Ronnie O’Sullivan has announced plans to leave the UK and relocate to the Middle East, while also casting doubt on his future in snooker. 

The seven-time world champion hinted at a future return in a shock revelation in which he said he needs to ‘figure out’ what ‘my future holds’. 

It comes in the wake of his 17-7 defeat by Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-finals in Sheffield in his first tournament since he made headlines for snapping his cue in anger earlier this year. 

O’Sullivan looked to have regained his form as he progressed to the final four with wins over Ali Carter, Pang Junxu and Si Jiahui but hopes of a record eighth crown at the Crucible were dashed on Friday. 

‘I think I am going to be moving out of the UK this year,’ he told the BBC. ‘I’ll be moving away to the Middle East. We’ll see how it goes – I might be back in six months.

‘A new life somewhere else. I don’t know how that is going to pan out. I will still try to play snooker but I don’t know what the future looks like for me really.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has announced that he is leaving the UK to live in the Middle East, while also casting doubt on his future in snooker 

The 49-year-old crashed out of the World Championship at the semi-final stage on Friday

The seven-time world champion opened a snooker academy in Saudi Arabia last October

Located in Boulevard City, in the heart of Riyadh, the state-of-the-art facility serves as a premier training base for players to hone their skills

‘It is a big part of my life but I have to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it’s playing or not.’

Last year, O’Sullivan signed a three-year ambassadorial deal with Riyadh Season before unveiling his own snooker academy in October. 

Located in Boulevard City, in the heart of Riyadh, the state-of-the-art facility serves as a premier training base for players to hone their skills under top-tier conditions. 

The academy features five snooker tables made by Star Xingpai, the world’s leading table manufacturer and a long-time partner of World Snooker Tour (WST). 

Speaking about the academy, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, said: ‘Snooker is an exciting part of our vision for Riyadh Season and that is why we are proud to partner with Ronnie O’Sullivan, one of the most successful ever in this sport.

‘It will give all aspiring players in Saudi Arabia access to an elite facility to learn and develop under world-class, experienced coaches, as well as Ronnie, as we look to continue to build on the growing interest in snooker.’

Having taken time away from the game, O’Sullivan received a big reception from the Crucible crowd throughout the tournament, but the 49-year-old hinted that his below-par performances had led to him finding it difficult to enjoy his run to the semi-finals.

On his desire to play, O’Sullivan said: ‘I’d like it to be [there], I’d just like to play alright and I just felt like I never gave him a game so that’s a bit disappointing.’

O’Sullivan remains level on seven world titles with Stephen Hendry. He last won the tournament in 2022 and was hoping to move past the Scottish great this year.

But he rarely looked comfortable in Sheffield as he changed his cue and fiddled with the tip during matches.