World Snooker Championship 2026: Results, schedule and how to watch every match

The 2026 World Snooker Championship has arrived, with the 17-day marathon at the Crucible Theatre set to provide the usual array of sporting drama as the best players on the planet vie to lift the famous trophy.Zhao Xintong heads to Sheffield as defending champion after making history as the first Chinese winner of the tournament 12 months ago and he is the bookies’ favourite to retain his crown, although he will have to break the legendary ‘Crucible Curse’ to do so – with no first-time winner having successfully defended the title. He got off to a decent start by beating Liam Highfield 10-7 in the first round. Plenty of other contenders will fancy their chances of stopping Zhao, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has found some form in recent weeks and begins his quest for a record eighth world title against Crucible debutant He Guoqiang.Four-time winners Mark Selby and John Higgins face former finalists Jak Jones and Ali Carter respectively in round one, while world No 1 Judd Trump has a tough opener against Gary Wilson, 2024 champion Kyren Wilson squares off against teenage wonderkid Stan Moody and a rejuvenated Neil Robertson takes on Pang Junxu.Here’s everything you need to know:How to watch the World Snooker ChampionshipEvery session of every match at the 2026 World Snooker Championship will be live on the BBC, with BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website all utilised for coverage across the 17 days. The tournament is also broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK, with every session shown across their channels and subscribers can also use streaming service HBO Max to watch TNT Sports. World Snooker Championship resultsRound 1Zhao Xintong (1) 10-7 Liam HighfieldMark Allen (14) 10-6 Zhang AndaBarry Hawkins (11) 10-4 Matthew StevensXiao Guodong (9) 10-6 Zhou YuelongMark Williams (6) 10-4 Antoni KowalskiWorld Snooker Championship schedule in full(All times BST)*denotes final sessionMonday 20 AprilFirst round10amDing Junhui (16) 7-2 David Gilbert*Kyren Wilson (3) vs Stan Moody2.30pmJohn Higgins (5) 4-5 Ali Carter*Wu Yize (10) vs Lei Peifan7pmShaun Murphy (8) vs Fan ZhengyiKyren Wilson (3) vs Stan Moody*Tuesday 21 AprilFirst round10amChris Wakelin (13) vs Liam PullenJudd Trump (2) vs Gary Wilson2.30pmRonnie O’Sullivan (12) vs He GuoqiangWu Yize (10) vs Lei Peifan*7pmShaun Murphy (8) vs Fan Zhengyi*Judd Trump (2) vs Gary Wilson*Wednesday 22 AprilFirst round10amChris Wakelin (13) vs Liam Pullen*Mark Selby (7) vs Jak Jones2.30pmRonnie O’Sullivan (12) vs He Guoqiang*Si Jiahui (15) vs Hossein Vafaei7pmNeil Robertson (4) vs Pang JunxuMark Selby (7) vs Jak Jones*Thursday 23 AprilFirst round1pmSi Jiahui (15) vs Hossein Vafaei*7pmNeil Robertson (4) vs Pang Junxu*Second round1pmXiao Guodong vs Shaun Murphy/Fan Zhengyi7pmKyren Wilson/Stan Moody vs Mark AllenFriday 24 AprilSecond round10amXiao Guodong vs Shaun Murphy/Fan ZhengyiBarry Hawkins vs Mark Williams2.30pmZhao Xintong vs Ding Junhui/David GilbertKyren Wilson/Stan Moody v Mark Allen7pmXiao Guodong vs Shaun Murphy/Fan Zhengyi*Barry Hawkins vs Mark WilliamsSaturday 25 AprilSecond round10amChris Wakelin/Liam Pullen vs Neil Robertson/Pang JunxuKyren Wilson/Stan Moody v Mark Allen*2.30pmZhao Xintong vs Ding Junhui/David GilbertSi Jiahui/Hossein Vafaei vs Judd Trump/Gary Wilson7pmJohn Higgins/Ali Carter vs Ronnie O’Sullivan/He GuoqiangBarry Hawkins vs Mark Williams*Sunday 26 AprilSecond round10amZhao Xintong vs Ding Junhui/David Gilbert*Mark Selby /Jak Jones vs Wu Yize/Lei Peifan2.30pmChris Wakelin/Liam Pullen vs Neil Robertson/Pang JunxuSi Jiahui/Hossein Vafaei vs Judd Trump/Gary Wilson7pmJohn Higgins/Ali Carter vs Ronnie O’Sullivan/He GuoqiangMark Selby /Jak Jones vs Wu Yize/Lei PeifanMonday 27 AprilSecond round1pmJohn Higgins/Ali Carter vs Ronnie O’Sullivan/He Guoqiang*Mark Selby /Jak Jones vs Wu Yize/Lei Peifan*7pmChris Wakelin/Liam Pullen vs Neil Robertson/Pang Junxu*Si Jiahui/Hossein Vafaei vs Judd Trump/Gary Wilson*Tuesday 28 AprilQuarter-finals10amQF 1 - session 1QF 3 - session 12.30pmQF 2 - session 1QF 4 - session 17pmQF 1 - session 2QF 3 - session 2Wednesday 29 AprilQuarter-finals10amQF 3 - session 3*QF 2 - session 22.30pmQF 1 - session 3*QF 4 - session 27pmQF 2 - session 3*QF 4 - session 3*Thursday 30 AprilSemi-finals1pmSF 1 - session 17pmSF 2 - session 1Friday 1 MaySemi-finals10amSF 1 - session 22.30pmSF 2 - session 27pmSF 1 - session 3Saturday 2 MaySemi-finals10amSF 2 - session 32.30pmSF 1 - session 4*7pmSF 2 - session 4*Sunday 3 MayFinal1pmSession 17pmSession 2Monday 4 MayFinal1pmSession 37pmSession 4*