Matthew Stevens defeated Stuart Bingham 10-7 to qualify for the 2026 World Snooker Championship, marking his return to the Crucible for the first time since 2022. Bingham, a former champion, failed to secure his place as he ranked 17th in the world.
Matthew Stevens lost to Mark Williams in the 2000 World Snooker Championship final, then was defeated by Shaun Murphy five years later [Getty Images]
Former world snooker champion Stuart Bingham failed to secure his place at the 2026 World Snooker Championship after he lost 10-7 against two-time runner-up Matthew Stevens in the final round of qualifying.
Bingham, 49, won the title in 2015 but is 17th in the world rankings, with only the top 16 qualifying automatically, meaning he had to go through two qualifying rounds.
But 48-year-old Welshman Stevens, who lost in the final in 2000 and 2005, claimed his place in the main tournament at the Crucible for the first time since 2022.
Trailing 5-4, Bingham potted 12 reds and 11 blacks and was on course for a maximum 147, before missing the 12th black off its spot for the break to end at 89.
Stevens won four frames in a row to move one away from victory, but missed a chance to win the match in frame 15, before taking the next for the win.
"I can still play a little bit, which I proved today and I'm really happy," said Stevens, who is 48th in the rankings. "It's nice to be back, I'm nearly 50 and I don't play as much as I used to.
"I was relaxed and Stuart didn't play at his our best, otherwise he would've beaten me."
Iran's Hossein Vafaei qualified for a fifth successive year thanks to a 10-4 win over Gao Yang of China.
"This morning I was not well at all," said Vafaei. "It wasn't a great match, my opponent is hungry and young and he is my practice partner - every day I practise with him and he's such a great talent, but we didn't play that well.
"I'm fighting as well for my country, for my family and I'm trying my best and will give it my all. The Crucible is a fantastic place for snooker and we love to play in front of snooker lovers, especially at the Crucible."
Antoni Kowalski, 22, will be the first player from Poland to play at the finals after he beat Wales' Jamie Jones 10-8.
Kowalski, who would have lost his tour card with defeat, was in tears after the victory.
"I never cry, so that's the perfect explanation of what it means to me," he said. "I'm going to realise one of my biggest dreams and play at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.
"I'm not based in the UK so it is more special, and my girlfriend and my parents will come to the Crucible. At the end of the first session and beginning of the second I was absolutely gone, then I stopped thinking, turned off my brain and just played."
Elsewhere, China's Zhou Yuelong defeated England's Michael Holt 10-4.
The final eight places will be decided on Wednesday. Belgium's Luca Brecel, the 2023 champion, plays 2024 runner-up Jak Jones of Wales in the pick of the matches.
Two-time Crucible finalist Ali Carter is also in action, as is Jack Lisowski, who won his first ranking tournament in October with victory at the Northern Ireland Open.
The first round begins on Saturday, with the final starting on Sunday, 3 May and concluding the next day - with full coverage of the tournament live on the BBC.
The draw will feature the top 16 and 16 qualifiers, and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live at 08:45 BST on Thursday.
Tuesday's results and latest scores (first to 10)
Wednesday's fixtures
Stuart Bingham failed to qualify because he lost 10-7 to Matthew Stevens in the final round of qualifying and is ranked 17th in the world, missing automatic qualification.
Matthew Stevens is a two-time runner-up, having lost in the finals in 2000 and 2005, and he returns to the Crucible for the first time since 2022.
Only the top 16 players automatically qualified for the championship, while those ranked lower, like Bingham, had to go through two qualifying rounds to secure a spot.
The final score of the match was 10-7 in favor of Matthew Stevens.
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