren Wilson but fell to an 8–13 defeat.[180] In September 2024, Higgins made his 1000th career century at theEnglish Open to become just the second player after O'Sullivan to achieve this feat.[181]Higgins was runner-up at the2024 British Open, losing toMark Selby 5–10 in the final. Despite defeat, Higgins returned into the top 16 of the world rankings, having dropped out the previous week for the first time since 1995.[182][183] At the2025 Masters, Higgins held a 5–1 lead over Neil Robertson in their first round match but Robertson then won five consecutive frames to win 5–6.[184] At theWorld Open, Higgins won his thirty second ranking event with a 10–6 win overJoe O'Connor in the final. It was Higgins first title for four years, and at forty nine years of age Higgins also became the oldest player to win a ranking title sinceRay Reardon in 1982.[185][186] Higgins won his second title of the2024–25 season at theTour Champiosnhip. He fought back from 5–8 down to win five consecutive frames and defeat Mark Selby 10–8.[187] Higgins reached the quarter-finals of the2025 World Championship where he faced Mark Williams. Higgins fought back from 8–12 behind to force a deciding frame, but a miss on the final blue proved pivotal, and Higgins exited the tournament 12–13.[188]
In 2000, 25-year-old Higgins married his childhood sweetheart, 24-year-old Denise (née Whitton).[189][190][191] They have three children together, two sons and a daughter.[192] Higgins is a supporter ofCeltic F.C.[193] and also follows English clubEverton.[194] He enjoys playing poker.[195] In 2006, Higgins was escorted off a plane for being drunk after losing theMalta Cup final to Ken Doherty, but he becameteetotal in preparation for the 2007 World Championship which he went on to win.[196] Higgins was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2008 New Year Honours.[197]
In January 2010, Higgins appeared on theBBC'sCelebrity Mastermind, answering questions on his specialist subjectDallas. He finished third equal.[198] In February of that year, Higgins and his wife Denise appeared onITV'sMr. and Mrs. and reached the final after answering all of their questions correctly to win £30,000. They donated the money to The Dalziel Centre – a day hospice for cancer patients, based at Strathclyde Hospital inMotherwell, of which Higgins became a patron after they cared for his terminally ill father.[199]
In a complex mathematical study conducted at theUniversity of Limerick, Higgins was named the highest performing snooker player from 1968 to 2020, ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and Stephen Hendry.[200][201]
| Tournament | 1992/ 93 | 1993/ 94 | 1994/ 95 | 1995/ 96 | 1996/ 97 | 1997/ 98 | 1998/ 99 | 1999/ 00 | 2000/ 01 | 2001/ 02 | 2002/ 03 | 2003/ 04 | 2004/ 05 | 2005/ 06 | 2006/ 07 | 2007/ 08 | 2008/ 09 | 2009/ 10 | 2010/ 11 | 2011/ 12 | 2012/ 13 | 2013/ 14 | 2014/ 15 | 2015/ 16 | 2016/ 17 | 2017/ 18 | 2018/ 19 | 2019/ 20 | 2020/ 21 | 2021/ 22 | 2022/ 23 | 2023/ 24 | 2024/ 25 | 2025/ 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ranking[202][nb 1] | [nb 2] | 122 | 51 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | 3R | RR | A | A | RR | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Tournament Not Held | 5R | 5R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuhan Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 3R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Open | Tournament Not Held | QF | 4R | 4R | A | SF | F | 3R | SF | 3R | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | QF | 2R | W | F | 1R | W | SF | QF | 3R | W | QF | QF | W | Tournament Not Held | 3R | 1R | 1R | F | SF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xi'an Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 1R | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | Tournament Not Held | 4R | 3R | 1R | SF | 4R | F | 2R | A | 2R | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | 1R | W | QF | QF | LQ | 3R | Not Held | 3R | QF | F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | LQ | LQ | LQ | SF | F | 1R | W | SF | W | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | 3R | SF | 1R | QF | F | W | 2R | 2R | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open[nb 3] | LQ | LQ | W | W | SF | F | SF | QF | 3R | 2R | SF | 2R | Tournament Not Held | MR | Not Held | F | SF | 4R | 4R | 2R | F | 2R | SF | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters[nb 4] | Not Held | W | SF | W | NR | Tournament Not Held | WD | 2R | LQ | 2R | 1R | LQ | LQ | A | 1R | 1R | WD | LQ | LQ | QF | 2R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | NR | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | DNQ | 1R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship[nb 5] | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | DNQ | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | W | QF | DNQ | QF | SF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | LQ | LQ | F | 3R | QF | F | 3R | W | QF | QF | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | QF | 2R | W | W | 2R | 2R | QF | W | 4R | 1R | W | QF | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | SF | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Open[nb 6] | 3R | 3R | W | F | 3R | F | 1R | W | WD | QF | 3R | F | 1R | W | QF | 2R | W | SF | A | QF | SF | QF | Not Held | QF | 3R | A | SF | Not Held | 1R | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championship | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | QF | QF | F | DNQ | 1R | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | LQ | LQ | 1R | QF | QF | W | SF | SF | F | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | W | 2R | W | 2R | W | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | F | F | F | 2R | 2R | SF | QF | QF | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | 2R | 2R | Not Held | QF | 2R | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 1R | QF | W | QF | QF | QF | 1R | F | QF | SF | A | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riyadh Season Championship | Tournament Not Held | QF | A | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | LQ | LQ | F | 1R | 1R | 1R | W | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | F | W | 1R | 1R | SF | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | F | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | A | 2R | 2R | RR | A | 2R | RR | RR | RR | W | W | SF | RR | SF | W | W | SF | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dubai Classic[nb 7] | LQ | LQ | 2R | QF | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | QF | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters[nb 8] | LQ | LQ | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | QF | NR | Not Held | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | Non-Ranking Event | F | QF | 1R | NH | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | NR | 3R | 2R | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuxi Classic[nb 9] | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | A | F | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open[nb 10] | Not Held | NR | Tournament Not Held | 1R | A | A | 2R | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riga Masters[nb 11] | Tournament Not Held | MR | 3R | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 2R | SF | A | QF | W | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | NR | Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Open | Tournament Not Held | 3R | 3R | NH | A | W | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open[nb 12] | Tournament Not Held | NR | W | 1R | 1R | SF | Not Held | 2R | F | QF | QF | F | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | SF | 3R | 2R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | NR | 2R | F | 3R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkish Masters | Tournament Not Held | 3R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gibraltar Open | Tournament Not Held | MR | 2R | A | A | WD | WD | 3R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | QF | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Masters[nb 13] | LQ | QF | 1R | 1R | W | NH | 2R | Not Held | 2R | QF | QF | SF | F | 1R | NR | Tournament Not Held | QF | 2R | WD | 2R | 1R | 2R | LQ | SF | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open[nb 10] | Not Held | W | A | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Super League | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters[nb 4] | Not Held | Ranking Event | QF | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | A | F | A | F | QF | R | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Cup[nb 14] | Not Held | A | F | QF | W | W | SF | SF | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Masters | 1R | A | A | QF | SF | SF | F | F | QF | W | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Champions v Asia Stars | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | A | A | A | 1R | QF | SF | QF | W | QF | W | Ranking Event | NH | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warsaw Snooker Tour | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Euro-Asia Masters Challenge | Tournament Not Held | A | Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | A | A | Tournament Not Held | SF | F | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Open[nb 13] | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | SF | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Jersey | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Berlin | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Moscow | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Grand Final | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Killarney | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Prague | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Professional Championship | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hainan Classic | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Snooker | Tournament Not Held | A | RR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League[nb 15] | A | A | A | A | RR | SF | W | SF | SF | F | RR | F | A | A | A | F | RR | SF | A | RR | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | W | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanian Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | SF | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Six-red World Championship[nb 16] | Tournament Not Held | A | QF | A | NH | A | 3R | QF | RR | A | A | A | F | Not Held | QF | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) | QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| DQ | disqualified from the tournament | ||||
| NH / Not Held | event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | event is/was a ranking event. | |||
| MR / Minor-Ranking Event | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event. | |||
| PA / Pro-am Event | means an event is/was a pro-am event. | |||
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (4–4) |
| UK Championship (3–2) |
| Other (26–20) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2010 | Ruhr Championship |  Shaun Murphy | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2010 | Prague Classic | Michael Holt | 3–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2011 | Players Tour Championship – Event 5 | Andrew Higginson | 1–4 |
| Winner | 2. | 2012 | Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy | Judd Trump | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2012 | Bulgarian Open | Judd Trump | 0–4 |
| Winner | 3. | 2013 | Bulgarian Open |  Neil Robertson | 4–1 |
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (2–3) |
| Champion of Champions (1–1) |
| Premier League (1–3) |
| Other (17–13) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team/partner | Opponent(s) in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1996 | World Cup | Scotland |  Ireland | 10–7 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1999 | Nations Cup | Scotland |  Wales | 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 2001 | Nations Cup | Scotland | Ireland | 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2015 | World Cup | Scotland |  China B | 1–4 |
| Winner | 3. | 2019 | World Cup(2) | Scotland | China B | 4–0 |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2008 | Scottish Open Snooker Championship | Marcus Campbell | 5–4[205] |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1990 | Scottish Under-16 Championship | Jamie Burnett | 5–2[206] |
| Winner | 2. | 1991 | Scottish Under-18 Championship | Scott Bigham | 5–2[207] |
| Winner | 3. | 1991 | Mita/Sky World Masters – Junior (Under 16) | Mark Williams | 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1991 | British Under-16 Championship | Mark Williams | 0–4[208] |
| Winner | 4. | 1992 | Scottish Under-18 Championship(2) | Scott Bigham | 5–0[209] |
Current number one is marked in italic. |
