The 2024 World Snooker Championship has arrived with 17 days of top-class sporting action lined up at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield before the latest champion is crowned on Monday 6 May.
Ronnie O’Sullivan enters the tournament on the brink of history, trying to claim a record eighth world title at the Crucible and break the current tie of seven with Stephen Hendry for most World Championships in the modern era.
The 48-year-old has had a sensational season, already winning the UK Championship and Masters, meaning victory in Sheffield would not only give him eight titles from each of snooker’s biggest three events but also see him become just the fourth man – after Hendry, Steve Davis and Mark Williams – to win the three triple crown events in a single season. He is currently the favourite on snooker betting sites to do just that.
But there are plenty of talented challengers looking to knock ’the Rocket’ off his perch. Luca Brecel brilliantly blitzed his way to the title 12 months ago but the Belgian has already been struck down by the ‘Crucible curse’ that has never seen a first-time winner repeat the trick the following year at the legendary theatre.
Aside from O’Sullivan, Judd Trump has been the player of the season with five ranking titles to his name this year and will be desperate to add a second World Championship to his CV, while Kyren Wilson appears to be in top form on the other side of the draw.
Here’s everything you need to know about the World Championship including schedule and results, while you can find predictions and tips for the tournament here:
When is the World Snooker Championship?
The World Snooker Championship begins at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday 20 April and finishes on Monday 6 May. The top 16 players in the world qualified automatically for the event and have been joined by the 16 men who came through qualifying.
How can I watch it?
The entire championship will be live on the BBC, with BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website showing every match across the 17 days. The tournament is also broadcast on Eurosport in the UK. Subscribers can also stream the match online via the Discovery+ app.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
How much is the prize fund?
The World Championship is the richest prize in snooker with players sharing a total prize fund of £2,395,000. The winner will receive £500,000, with the runner-up pocketing £200,000 and the losing semi-finalists netting £100,000 each.
An additional £15,000 is available to the player who compiles the highest break (including the qualifying stage), while two maximums made across any of the three triple crown events this season will be rewarded with a £147,000 bonus.
What is the tournament format?
- First round – best of 19 frames played over two sessions
- Second round and quarter-finals – best of 25 frames played over three sessions
- Semi-finals – best of 33 frames over four sessions.
- Final – best of 35 frames over four sessions
World Snooker Championship results
First round
Tom Ford 10-6 Ricky Walden
Stephen Maguire 10-7 Ali Carter
Judd Trump 10-5 Hossein Vafaei
Jak Jones 10-4 Zhang Anda
David Gilbert 10-9 Luca Brecel
Shaun Murphy 10-5 Lyu Haotian
Joe O’Connor 10-6 Mark Selby
Robert Milkins 10-9 Pang Junxu
Si Jiahui 10-9 Mark Williams
Stuart Bingham 10-5 Gary Wilson
Ryan Day 10-8 Barry Hawkins
Mark Allen 10-6 Robbie Williams
Jack Lisowski 10-9 Ding Junhui
Kyren Wilson 10-1 Dominic Dale
John Higgins 10-6 Jamie Jones
Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-1 Jackson Page
Second round
Judd Trump 13-7 Tom Ford
David Gilbert 13-4 Robert Milkins
Jak Jones 13-9 Si Jiahui
Stephen Maguire 13-9 Shaun Murphy
Kyren Wilson 13-6 Joe O’Connor
Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-7 Ryan Day
JohnHiggins 13-12 Mark Allen
StuartBingham 13-11 Jack Lisowski
Upcoming schedule
Tuesday 30 April – quarter-finals
10am
David Gilbert v Stephen Maguire
Judd Trump v Jak Jones
2.30pm
Kyren Wilson v John Higgins
Stuart Bingham v Ronnie O’Sullivan
7pm
David Gilbert v Stephen Maguire
Judd Trump v Jak Jones
Wednesday 1 May – quarter-finals
10am
Judd Trump v Jak Jones
Kyren Wilson v John Higgins
2.30pm
David Gilbert v Stephen Maguire
Stuart Bingham v Ronnie O’Sullivan
7pm
Kyren Wilson v John Higgins
Stuart Bingham v Ronnie O’Sullivan