The 2026 World Snooker Championship runs from April 18 to May 4 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, with Zhao Xintong facing Liam Highfield in the opening match. Viewers can watch the entire tournament live on the BBC.
Key points
2026 World Snooker Championship dates: April 18 to May 4
Location: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Zhao Xintong vs. Liam Highfield in the opening match
Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights
The 2026 World Snooker Championship takes place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from 18 April to 4 May - and you can watch every shot of the tournament live on the BBC.
Zhao Xintong, who became the first champion from China by beating Mark Williams in last year's final, will get the 17-day tournament under way against qualifier Liam Highfield at 10:00 BST on Saturday.
Zhao is one of a record 11 players from China in the field of 32, beating the previous high of 10 from last year.
Ronnie O'Sullivan hopes to win a record eighth world title at the age of 50 - 25 years after claiming his first - to finally move clear of Stephen Hendry as the championship's most successful player.
World number one Judd Trump will aim to lift the trophy for the second time, while other contenders include four-time champions Mark Selby and John Higgins, three-time winner Mark Williams and 2024 champion Kyren Wilson.
There are four debutants including England's Stan Moody, 19, and Liam Pullen, 20.
This year is the 50th championship to be held at the Crucible since the tournament moved to Sheffield in 1977.
The two-day final starts on 3 May, with the winner taking home £500,000.
He will need to win 71 frames over four matches to lift the trophy.
Who are the 16 seeds?
The world's top 16 at the end of the Tour Championship on 5 April were guaranteed a seeded place at the Crucible.
As defending champion, Zhao has the honour of being top seed and as per tradition plays his first-round match in the opening session.
He starts his campaign against debutant He Guoqiang on Tuesday afternoon, with the best-of-19 match finishing the following day.
Should O'Sullivan win and other matches go according to seedings, he would face John Higgins in a second-round match starting at 19:00 BST on Saturday, 25 April, Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals and reigning champion Zhao in the semi-finals.
The Rocket lost 17-7 with a session to spare to Zhao in the semi-finals last year.
Who are the 16 Crucible qualifiers?
Moody and Liam Pullen will both make their debuts as two of the 16 players to come through the qualifying tournament at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Moody, who will become the first British teenager to make his Crucible debut since a 17-year-old Trump in 2007, faces 2024 champion Wilson in the first round, while Pullen plays 13th seed Chris Wakelin.
China's He is another debutant, while Antoni Kowalski, 22, will become the first player from Poland to play at the Crucible.
Two-time beaten finalists Matthew Stevens and Ali Carter both qualified, as has 2024 finalist Jak Jones, 2019 semi-finalist Gary Wilson and Iran's Hossein Vafaei.
However, Luca Brecel was among the players who failed to make the cut.
The qualifiers will take hope from the success of Zhao last year, who won four qualifying matches to reach the Crucible then went on to become only the third qualifier to win the world title.
Zhao was also one of six qualifiers to beat seeded players in 2025's opening round.
How to follow on the BBC
With comprehensive television coverage across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, and uninterrupted streaming on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, audiences won't miss a moment from the first break to the final frame.
Legends of the game Hendry, Steve Davis, John Parrott, Ken Doherty and Dennis Taylor will offer their expert analysis throughout the tournament.
The BBC Sport website and app will provide daily coverage via live streams and live text pages, including updates and analysis from our reporters at the Crucible.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will have regular live updates throughout the Championship.
BBC Sport social media channels will deliver behind-the-scenes content as well as highlight clips from the tournament and player interviews.
All times BST and subject to late changes, while session times could finish earlier or later than listed below. *denotes final session
First round (best of 19 frames)
Saturday, 18 April
10:00
Zhao Xintong (1) v Liam Highfield
Mark Allen (14) v Zhang Anda
14:30
Xiao Guodong (9) v Zhou Yuelong
Mark Williams (6) v Antoni Kowalski
19:00
Zhao Xintong (1) v Liam Highfield *
Barry Hawkins (11) v Matthew Stevens
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:00 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-15:20 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:15-02:15 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Sunday, 19 April
10:00
Ding Junhui (16) v David Gilbert
Mark Allen (14) v Zhang Anda *
14:30
John Higgins (5) v Ali Carter
Barry Hawkins (11) v Matthew Stevens *
19:00
Xiao Guodong (9) v Zhou Yuelong *
Mark Williams (6) v Antoni Kowalski *
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:00 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Monday, 20 April
10:00
Ding Junhui (16) v David Gilbert *
Kyren Wilson (3) v Stan Moody
14:30
John Higgins (5) v Ali Carter *
Wu Yize (10) v Lei Peifan
19:00
Shaun Murphy (8) v Fan Zhengyi
Kyren Wilson (3) v Stan Moody *
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:15 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Tuesday, 21 April
10:00
Chris Wakelin (13) v Liam Pullen
Judd Trump (2) v Gary Wilson
14:30
Ronnie O'Sullivan (12) v He Guoqiang
Wu Yize (10) v Lei Peifan *
19:00
Shaun Murphy (8) v Fan Zhengyi *
Judd Trump (2) v Gary Wilson *
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:15 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Wednesday, 22 April
10:00
Chris Wakelin (13) v Liam Pullen *
Mark Selby (7) v Jak Jones
14:30
Ronnie O'Sullivan (12) v He Guoqiang *
Si Jiahui (15) v Hossein Vafaei
19:00
Neil Robertson (4) v Pang Junxu
Mark Selby (7) v Jak Jones *
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-11:15 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Thursday, 23 April
13:00
Si Jiahui (15) v Hossein Vafaei *
19:00
Neil Robertson (4) v Pang Junxu *
Live coverage
13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
13:00-17:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
Second round (best of 25 frames)
Thursday, 23 April
Live coverage
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Friday, 24 April
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:00 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Saturday, 25 April
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:05 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:00-16:30 - BBC One
16:30-17:15 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:10-03:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Sunday, 26 April
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:30 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
15:00-18:00 - BBC Two
16:35-18:00 - Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
23:55-01:55 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Monday, 27 April
Live coverage
13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
15:00-17:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Quarter-finals (best of 25 frames)
Tuesday, 28 April
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:15 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Wednesday, 29 April
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-11:15 - BBC Two
10:00-14:00 - Red Button
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two & Red Button
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Semi-finals (best of 33 frames)
Thursday, 30 April
Live coverage
13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
13:00-16:00 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two
Highlights
00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two
Friday, 1 May
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:00 - BBC Two
14:15-18:00 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two
Saturday, 2 May
Live coverage
10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
10:00-12:30 - BBC Two
14:00-16:30 - BBC One
16:30-17:30 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two
Final (best of 35 frames)
Sunday, 3 May
Live coverage
13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
13:00-16:00 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two
Monday, 4 May
13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app
13:00-16:00 - BBC Two
19:00-22:00 - BBC Two
How much is the Crucible prize money?
The winner receives £500,000 and there was a total prize fund of almost £2.4m.
Northern Ireland's Mark Allen made a 147 break in the 13th frame of his second-round match against Chris Wakelin.
He became only the 11th player to make a 147 at the Crucible. The maximum was the 15th at the venue in the tournament's history and the first since Selby's clearance in the 2023 final.
Allen, who was 10-2 behind in the match at the time, went on to lose 13-6 to qualifier Wakelin.
