 | |
| Part of the snookerTriple Crown | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 April – 4 May 2026 (2026-04-18 –2026-05-04) |
| Venue | Crucible Theatre |
| City | Sheffield |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | World Snooker Tour |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Defending champion |  Zhao Xintong (CHN) |
←2025 | |
The2026 World Snooker Championship (officially the2026 Halo World Snooker Championship)[1] is an upcoming professionalsnooker tournament that will take place from 18 April to 4 May 2026 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England, the 50th consecutive year that theWorld Snooker Championship will be staged at the venue. Organised by theWorld Snooker Tour, the tournament will be the 18th and finalranking event of the2025–26 snooker season.
The top 16 players from thesnooker world rankings—as they stand after the2026 Tour Championship—will be seeded through to the main stage at the Crucible. They will be joined by the 16 successful players from the qualifying rounds, which will take place from 6 to 15 April at theEnglish Institute of Sport in Sheffield, featuring 128 professional and invited amateur competitors.
Zhao Xintong will be the defending champion, having defeatedMark Williams 18–12 in the2025 final to win his maiden world title.[2] Zhao will be the 21st player to face the so-calledCrucible curse, referring to the fact that no first-time champion has retained the title since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977.[3]
The inaugural1927 World Snooker Championship, then known as the Professional Championship of Snooker, took place at various venues in England between November 1926 and May 1927.Joe Davis won the final—held atCamkin's Hall inBirmingham from 9 to 12 May 1927—and went on to win the tournament 15 consecutive times before retiring undefeated after the1946 edition (no tournaments were held from 1941 to 1945 because ofWorld War II).[4][5][6] The tournament went into abeyance after only two players contested the1952 edition, due to a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and theBilliards Association and Control Council (BACC). The PBPA established an alternative tournament, theWorld ProfessionalMatch-play Championship, of which the six editions held between 1952 and 1957 are retroactively regarded as legitimate continuations of the World Snooker Championship. However, due to waning public interest in snooker during thepost-war era, that tournament was also discontinued, and the world title was uncontested between 1958 and 1963.[4][5]
Then-professional playerRex Williams was instrumental in reviving the World Snooker Championship on a challenge basis in 1964.John Pulman, winner of the1957 World ProfessionalMatch-play Championship, defended the world title across sevenchallenge matches between 1964 and 1968. The World Snooker Championship reverted to an annual knockout tournament for the1969 edition, marking the beginning of the championship's "modern era".[7][8] The1977 edition was the first staged at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, where it has remained since.[9][10] The most successful players in the modern era areStephen Hendry andRonnie O'Sullivan, each having won the title seven times.[11] Hendry is the tournament's youngest winner, having captured his first title at the1990 event, aged 21 years and 106 days.[12] O'Sullivan became the oldest winner when he secured his seventh title at the2022 event, aged 46 years and 148 days.[13] O'Sullivan, who made his 33rd consecutive appearance at the2025 event, has featured at the Crucible more times than any other player.[14][15]
Zhao Xintong will be the defending champion, having defeatedMark Williams 18–12 in the2025 final to win his first world title.[16]
The main stage of the tournament will take place from 18 April to 4 May at the Crucible Theatre.[17][18] The qualifying rounds will take place from 6 to 15 April at theEnglish Institute of Sport in Sheffield.[19]
| Early events | |
|---|---|
| Match-play | |
| Challenges | |
| Knock-outs | |
| Crucible era | |
| Related articles | |
