World Snooker Championship facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
World Snooker Championship

Tournament information
Venue	Crucible Theatre
Location	Sheffield
Country	England
Established	1927
Organisation(s)	World Snooker Tour
Format	Ranking event
Total prize fund	£2,395,000
Recent edition	2026
Current champion(s)	Wu Yize (CHN)

The World Snooker Championship is the most important and famous tournament in professional snooker. It's also the richest, offering a total prize of £2,395,000, with £500,000 going to the winner. This championship first took place in 1927. Today, it's one of three major tournaments that make up snooker's special "Triple Crown Series", alongside the UK Championship and the Masters. The current world champion is Wu Yize.

History of the Snooker World Championship

Early Years and Joe Davis's Dominance

Joe Davis was the first big star of snooker. He won the first 15 world championships. He retired undefeated after his final victory in 1946. The beautiful World Championship trophy, nicknamed the Silver Lady, was bought by Davis in 1926. No tournaments were held during World War II (1941-1945). There was also a break from 1952 to 1963 due to a disagreement between player groups. The official championship returned in 1964. It changed to a knockout style in 1969. This is seen as the start of snooker's modern era.

Since 1977, the championship has been held every year at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Each year, 32 players compete at the Crucible. The top 16 players in the world rankings automatically get a spot. Another 16 players earn their places through a special qualifying tournament. Only four qualifiers have ever won the tournament: Alex Higgins (1972), Terry Griffiths (1979), Shaun Murphy (2005), and Zhao Xintong (2025).

Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan share the record for the most world titles in the modern era. Each has won seven times. Other great champions include Ray Reardon and Steve Davis with six titles. John Higgins and Mark Selby have four titles. John Spencer and Mark Williams have three. As of 2026, 30 different players have won the championship.

Players have achieved a perfect score, called a maximum break, fifteen times. Cliff Thorburn made the first one in 1983. Mark Allen made the most recent in 2025. In 2022, a record 109 century breaks (scores of 100 or more in one turn) were made at the Crucible.

Professional Snooker Championship (1927–1934)

The first championship in 1927 was called the Professional Snooker Championship. Ten professional players entered. These included many top English billiards players. Matches were played over many frames. The first match was in London. The final between Joe Davis and Tom Dennis was in Birmingham. Davis won 20–11. The highest score in one turn (break) was 60. This was made by Albert Cope.

The 1928 Championship allowed players to challenge Davis in the final. Fred Lawrence reached the final but lost to Davis. This challenge system was removed in 1929. Davis continued to win, often against Tom Dennis. In 1930, Davis made a new record break of 79. By 1931, only two players entered, showing how dominant Davis was. He won his fifth title against Dennis.

In 1932, Clark McConachy played Davis in the final. Davis won and set a new record with a break of 99. In 1933, Willie Smith lost to Davis in the final. In 1934, Davis beat Tom Newman to win his eighth title.

Thurston's Hall Era (1935–1940)

The 1935 Championship brought big changes. It was the first to use "world" in its name. All matches were played at one venue, Thurston's Hall in London. This helped players earn more money from ticket sales. All frames were played, even if a winner was already decided.

In 1935, Joe Davis beat Willie Smith in the final. Davis also made the first century break (110) in the championship's history. The 1935 success led to more players entering in 1936. Davis won again, beating Horace Lindrum in a close final.

In 1937, a qualifying round was introduced. Fred Davis, Joe's younger brother, lost in qualifying. Joe Davis beat Lindrum in the final, making a 103 break during the live match. Lindrum did not enter in 1938. Joe Davis won again, beating Sidney Smith. Davis beat Smith again in 1939.

The 1940 Championship featured the Davis brothers, Joe and Fred, meeting in the final. Joe won a very close match. Sadly, Thurston's Hall was destroyed later that year during The Blitz (World War II bombings). No tournaments were held for the rest of the war.

Post-War and Challenge Eras (1946–1968)

The championship returned in 1946. Joe Davis played Horace Lindrum in the final. Davis won, setting new championship records with breaks of 133 and 136. This event was a big financial success for the players.

In October 1946, Joe Davis announced he would no longer play in the World Championship. He had won every championship since 1927. His brother, Fred Davis, and Walter Donaldson became the new stars. They met in the finals from 1947 to 1951, with both players winning titles.

In 1952, a disagreement between player groups led to many players not entering the official championship. Only two players, Lindrum and McConachy, competed. Lindrum won the title. Because of the disagreement, many players created their own championship. Fred Davis and Walter Donaldson often met in these finals. In 1957, John Pulman won his first world title.

The official championship returned in 1964 with a "challenge" format. This meant the champion would play challengers. John Pulman was the champion during this time. He successfully defended his title against players like Fred Davis and Rex Williams. In 1965, Rex Williams made a new championship record break of 142. Pulman continued to win challenge matches until 1968.

Modern Era Knockout Tournaments (1969–1976)

In 1969, the championship changed back to a knockout tournament. This is considered the start of the "modern era" of snooker. John Spencer won the first modern-era title. In 1970, Ray Reardon won his first title.

The 1972 championship saw the rise of Alex Higgins. He won the title on his first try. He became the youngest world champion at the time. The 1973 Championship changed to a two-week event at a single venue. Ray Reardon won his second title. He continued his success, winning in 1974 and 1975. The 1975 final was very exciting, with Reardon winning the deciding frame. Reardon won his fourth title in 1976. This was also the first year the championship had a sponsor.

The Crucible Theatre Era Begins (1977–1980)

In 1977, the championship moved to its famous home, the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. This is where it has been held ever since. The 1977 championship featured sixteen competitors. John Spencer beat Canadian Cliff Thorburn in a very close final.

The World Snooker Championship trophy in front of the Crucible Theatre

In 1978, Ray Reardon won his sixth world title. He became the oldest World Champion at 45 years old. This record stood for many years. The 1979 championship was won by Terry Griffiths. He had only recently become a professional player. He won the record first prize of £10,000.

The 1980 championship expanded to 24 players. Cliff Thorburn met Alex Higgins in the final. Thorburn won the championship in a thrilling match.

Steve Davis Dominates the 1980s

Steve Davis became the dominant player in the 1980s. In 1981, he won his first world title at 23 years old. He was the second-youngest champion.

The 1982 championship was extended to 32 players. There was a surprise when Tony Knowles beat defending champion Steve Davis. Alex Higgins won his second world title in a dramatic final against Ray Reardon.

Cliff Thorburn made the first maximum break of the World Championship in 1983. This was a huge achievement. However, he was tired from long matches and lost the final to Steve Davis. Davis won again in 1984, beating Jimmy White in his first final.

The 1985 final, known as the "black ball final", was one of the most famous matches ever. Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18–17 on the very last ball of the final frame. Millions watched this exciting finish. In 1986, Joe Johnson surprisingly beat Steve Davis in the final. However, Davis got his revenge in 1987, winning his fourth title against Johnson.

Steve Davis and Terry Griffiths met in the 1988 final. Davis won 18–11. Davis made his seventh successive final in 1989. He beat John Parrott 18–3. This was the biggest winning margin in a World Championship final. Davis won £105,000 for his 1989 victory, a new record.

Stephen Hendry's Era of Success (1990–1999)

In 1990, Steve Davis failed to reach the final for the first time since 1982. Stephen Hendry beat Jimmy White 18–12. He became the youngest ever world champion at just 21 years old.

In 1991, John Parrott won the title, beating Jimmy White in the final. In 1992, Jimmy White made the second maximum break in the World Championship. Stephen Hendry then beat White in the final, winning ten frames in a row.

In 1993, James Wattana became the first Asian player to reach the semi-finals. Stephen Hendry beat Jimmy White again in the final. The total prize money for the tournament reached £1,000,000 for the first time.

Jimmy White reached his sixth final in 1994, playing Stephen Hendry for the fourth time. It was a very close match that went down to the final frame. White missed a crucial black ball. Hendry then made a break of 58 to clinch the title.

In 1995, Hendry made a maximum break in his semi-final match against Jimmy White. He then won the final against Nigel Bond. Hendry made a record twelve century breaks during this tournament.

Stephen Hendry won his fifth title in a row in 1996, beating Peter Ebdon in the final. This was a new record for consecutive wins.

In 1997, Ronnie O'Sullivan made the fastest maximum break in snooker history. It took just five minutes and eight seconds! The final was between Stephen Hendry and Irishman Ken Doherty. Doherty won, ending Hendry's amazing winning streak.

In 1998, John Higgins won his first world title. He beat Ken Doherty in the final. Higgins made a record fourteen centuries in the tournament.

Stephen Hendry won his seventh and final world title in 1999. He beat Mark Williams 18–11. This record for most modern-era titles was later equalled by Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The "Class of '92" Takes Over (2000–2013)

The period from 2000 to 2013 was largely dominated by three players. They were all born in 1975 and became professionals in 1992. They are known as the "Class of '92": Ronnie O'Sullivan (five wins), John Higgins (three wins), and Mark Williams (two wins).

In 2000, Mark Williams won his first world title. He beat fellow Welshman Matthew Stevens. This was the first time two Welsh players met in the final.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his first world championship in 2001, defeating John Higgins in the final.

In 2002, Peter Ebdon won a thrilling final against Stephen Hendry. It went down to the very last frame. Hendry made a record sixteen centuries in the tournament.

Mark Williams won his second World title in 2003. Prize money peaked, with the winner receiving a record £270,000. Ronnie O'Sullivan made his second maximum break in the World Championship that year.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his second world title in 2004, beating Graeme Dott in the final.

Shaun Murphy won the 2005 championship. He was only the second qualifier to win the World Championship. He was also the lowest-ranked player ever to win.

Graeme Dott beat Peter Ebdon in the 2006 final. The match finished very late at night. This was the first Championship sponsored by a betting company.

John Higgins won his third world title in 2007. He beat qualifier Mark Selby in the final. This match also finished very late.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his third world title in 2008. He beat Ali Carter in the final. Both O'Sullivan and Carter made maximum breaks earlier in the tournament. This was a first for the World Championship.

John Higgins won his third world title in 2009. He beat Shaun Murphy 18–9. Michaela Tabb became the first woman to referee a World Championship final.

The 2010 Championship was won by Neil Robertson. He beat qualifier Graeme Dott. Robertson became the fourth non-U.K. winner of the title.

John Higgins won his fourth world title in 2011. He beat Judd Trump in the final. 21-year-old Trump became the youngest finalist since Stephen Hendry in 1990.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his fourth world title in 2012. He defeated Ali Carter in the final. Stephen Hendry made his third maximum break at the Crucible. He then announced his retirement from professional snooker.

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan retained the title in 2013. He had played only one competitive match all season. He defeated Barry Hawkins to win his fifth title. He broke Hendry's record of 127 career Crucible centuries.

Mark Selby and Veteran Champions (2014–2022)

Mark Selby won the world title in 2014. He beat defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. Selby won a record £300,000 for his victory.

Selby lost in the second round of the 2015 Championship. Stuart Bingham won the title. He defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, and Shaun Murphy. At 38, Bingham became the oldest player to win the title since Ray Reardon in 1978. The tournament set a new record for most century breaks, with 86.

Defending champion Stuart Bingham lost in the first round of the 2016 Championship. Mark Selby defeated Ding Junhui to claim his second world title. Ding was the first Asian player to reach a World Championship final.

Prize money for the 2017 Championship was a record £1,750,000. The winner received £375,000. Mark Selby beat John Higgins in the final. He became champion for the third time in four years.

In 2018, two "class of '92" players, Mark Williams and John Higgins, met in the final. Williams won 18–16. He won his first World Championship since 2003.

Higgins reached the final again in 2019. He was beaten by Judd Trump, who won £500,000. Their final set records for the most century breaks in a professional match, with 11. The tournament also recorded a record 100 century breaks.

The 2020 championship was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It finished in August instead of May. Ronnie O'Sullivan made a record 28th appearance at the Crucible. He won the championship for the sixth time. He beat Kyren Wilson in the final. John Higgins made a maximum break at the Crucible.

At the 2021 event, O'Sullivan was knocked out in the second round. Selby met Murphy in the final, and won 18–15.

At the 2022 event, O'Sullivan equalled Steve Davis's record of 30 Crucible appearances. The Class of '92 players — O'Sullivan, Higgins, and Williams — all reached the semi-finals. O'Sullivan defeated Trump in the final to win his seventh world title. He equalled Hendry's modern-era record. At 46, he became the oldest world champion in the tournament's history. A new record of 109 century breaks was set at the Crucible stage.

New Generation Breaks Through (2023–)

During the 2023 event, play was briefly stopped. A protester disrupted a match by climbing onto a table. Luca Brecel became the first continental European to win the title. He had never previously won a match at the Crucible. He made a huge comeback in the semi-final. He then defeated Selby in the final to win his first world title.

Four years after finishing runner-up, Kyren Wilson won his first world title at the 2024 event. He defeated qualifier Jak Jones in the final.

At the 2025 event, Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player and first Asian player to win the world title. He returned to competition after a ban from the sport. Competing as an amateur, he won four qualifying matches. He defeated seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals. He then defeated three-time winner Mark Williams in the final. He became the fourth qualifier to win the World Championship. He was the youngest winner since Murphy in 2005.

The 2026 World Snooker Championship was won by Wu Yize. He defeated Shaun Murphy in the final.

How the Tournament Works

The two-table setup at the 2019 event

The World Championship uses a knockout tournament format. It has 32 players and lasts 17 days. It usually ends on the first Monday in May. Of the 32 players, 16 are automatically "seeded" into the main draw. The other 16 players earn their spot through a qualifying competition. This takes place just before the main event at a different location. The current world champion automatically gets a spot and is the number one seed. The other 15 seeded players are chosen based on their world rankings.

Before 1982, the championship used different formats. From 1977 to 1979, only 16 players competed in the final stages.

The length of matches changes for each round:

• 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 (played over four sessions on three days).
• Final: Maximum of 35 frames (played over four sessions on two days).

For the first 12 days, two matches are played at the same time in the arena. For the last five days (semi-finals and final), only one table is used.

From 1980 to 1996, the semi-finals were best of 31 frames. This changed to best of 33 frames from 1997 onwards. The tournament nearly always ends on the first Monday in May.

In 2015, changes were made to the qualifying system. All non-seeded players had to start in the first of three qualifying rounds. The total number of players increased from 128 to 144. This allowed more former world champions and players from new countries to compete.

In 2020, the qualifying competition changed again. Players were seeded based on their world ranking. Lower-ranked players started earlier in the qualifying rounds. The 2020 qualifying round was also the first to be shown on television. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the early qualifying rounds were shorter matches. From 2023, the qualifying rounds returned to longer matches.

World Championship Winners

From its start in 1927, Joe Davis dominated the world snooker championship. He won the first 15 tournaments. In 1952, a disagreement led to a different championship being formed. Its winners are also seen as world champions. No championship was held between 1957 and 1964. It then returned with a challenge format until 1968.

The 'modern' era began in 1969. The championship became a knockout tournament. Since then, the best record is seven wins. This record is held by Stephen Hendry (1990–1999) and Ronnie O'Sullivan (2001–2022). Ray Reardon won six times in the 1970s. Steve Davis won six times in the 1980s.

Stephen Hendry is the youngest champion in the tournament's history. He won his first title in 1990 at 21 years old. Ronnie O'Sullivan became the oldest champion in 2022. He won his seventh title at 46 years old. Ronnie O'Sullivan also holds the record for the most Crucible appearances with 34. He has played in the tournament every year between 1993 and 2026.

Name	Sport country	Winner	Runner-up	Finals	Semi-final or better	Quarter-final or better	Appearances
Davis, JoeJoe Davis	England	15	0	15	15	15	15
Davis, FredFred Davis	England	8	6	14	20	25	31
Pulman, JohnJohn Pulman	England	8	3	11	16	20	28
Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	Scotland	7	2	9	12	19	27
O'Sullivan, RonnieRonnie O'Sullivan	England	7	1	8	14	23	34
Davis, SteveSteve Davis	England	6	2	8	11	15	30
Reardon, RayRay Reardon	Wales	6	1	7	10	16	19
Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	Scotland	4	4	8	12	20	32
Selby, MarkMark Selby	England	4	2	6	8	10	22
Williams, MarkMark Williams	Wales	3	2	5	8	12	28
Spencer, JohnJohn Spencer	England	3	1	4	6	8	18
Donaldson, WalterWalter Donaldson	Scotland	2	6	8	10	12	12
Higgins, AlexAlex Higgins	Northern Ireland	2	2	4	7	9	19
Murphy, ShaunShaun Murphy	England	1	4	5	6	10	24
Lindrum, HoraceHorace Lindrum	Australia	1	3	4	6	7	7
Thorburn, CliffCliff Thorburn	Canada	1	2	3	6	11	19
Trump, JuddJudd Trump	England	1	2	3	6	11	17
Ebdon, PeterPeter Ebdon	England	1	2	3	4	10	24
Doherty, KenKen Doherty	Ireland	1	2	3	3	8	19
Dott, GraemeGraeme Dott	Scotland	1	2	3	3	4	20
Taylor, DennisDennis Taylor	Northern Ireland	1	1	2	5	9	21
Wilson, KyrenKyren Wilson	England	1	1	2	4	7	12
Parrott, JohnJohn Parrott	England	1	1	2	3	11	23
Griffiths, TerryTerry Griffiths	Wales	1	1	2	3	11	19
Johnson, JoeJoe Johnson	England	1	1	2	2	2	8
Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	Australia	1	0	1	3	10	21
Bingham, StuartStuart Bingham	England	1	0	1	3	5	18
Brecel, LucaLuca Brecel	Belgium	1	0	1	1	2	8
Xintong, ZhaoZhao Xintong	China	1	0	1	1	2	4
Yize, WuWu Yize	China	1	0	1	1	1	3
White, JimmyJimmy White	England	0	6	6	10	15	25
Dennis, TomTom Dennis	England	0	4	4	6	7	7
Charlton, EddieEddie Charlton	Australia	0	3	3	8	11	21
Stevens, MatthewMatthew Stevens	Wales	0	2	2	6	9	19
Smith, SidneySidney Smith	England	0	2	2	6	8	9
Williams, RexRex Williams	England	0	2	2	5	8	17
Smith, WillieWillie Smith	England	0	2	2	4	6	6
Carter, AliAli Carter	England	0	2	2	3	6	22
McConachy, ClarkClark McConachy	New Zealand	0	2	2	3	4	4
Hawkins, BarryBarry Hawkins	England	0	1	1	5	7	20
Rea, JackieJackie Rea	Northern Ireland	0	1	1	4	8	10
Newman, TomTom Newman	England	0	1	1	3	8	10
Ding JunhuiDing Junhui	China	0	1	1	3	6	20
Lawrence, FredFred Lawrence	England	0	1	1	3	4	4
Bond, NigelNigel Bond	England	0	1	1	2	4	15
Owen, GaryGary Owen	Wales	0	1	1	2	4	7
Mans, PerriePerrie Mans	South Africa	0	1	1	2	3	13
Miles, GrahamGraham Miles	England	0	1	1	1	4	12
Mountjoy, DougDoug Mountjoy	Wales	0	1	1	1	3	17
Jones, JakJak Jones	Wales	0	1	1	1	2	4
Simpson, WarrenWarren Simpson	Australia	0	1	1	1	1	4
Van Rensburg, FredFred Van Rensburg	South Africa	0	1	1	1	1	1

• Active players are shown in bold.
• Only players who reached the final are included.
• Appearances relates to appearances in the final stages, excluding qualifying match.
• In the event of identical records, players are sorted in alphabetical order by family name.

Sponsorship of the Championship

From 1969 to 2005, most championships were sponsored by tobacco companies. This included brands like John Player, Park Drive, and Embassy. Rules changed in 2003 about tobacco advertising. Embassy was allowed to continue sponsoring snooker until 2005.

From 2006 to 2022, betting companies sponsored all championships. These included 888.com, Betfred.com, Betfair, and Dafabet.

Online car retailer Cazoo sponsored the tournament from 2023. In 2025, UK software company Halo became the tournament's new sponsor.

Television Coverage

Before the World Championship moved to the Crucible in 1977, TV coverage was very limited. In the 1950s, the BBC sometimes showed snooker on black and white TV. This included short programs of the 1953 and 1955 finals.

When the championship moved to the Crucible in 1977, BBC TV coverage increased. It included highlights of the semi-finals and some of the final. In 1978, the BBC started daily TV coverage. This included nightly highlights and Saturday afternoon programs. In 1979, TV coverage expanded to include an early-evening "Frame of the Day". Live coverage of parts of the final also began. In 1980, daily live coverage started for the first time.

David Vine was the main presenter for the BBC's TV coverage until 2000. Other presenters and commentators have included Ted Lowe, Clive Everton, Jack Karnehm, Hazel Irvine, and Jason Mohammad. As of 2023, the BBC holds the broadcast rights to the tournament until 2027.

See also

In Spanish: Campeonato Mundial de Snooker para niños

• Crucible curse – A belief that first-time winners at the Crucible Theatre struggle to win again.
• List of snooker ranking tournaments