The best players in world snooker are back at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, United Kingdom, for the 2026 World Snooker Championships.
Zhao Xintong enters the tournament as the reigning champion having come through qualifying last year to go on to beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.
There’s plenty of the biggest names in the sport taking to the table over the next few days, including seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan aiming for a record-breaking eighth title.
As snooker’s biggest global event continues, The Sporting News has all your scheduling, TV and streaming details covered from the 2026 World Snooker Championships.
2026 World Snooker Championships TV channel, live stream
- TV Channel: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, TNT Sports
- Live stream: BBC iPlayer, HBO Max
The World Snooker Championship is also the jewel in the crown for broadcasters as the sport’s most prestigious and must-see event, and as such the BBC in the UK are providing plenty of coverage in 2026. They will be showing matches across multiple channels (Two, Four, and the Red Button), as well as on BBC iPlayer.
For snooker fans who want to live stream the action from The Crucible over the next few days, HBO Max is the place to go. They’ve got full access to every single frame, as well as build-up and post-match analysis both live and on catch-up, allowing subscribers to tune into the action via TNT Sports.
2026 World Snooker Championships schedule, results
The 2026 World Snooker Championships is a 17-day long event which began on Saturday, April 18.
With 32 players competing at the World Snooker Championships two matches will take place per session during the first round. The second round will commence on Thursday, April 23, followed by the quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 28, and the semifinals on Thursday, April 30.
The final will take place across two days with the first half being played on Sunday, May 3, before culminating on Monday, May 4 crowning this year’s champion.
Final
| Match Start Date | Match |
|---|---|
| May 3 | TBC vs. TBC |
Semifinals
| Match Start Date | Match |
|---|---|
| April 30 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 30 | TBC vs. TBC |
Quarterfinals
| Match Start Date | Match |
|---|---|
| April 28 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 28 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 28 | TBC vs. TBC |
Round of 16
| Match Start Date | Match |
|---|---|
| April 26 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 26 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 26 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 25 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 25 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 24 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 24 | TBC vs. TBC |
| April 24 | TBC vs. TBC |
Round of 32
| Match Start Date | Match result |
|---|---|
| April 22 | Mark Selby vs. Jak Jones |
| April 22 | Neil Robertson vs. Pang Junxu |
| April 22 | Si Jiahui vs. Hossein Vafaei |
| April 21 | Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. He Guoqiang |
| April 21 | Judd Trump 10-5 Gary Wilson |
| April 21 | Chris Wakelin vs. Liam Pullen |
| April 20 | Shaun Murphy 10-9 Fan Zhengyi |
| April 20 | Wu Yize 10-2 Lei Peifan |
| April 20 | Kyren Wilson 10-7 Stan Moody |
| April 19 | John Higgins 10-7 Ali Carter |
| April 19 | Ding Junhui 10-5 David Gilbert |
| April 18 | Mark Williams 10-4 Antoni Kowalski |
| April 18 | Xiao Guodong 10-6 Zhou Yuelong |
| April 18 | Barry Hawkins 10-4 Matthew Stevens |
| April 18 | Mark Allen 10-6 Zhang Anda |
| April 18 | Zhao Xintong 10-7 Liam Highfield |
2026 World Snooker Championships prize money
As was the case last year, the total prize fund for the 2026 World Snooker Championship is £2,395,000 across 32 competitors. The winner of the competition will receive £500,000, with the runner-up receiving £200,000.
Every player competing at this year’s World Snooker Championship is in line to receive at least £20,000, with the individual who records the highest break in the tournament to see their overall winnings topped up with another £15,000.
- Winner – £500,000
- Runner-up – £200,000
- Semifinalists – £100,000
- Quarterfinalists – £50,000
- Last 16 (Round 2) – £30,000
- Last 32 (Round 1)- £20,000
- Highest Break – £15,000
