Higgins, a four-time world champion, came from 5-4 down in the first session to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-7 in the final in 2016.
With the likes of defending champion Higgins, UK Championship winner Mark Selby and Masters champion O’Sullivan already among those who have earned an invite, the tournament is set to build on its status as one of the season’s must-see events.
The Champion of Champions marks its fifth year in 2017 and pits tournament winners from the previous 12 months head to head for the prestigious title and the £100,000 winner’s prize.
The action gets underway on Monday, November 6.
The tournament starts with a quartet of four-man groups, with one group played out on each of the first four days. The draw and fixtures for the group stage will be announced in the autumn.
The four group winners proceed to the semi-finals, one of which is played on the evening of Friday, November 10 with the second on Saturday evening.
The final will place over 19 frames and two sessions on Sunday, November 12.
Tickets go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, March 22 at www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk, with an early bird offer pricing tickets at as little as £7.50.
Qualifying events take order of precedence with the defending champion and ‘triple crown’ winners at the top of the list, followed by the major ranking events on the World Snooker Tour.
The four Home Nations tournaments are next on the list, followed by the World Championship runner-up, the remaining ranking events on the World Snooker Tour, the World Cup winning duo, and the 6 Reds World champion.
