'I know I'm probably going to get him again' — Ali Carter on dodging Ronnie at the Crucible
The draw hasn't even happened yet, and Ali Carter is already bracing himself
There's a particular kind of dread that only comes with familiarity. Not fear, exactly — more the weary recognition of a pattern you've seen play out too many times to pretend otherwise. For Ali Carter, that pattern has a name, a shaved head, and four world titles to his name. "I don't really want to play Ronnie to be honest with you," Carter said with a grin after securing his place in the 2026 World Snooker Championship draw. Then came the punchline, delivered with the resigned self-awareness of a man who knows how these things tend to go: "I know I'm probably going to get him again."
It's hard to argue with the logic. Carter has made 21 previous appearances at the Crucible Theatre, and in six of them he has ended up across the baize from Ronnie O'Sullivan. That's a collision rate that defies comfortable coincidence. The two have met in two World Championship finals — 2008 and 2012, both won by O'Sullivan — as well as across a string of other rounds that have collectively shaped Carter's Sheffield story more than almost any other fixture in his career. Last year's first-round encounter was perhaps the least dramatic of the lot: O'Sullivan won 10-4, and it wasn't particularly close. The one time Carter did come out on top in Sheffield was their 2018 clash, a match remembered as much for a shoulder-barge incident in the corridor as for the snooker itself. That flashpoint sent shockwaves through the sport, dominated the back pages, and briefly threatened to overshadow what was already a combustible rivalry.
Old rivals, new perspective
Time, it seems, has done its softening work. Carter was quick to make clear that whatever tension once crackled between them has long since dissipated. "There is no animosity there now between Ronnie and I," he said. "We've both grown up a bit now." It's a telling admission — not just about their relationship, but about Carter himself, a player whose career has been shaped as much by resilience as by raw talent. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer twice, the second time in 2013, and has spoken candidly over the years about how close he came to stepping away from the sport altogether. "I'm probably lucky to even be here talking to you, let alone playing snooker," he admitted when reflecting on his 23-year journey as a Crucible regular.
That journey began in 2003, when a then 24-year-old Carter made his debut at the most famous venue in snooker. In the years since, he has missed out on qualifying only twice — a remarkable record of consistency for a player now approaching his 47th birthday. He has reached the semi-finals once and made three further quarter-final appearances, which means that for all the times the draw has handed him an uncomfortable opener, Carter has given himself every opportunity to go deep into the tournament. Sheffield suits him, and he knows it. Whether the format, the table conditions, or simply the weight of occasion brings out something extra, The Captain — a nickname earned through steadiness under pressure — tends to show up when it matters.
Still competing, still qualifying
This season has offered further proof that Carter is no also-ran making up the numbers. He reached the final of the Shanghai Masters and the semi-finals of the German Masters, results that speak to a player whose game remains sharp even if the very top of the rankings sits beyond his current reach. He emerged from the English Institute of Sport qualifiers with wins over Julien Leclercq and Anthony McGill to book his place in the last 32, and did so without fuss or drama — which is, increasingly, the Carter way.
When asked whether the 22-year-old version of himself, arriving at the Crucible for the first time back in 2003, could ever have imagined still qualifying for World Championships in 2026, Carter paused before offering a grin. "Probably not. Especially because it has been a bit of a roller coaster along the way." He reached for a characteristically dry comparison: "I'm not quite the Class of '92, but I'm the Class of '97 perhaps."
As for what he wants from the draw itself, Carter is refreshingly undemanding — with one notable exception. A match on Monday or Tuesday in the first week would be ideal, he says. And if the ballot could just see its way to keeping one particular five-time world champion on the other side of the bracket, well, that would be grand too. The Crucible has other ideas, in all likelihood. It usually does.
