# Mark Allen considers retiring after 4-2 loss to Jordan Brown on his return in Belfast

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/snooker/mark-allen-considers-retiring-after-4-2-loss-to-jordan-brown-on-his-return-in)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 20 Oct 2026
Updated: 20 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 21 Oct 2026

> In his first match since missing the black in May's Crucible semi-final, the former world No 1 says something must change before the UK Championship for him to play on.

**Mark Allen says he is considering retirement from snooker after losing 4-2 to Jordan Brown in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast on Tuesday 20 October**, his first match since the World Championship semi-final in May. Asked by [BBC Sport NI](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cmn8w3zl0z4po) whether he was thinking of ending his career, the 40-year-old answered: "Yeah." He said he would not announce anything after a defeat, but that "something needs to change within the next six weeks before the UK Championship" for him to play there.

## The match

Allen won the opening frame at the Waterfront Hall, Brown took the next two, and Allen levelled at 2-2. Brown then made breaks of 53 and 80 to win the last two frames, [the BBC reported](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/ck3r5v7l5xy2o). It was Brown's first win over Allen, a close friend from County Antrim, and he called it "the least satisfying" win of his career. The world No 65 plays Michael Holt in the last 32.

Allen is the **tenth top-16 player** to go out in the first round in Belfast this year, after Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Selby. Our [Northern Ireland Open page](/news/snooker/northern-ireland-open-2026-dates-belfast-venue-and-pakistan-time-as-lisowski) has the draw and session times in Pakistan time, and [O'Sullivan's 4-3 loss to Cheung Ka Wai](/news/snooker/ronnie-osullivan-out-of-northern-ireland-open-beaten-4-3-by-world-no-110-cheung) is here.

## Why he stepped away

Allen had not played since **May**, when he missed a simple black that would have taken him into his first World Championship final, then lost the deciding frame to Wu Yize, who went on to win the title. He has missed every ranking event since; we [counted eight](/news/snooker/mark-allen-has-now-missed-eight-ranking-events-since-the-crucible) by mid-September.

He told TNT Sports he was in a "bad place" and did not "see a future with snooker in it". To the BBC he said the last three months had been "really, really difficult" and that turning up at all was "an achievement". He chose this match, he said, because he did not want that Sheffield semi-final to be his last, and Belfast, where his career began in 2005 and where he won this title in 2021 and 2022, felt like "a more fitting end if I do call it a day".

## A career in numbers

- **12 ranking titles**, including the **2022 UK Championship**
- Former **world No 1**
- Northern Ireland Open champion in **2021 and 2022**
- Professional since **2005**

## What happens next

The UK Championship, one of snooker's three Triple Crown events, is about six weeks away, and that is the deadline Allen set himself. Brown said he hoped his friend would carry on: "I have no doubt he will come back. Snooker is his love."

Every tournament date in Pakistan time is on our [snooker calendar](/news/snooker/snooker-calendar).

## Frequently asked questions

**Is Mark Allen retiring from snooker?**

Not yet. After losing to Jordan Brown on 20 October 2026 he said he has been contemplating retirement and needs things to change in the next six weeks before the UK Championship.

## Sources

- Allen considers retirement after NI Open exit (20 Oct 2026) (BBC Sport): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cmn8w3zl0z4po
- Allen exits NI Open with Brown loss on return (20 Oct 2026) (BBC Sport): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/ck3r5v7l5xy2o

How to cite: "Mark Allen considers retiring after 4-2 loss to Jordan Brown on his return in Belfast", Searchable, 20 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/snooker/mark-allen-considers-retiring-after-4-2-loss-to-jordan-brown-on-his-return-in