Horse Racing, greyhounds and snooker specialist with thirty years experience of writing about sport across multiple platforms. A QPR and Snooker fan
World Championship Format
The World Championship has been played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977.
The top 16 players in the World Rankings automatically play in the tournament at The Crucible and are seeded 1-16. The reigning champion is always the number one seed. The remaining sixteen spots are up for grabs in a qualifying tournament that is played shortly before the main event.
Once the 32 players are known the sixteen qualifiers are drawn at random to play each of the sixteen seeds.
Each of the qualifiers has to win up to four matches to make it to the first round proper at The Crucible. The first three rounds of qualifying matches are played over the best of eleven frames. The final qualifying round, also known as 'Judgement Day', is played over nineteen frames.
OLBG's expert snooker tipsters will have tips on all the matches at The Crucible.
Once the action makes it to The Crucible the number of frames played in each round is as follows:
- Round 1: Best of 19 frames
- Round 2: Best of 25 frames
- Quarter-Finals: Best of 25 frames
- Semi-Finals: Best of 33 frames
- Final: Best of 35 frames
Don't forget that we have a special, extra £200 competition for the World Snooker Championship. Full details can be found below.
World Championship Odds 2025
| World Championship 2025 05 May @ 22:45 - Win Tournament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Judd Trump | 2.25 | |
| Ronnie OSullivan | 3.75 | |
| Zhao Xintong | 6.00 | |
| Mark Williams | 11.00 | |
| Si Jiahui | 51.00 | |
Worlds Tipster Competition
We are running our annual Snooker World Championships tipster competition with a total cash prize fund of £200 and over 13 prizes.
The winner will receive a £50 cash prize, there's £25 for 2nd & 3rd and then £10 for the next ten tipsters.
minimals won the 2024 tipster competition, scooping themselves the £50 top prize, could they possibly win back-to-back competitions?
The competition is FREE TO ENTER, enter your tips in the normal fashion on the make-a-tip menu for the races.
To be in with a chance of landing one of the prizes you must fulfill the following criteria:
- Place 10 or more tips
- 5 or more of those must be profitable
- Each tip must contain 20 or more words
- You must finish with a profit
Then, throughout the tournament, you can visit the tipster competition table to keep track of your progress in the tipster competition.
World Championship Snooker 2025: Draw and Results
The World Snooker Championship 2025 begins at The Crucible on Saturday 19th April:
Round One - Best of nineteen frames (seeds in brackets):
Six seeds lost out in the first round this yearm following on from eight seeds losing in round one last year
Kyren Wilson (1) v Lei Peifan 9-10
Jak Jones (16) v Zhao Xintong 4-10
Neil Robertson (9) v Chris Wakelin 8-10
Mark Allen (8) v Fan Zhengyi 10-6
Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter 10-4
Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu 7-10
Si Jiahui (13) v David Gilbert 10-6
Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston 8-10
John Higgins (3) v Joe O'Connor 10-7
Xiao Guodong (14) v Matt Selt 10-4
Barry Hawkins (11) v Hossein Vafaei 9-10
Mark Williams (6) v Wu Yize 10-8
Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day 10-7
Ding Junhui (10) v Zak Surety 10-7
Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells 10-4
Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong 10-4
Major tournament winners 2024-2025 season
Below is a table of all the tournament winners and runners-up for this season:
| Tournament | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Championship League June/July | Ali Carter | Jackson Page |
| Shanghai Masters | Judd Trump | Shaun Murphy |
| Xian Grand Prix | Kyren Wilson | Judd Trump |
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Judd Trump | Mark Williams |
| English Open | Neil Robertson | Wu Yize |
| British Open | Mark Selby | John Higgins |
| Wuhan Open | Xiao Guodong | Si Jiahui |
| Northern Ireland Open | Kyren Wilson | Judd Trump |
| International Championship | Ding Junhui | Chris Wakelin |
| Champion of Champions | Mark Williams | Xiao Guodong |
| UK Championship | Judd Trump | Barry Hawkins |
| Shoot Out | Tom Ford | Liam Graham |
| Scottish Open | Lei Peifan | Wu Yize |
| Snooker Championship Saudi Arabia | Mark Allen | Luca Brecel |
| Masters | Shaun Murphy | Kyren Wilson |
| German Masters | Kyren Wilson | Barry Hawkins |
| Welsh Open | Mark Selby | Stephen Maguire |
| World Open | John Higgins | Joe O'Connor |
| Players Championship | Kyren Wilson | Judd Trump |
| Tour Championship | John Higgins | Mark Selby |
World Championship 2025: Ten year Crucible form of eight of the top players
| Year | Wilson | Trump | Higgins | Selby | O'Sullivan | Williams | Brecel | Allen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | W | QF | QF | R1 | QF | R1 | R1 | R2 |
| 2023 | R2 | R1 | QF | F | QF | R2 | W | SF |
| 2022 | R2 | F | SF | R2 | W | SF | R1 | R2 |
| 2021 | SF | QF | R2 | W | R2 | QF | LQ | R2 |
| 2020 | F | QF | R2 | SF | W | QF | LQ | R1 |
| 2019 | QF | W | F | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R1 |
| 2018 | QF | QF | F | R1 | R2 | W | R1 | QF |
| 2017 | SF | R1 | F | W | QF | LQ | R1 | R2 |
| 2016 | QF | R2 | QF | W | R2 | QF | LQ | R2 |
| 2015 | QF | SF | R2 | R2 | QF | R1 | LQ | R2 |
2025 World Championship: Season Form, Seeds 1-4
The table below covers the major tournaments played in the 2024-25 season:
| Kyren Wilson (1) | Judd Trump (2) | John Higgins (3) | Mark Selby (4) | |
| Total Season Tournament Wins | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Shanghai Masters | R2 | W | R2 | SF |
| Xian Grand Prix | W | F | R2 | R4 |
| Saudi Arabia Masters | R6 | W | R5 | R5 |
| English Open | R3 | QF | R3 | QF |
| British Open | R4 | QF | F | W |
| Wuhan Open | R3 | SF | R4 | LQ |
| Northern Ireland Open | W | F | R2 | R1 |
| International Championship | QF | R4 | QF | R4 |
| Champion of Champions | QF | QF | DNQ | QF |
| UK Championship | SF | W | R2 | R1 |
| Scottish Open | R2 | DNP | R2 | R2 |
| Snooker Championship Saudi Arabia | QF | QF | DNP | QF |
| Masters | F | SF | R1 | QF |
| German Masters | W | R3 | R2 | R2 |
| Welsh Open | R2 | DNP | QF | W |
| World Open | R3 | R3 | W | R2 |
| World Grand Prix | R2 | SF | QF | QF |
| Players Championship | W | F | SF | QF |
| Tour Championship | QF | QF | W | F |
Key:
DNP = Did not play
DNQ = Did not qualify
LQ = Lost in qualifiers
2025 World Championship: Season Form, Seeds 5-8
The table below covers the major tournaments played in the 2024-25 season:
| Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) | Mark Williams (6) | Luca Brecel (7) | Mark Allen (8) | |
| Total Season Tournament Wins | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shanghai Masters | SF | R2 | R2 | R2 |
| Xian Grand Prix | SF | R4 | DNP | R4 |
| Saudi Arabia Masters | QF | F | R5 | R5 |
| English Open | R1 | R1 | R2 | QF |
| British Open | DNP | LQ | R4 | SF |
| Wuhan Open | DNP | DNP | QF | DNP |
| Northern Ireland Open | DNP | QF | R2 | R2 |
| International Championship | R3 | R4 | LQ | R3 |
| Champion of Champions | R1 | W | R1 | SF |
| UK Championship | R1 | R1 | R1 | SF |
| Scottish Open | DNP | DNP | QF | SF |
| Snooker Championship Saudi Arabia | SF | SF | F | W |
| Masters | DNP | R1 | QF | SF |
| German Masters | DNP | R1 | R2 | R2 |
| Welsh Open | DNP | R2 | SF | R2 |
| World Open | DNP | LQ | DNP | R2 |
| World Grand Prix | DNP | R1 | DNQ | R1 |
| Players Championship | DNQ | QF | DNQ | R1 |
| Tour Championship | DNQ | R1 | DNQ | DNQ |
Key:
DNP = Did not play
DNQ = Did not qualify
LQ = Lost in qualifiers
Last ten winners of the snooker world championship
Top Tip: Fifteen of the last eighteen winners of the World Championship had played in at least one previous World Championship Final.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kyren Wilson | Jak Jones | 18-14 |
| 2023 | Luca Brecel | Mark Selby | 18-15 |
| 2022 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Judd Trump | 18-13 |
| 2021 | Mark Selby | Shaun Murphy | 18-15 |
| 2020 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Kyren Wilson | 18-8 |
| 2019 | Judd Trump | John Higgins | 18-9 |
| 2018 | Mark Williams | John Higgins | 18-16 |
| 2017 | Mark Selby | John Higgins | 18-15 |
| 2016 | Mark Selby | Ding Junhui | 18-14 |
| 2015 | Stuart Bingham | Shaun Murphy | 18-15 |
World Championship wins by players who have played at the Crucible
What score has occured the most in the World Snooker Final?
World Championship highest break at The Crucible in the last 10 years
- 2024 = 142 Jackson Page, Ricky Walden and Mark Williams (Noppon Saengkham made a 147 in qualifying)
- 2023 = 147 Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby
- 2022 = 147 Neil Robertson
- 2021 = 144 Shaun Murphy
- 2020 = 147 John Higgins
- 2019 = 143 John Higgins
- 2018 = 146 John Higgins
- 2017 = 146 Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2016 = 143 Kyren Wilson
- 2015 = 145 Stuart Bingham and Neil Robertson
Sure to be popular in the highest break market will be John Higgins who made the highest break for three of the last six years including a maximum in 2020.
147 breaks at The Crucible
| 1. | Cliff Thorburn | 1980 |
| 2. | Jimmy White | 1992 |
| 3. | Stephen Hendry | 1995 |
| 4. | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 1997 |
| 5. | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 2003 |
| 6. | Mark Williams | 2005 |
| 7. | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 2008 |
| 8. | Ali Carter | 2008 |
| 9. | Stephen Hendry | 2009 |
| 10. | Stephen Hendry | 2012 |
| 11. | John Higgins | 2020 |
| 12. | Neil Robertson | 2022 |
| 13. | Kyren Wilson | 2023 |
| 14. | Mark Selby | 2023 |
| 15. | Mark Allen | 2025 |
One of the most iconic moments in the history of the world championship at The Crucible is when Cliff Thorburn made the first 147 break at the venue. The break began with an outrageous fluke, but the rest of the break was perfection and the elation Thorburn displays when potting the final black is pure theatre.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has made three of the twelve maximum breaks to be achieved at The Crucible, but it is his first 147 in 1997 that stands out as he made the complete clearance in an amazing five minutes and twenty seconds!
The latest 147 break to be made in Sheffield was in 2025 when Mark Allen became the first player to make a maximum in all three Triple Crown events.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has recorded an amazing fifteen 147 breaks in his career to date (seven more than anyone still playing) so the six-time World Champion is likely to be the favourite to record a maximum again this year.
Do you think there will be another maximum break in the World Championships in 2025? If so why not check out our guide to the best bookmakers for snooker odds?
Number of century breaks at The Crucible in the World Snooker Championship in the last ten years
World Championship Snooker 2024: Draw and Results
The World Snooker Championship 2024 begins at The Crucible on Saturday 20th April:
'Judgement Day' Qualifiers: Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Jak Jones, Stuart Bingham, Lyu Haotian, Dominic Dale, Robbie Williams, Ricky Walden, David Gilbert, Pang Junxu, Joe O'Connor, Jamie Jones, Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Ryan Day and Jackson Page.
Former World Champion Neil Robertson will not play at The Crucible for the first time in twenty years after losing out 10-9 to Jamie Jones in the final qualifying round.
Round One - Best of nineteen frames (seeds in brackets):
Luca Brecel (1) v David Gilbert 9-10
Robert Milkins (16) v Pang Junxu 10-9
Ali Carter (9) v Stephen Maguire 7-10
Shaun Murphy (8) v Lyu Haotian 10-5
Mark Selby (5) v Joe O'Connor 6-10
Kyren Wilson (12) v Dominic Dale 10-1
John Higgins (13) v Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) v Robbie Williams 10-6
Judd Trump (3) v Hossein Vafaei 10-5
Tom Ford (14) v Ricky Walden 10-6
Zhang Anda (11) v Jak Jones 4-10
Mark Williams (6) v Si Jiahui 9-10
Ding Junhui (7) v Jack Lisowski 9-10
Gary Wilson (10) v Stuart Bingham 5-10
Barry Hawkins (15) v Ryan Day 9-10
Ronnie O'Sullivan (2) v Jackson Page 10-1
Draw from 2nd round onwards:
World Championship 2023: Results
Round 1 - Best of 19 frames
Seeds in brackets
Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) 10 v Pang Junxu 7
Ding Junhui (16) 6 v Hossein Vafaei 10
Luca Brecel (9) 10 v Ricky Walden 9
Mark Williams (8) 10 v Jimmy Robertson 5
Judd Trump (5) 6 v Anthony McGill 10
Jack Lisowski (12) 10 v Noppon Saengkham 7
Robert Milkins (13) 10 v Joe Perry 9
Shaun Murphy (4) 9 v Si Jiahui 10
Mark Allen (3) 10 v Fan Zhengyi 5
Stuart Bingham (14) 10 v David Gilbert 4
Ali Carter (11) 6 v Jak Jones 10
Neil Robertson (6) 10 v Wu Yize 3
Kyren Wilson (7) 10 v Ryan Day 5
John Higgins (10) 10 v David Grace 3
Gary Wilson (15) 10 v Elliot Slessor 8
Mark Selby (2) 10 v Matthew Selt 8
Remember to check out OLBG's top Snooker tipsters
Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have two snooker obsessed staff members at OLBG in Tipster Competition manager Darren Brett and our Editor-In-Chief Steve Madgwick, working together with Dan Tracey our data man, we are proud to provide this World Snooker Championship Preview and Form article and all major snooker events throughout the year.
Snooker Tips and Content Manager
Snooker Stats on Hand
