The Antrim man faces close friend Jordan Brown in round one of the Northern Ireland Open, having taken time out to deal with personal issues

Mark Allen was given a hero's welcome at the Waterfront Hall as he made his return to the snooker tour, following a 231-day absence.

The Antrim man faces close friend Jordan Brown in round one of the Northern Ireland Open, having taken time out to deal with personal issues.

Allen, who has won 12 ranking titles, 5 minor-ranking titles, 6 non-ranking titles, and 2 Triple Crown titles, has twice claimed the Northern Ireland Open title.

The 40-year-old Northern Irishman took a step back from the sport following a heartbreaking 17–16 defeat to Wu Yize in the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship in May 2026.

"You don't deserve to be in a world final if you are missing a ball like that, it's just pure pressure," said Allen right after the match. "I had two or three good chances to close out the match but didn't do it.

"Even though I'm devastated to lose that match, I think the right person is in the world final. I wished him good luck, said he played very well. I think he's going to be a world champion."

During his months away, he withdrew from a total of eight major tournaments, missing the entire early leg of the 2026/27 campaign. His high-profile absences included the Shanghai Masters, the English Open, the British Open, and the Shenzhen Open.

The Northern Ireland Open has seen a series of shock so far, with only one of the top 16 seeds winning their opening round games so far, with the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Selby all crashing out.

Bookmakers have Allen as 8/1 fourth favourite, with Zhao Zintong 3/1 favourite.