Tue. Jun 10th, 2025
Snooker World Championship guide: Draw, seeds & coverage

The seeded players gathered at the Crucible Theatre for a group photograph on Friday

The 2025 World Snooker Championship started at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday, with a major shock on the opening day.

Defending champion and top seed Kyren Wilson, who defeated Jak Jones 18‍–‍14 in the 2024 final, was knocked out 10-9 by Chinese qualifier Lei Peifan in the first round.

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is playing in a 33rd consecutive edition of the tournament despite battling “stage fright” and “nerves” over the past two years.

Seeded fifth this year, the 49-year-old is 5-4 up on two-time finalist Ali Carter in his opening match which concludes on Wednesday afternoon.

World number one Judd Trump faces Zhou Yuelong in a match which finishes on Wednesday evening.

BBC Sport has comprehensive live coverage of the championship on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, while every match will be shown in full on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.

The final takes place over two days, starting on Sunday 4 May.

This video can not be played

Watch the best shots from the World Snooker Championships

As the defending champion, Wilson had the honour of being the top seed.

Trump is the second seed, with four-time champions John Higgins and Mark Selby third and fourth respectively.

Higgins beat Selby in the Tour Championship final earlier in April to move above him in the listings.

O’Sullivan, bidding for an eighth title to surpass the record he shares with Stephen Hendry, is seeded fifth.

Full seedings:

1) Kyren Wilson, 2) Judd Trump, 3) John Higgins, 4) Mark Selby

5) Ronnie O’Sullivan, 6) Mark Williams, 7) Luca Brecel, 8) Mark Allen

9) Neil Robertson, 10) Ding Junhui, 11) Barry Hawkins, 12) Zhang Anda

13) Si Jiahui 14) Xiao Guodong, 15) Shaun Murphy, 16) Jak Jones

World Championship results

The greatest first-round Crucible upsets

Why is snooker played in silence?

Among the 16 players who secured their places at the Crucible were two-time runner-up Carter and 2021 UK champion Zhao Xintong, while Daniel Wells, Zak Surety and Lei will make their Crucible debuts.

China’s Zhao returned to the sport as an amateur player in September following a 20-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

Five of Zhao’s fellow countrymen also qualified, bringing the number of Chinese players in the first round up to a record 10.

Jack Lisowski, 2015 winner Stuart Bingham and world number 17 Gary Wilson were among the names to miss out.

Wales’ Jackson Page, who in the third qualifying round became the first player to compile two maximum 147 breaks in the same match – earning a £147,000 bonus – failed to make the Crucible after 10-7 to Englishman Joe O’Connor in the final qualifying round.

The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000.

Winner: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finalists: £100,000

Quarter-finalists: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

Last 32: £20,000

Last 48: £15,000

Last 80: £10,000

Last 112: £5,000

Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000

First-round matches are the best of 19 frames.

Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25.

Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames.

The final is the best of 35 frames.

What is snooker? Rules, points, colours and set-up explained

No imminent decision to be made on Crucible future

Watch live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, or take your pick of the matches on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

For further coverage, audiences can tune into Snooker Extra every night on BBC Two and iPlayer to catch up on the action from the day’s early games.

Radio 5 Live will have regular updates and features in programmes throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the BBC Sport website and app will have text updates on the early rounds and quarter-finals before full live text commentary on the semi-finals and final.

World Snooker Championship

19 April to 5 May

The BBC’s presenting team will be Hazel Irvine, Seema Jaswal and Rishi Persad, with reporting from Shabnam Younus-Jewell and Abigail Davis.

Audiences can expect expert commentary and insights from snooker legends Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, alongside some of the game’s current players including Masters winner Shaun Murphy.

All times are BST and subject to late changes. Championship seedings in brackets

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) 5-3 Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) 7-2 Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) 5-4 Ali Carter

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Judd Trump (2) 6-3 Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

01:05-03:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

13:00

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Second round

13:00

Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

19:00

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:55-01:55 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two (00:55-01:55 on BBC Two Northern Ireland)

Second round

10:00

Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)

14:30

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)

Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

19:00

Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)

Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:25-02:25 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

10:00

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)

Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

14:30

Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

19:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two & Red Button

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:45-16:30 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:25-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

10:00

Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

19:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-12:25 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 10:00-12:15)

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 14:40-18:00)

15:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

13:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

19:00

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

The 1985 Black Ball Final: Final Frame

Sunday, 28 April 1985

Crucible Theatre

A full replay of the final, dramatic frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor

Semi-finals

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

14:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:30 – BBC One

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-17:30 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Final

Live coverage

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

Final

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

First round

Kyren Wilson (1) 9-10 Lei Peifan

Xiao Guodong (14) 10-4 Matthew Selt

Mark Williams (6) 10-8 Wu Yize

Barry Hawkins (11) 9-10 Hossein Vafaei

Neil Robertson (9) 8-10 Chris Wakelin

Jak Jones (16) 4-10 Zhao Xintong

Mark Allen (8) 10-6 Fan Zhengyi

John Higgins (3) 10-7 Joe O’Connor

Ding Junhui (10) 10-7 Zak Surety

Si Jiahui (13) 10-6 David Gilbert

Framed: The Snooker Podcast

Explore the sport of snooker, from its biggest names to stories of the people involved at all levels of the game

Snooker World Championship guide: Draw, seeds & coverage

The seeded players gathered at the Crucible Theatre for a group photograph on Friday

The 2025 World Snooker Championship started at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday, with a major shock on the opening day.

Defending champion and top seed Kyren Wilson, who defeated Jak Jones 18‍–‍14 in the 2024 final, was knocked out 10-9 by Chinese qualifier Lei Peifan in the first round.

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is playing in a 33rd consecutive edition of the tournament despite battling “stage fright” and “nerves” over the past two years.

Seeded fifth this year, the 49-year-old is set to face two-time finalist Ali Carter in his opening match at 14:30 BST on Tuesday.

World number one Judd Trump begins his campaign against Zhou Yuelong at 19:00 on Tuesday.

BBC Sport has comprehensive live coverage of the championship on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, while every match will be shown in full on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.

The final takes place over two days, starting on Sunday 4 May.

This video can not be played

Watch the best shots from the World Snooker Championships

As the defending champion, Wilson had the honour of being the top seed.

Trump is the second seed, with four-time champions John Higgins and Mark Selby third and fourth respectively.

Higgins beat Selby in the Tour Championship final earlier in April to move above him in the listings.

O’Sullivan, bidding for an eighth title to surpass the record he shares with Stephen Hendry, is seeded fifth.

Full seedings:

1) Kyren Wilson, 2) Judd Trump, 3) John Higgins, 4) Mark Selby

5) Ronnie O’Sullivan, 6) Mark Williams, 7) Luca Brecel, 8) Mark Allen

9) Neil Robertson, 10) Ding Junhui, 11) Barry Hawkins, 12) Zhang Anda

13) Si Jiahui 14) Xiao Guodong, 15) Shaun Murphy, 16) Jak Jones

World Championship results

Wilson to face Lei, O’Sullivan v Carter at World Championship

The greatest first-round Crucible upsets

Among the 16 players who secured their places at the Crucible were two-time runner-up Carter and 2021 UK champion Zhao Xintong, while Daniel Wells, Zak Surety and Lei will make their Crucible debuts.

China’s Zhao returned to the sport as an amateur player in September following a 20-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

Five of Zhao’s fellow countrymen also qualified, bringing the number of Chinese players in the first round up to a record 10.

Jack Lisowski, 2015 winner Stuart Bingham, world number 17 Gary Wilson and Jackson Page were among the names to miss out.

In the third qualifying round, Page became the first player to compile two maximum 147 breaks in the same match, earning the Welshman a £147,000 bonus.

But Page did not qualify for the Crucible, losing 10-7 to Englishman Joe O’Connor in the fourth and final qualifying round.

Six-time finalist Jimmy White’s bid to play at the Crucible for the first time since 2006 ended in the second round, while former semi-finalist Joe Perry and Dominic Dale retired from the sport after going out in the third round.

The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000.

Winner: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finalists: £100,000

Quarter-finalists: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

Last 32: £20,000

Last 48: £15,000

Last 80: £10,000

Last 112: £5,000

Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000

First-round matches are the best of 19 frames.

Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25.

Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames.

The final is the best of 35 frames.

What is snooker? Rules, points, colours and set-up explained

No imminent decision to be made on Crucible future

Watch live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, or take your pick of the matches on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

For further coverage, audiences can tune into Snooker Extra every night on BBC Two and iPlayer to catch up on the action from the day’s early games.

Radio 5 Live will have regular updates and features in programmes throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the BBC Sport website and app will have text updates on the early rounds and quarter-finals before full live text commentary on the semi-finals and final.

World Snooker Championship

19 April to 5 May

The BBC’s presenting team will be Hazel Irvine, Seema Jaswal and Rishi Persad, with reporting from Shabnam Younus-Jewell and Abigail Davis.

Audiences can expect expert commentary and insights from snooker legends Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, alongside some of the game’s current players including Masters winner Shaun Murphy.

All times are BST and subject to late changes. Championship seedings in brackets

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Ding Junhui (10) 6-3 Zak Surety

19:00

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Si Jiahui (13) 6-3 David Gilbert

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

01:05-03:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

13:00

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Second round

13:00

Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

19:00

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:55-01:55 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two (00:55-01:55 on BBC Two Northern Ireland)

Second round

10:00

Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)

14:30

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)

Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

19:00

Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)

Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:25-02:25 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

10:00

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)

Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

14:30

Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

19:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two & Red Button

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:45-16:30 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:25-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

10:00

Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

19:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-12:25 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 10:00-12:15)

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 14:40-18:00)

15:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

13:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

19:00

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

The 1985 Black Ball Final: Final Frame

Sunday, 28 April 1985

Crucible Theatre

A full replay of the final, dramatic frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor

Semi-finals

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

14:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:30 – BBC One

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-17:30 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Final

Live coverage

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

Final

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

First round

Kyren Wilson (1) 9-10 Lei Peifan

Xiao Guodong (14) 10-4 Matthew Selt

Mark Williams (6) 10-8 Wu Yize

Barry Hawkins (11) 9-10 Hossein Vafaei

Neil Robertson (9) 8-10 Chris Wakelin

Jak Jones (16) 4-10 Zhao Xintong

Mark Allen (8) 10-6 Fan Zhengyi

John Higgins (3) 10-7 Joe O’Connor

Framed: The Snooker Podcast

Explore the sport of snooker, from its biggest names to stories of the people involved at all levels of the game

Snooker World Championship guide: Draw, seeds & coverage

The seeded players gathered at the Crucible Theatre for a group photograph on Friday

The 2025 World Snooker Championship started at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday, with a major shock on the opening day.

Defending champion and top seed Kyren Wilson, who defeated Jak Jones 18‍–‍14 in the 2024 final was knocked out 10-9 by Chinese qualifier Lei Peifan in the first round.

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is playing in a 33rd consecutive edition of the tournament despite battling “stage fright” and “nerves” over the past two years.

Seeded fifth this year, the 49-year-old is set to face two-time finalist Ali Carter in his opening match at 14:30 BST on Tuesday.

World number one Judd Trump begins his campaign against Zhou Yuelong at 19:00 on Tuesday.

BBC Sport has comprehensive live coverage of the championship on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, while every match will be shown in full on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.

The final takes place over two days, starting on Sunday 4 May.

This video can not be played

Watch the best shots from the World Snooker Championships

As the defending champion, Wilson had the honour of being the top seed.

Trump is the second seed, with four-time champions John Higgins and Mark Selby third and fourth respectively.

Higgins beat Selby in the Tour Championship final earlier in April to move above him in the listings.

O’Sullivan, bidding for an eighth title to surpass the record he shares with Stephen Hendry, is seeded fifth.

The 49-year-old is seeded to play 12th seed Zhang Anda in the second round, Selby in the quarter-finals and Wilson in the semi-finals.

Full seedings:

1) Kyren Wilson, 2) Judd Trump, 3) John Higgins, 4) Mark Selby

5) Ronnie O’Sullivan, 6) Mark Williams, 7) Luca Brecel, 8) Mark Allen

9) Neil Robertson, 10) Ding Junhui, 11) Barry Hawkins, 12) Zhang Anda

13) Si Jiahui 14) Xiao Guodong, 15) Shaun Murphy, 16) Jak Jones

World Championship results

Wilson to face Lei, O’Sullivan v Carter at World Championship

The greatest first-round Crucible upsets

Among the 16 players who secured their places at the Crucible were two-time runner-up Carter and 2021 UK champion Zhao Xintong, while Daniel Wells, Zak Surety and Lei will make their Crucible debuts.

China’s Zhao returned to the sport as an amateur player in September following a 20-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

Five of Zhao’s fellow countrymen also qualified, bringing the number of Chinese players in the first round up to a record 10.

Jack Lisowski, 2015 winner Stuart Bingham, world number 17 Gary Wilson and Jackson Page were among the names to miss out.

In the third qualifying round, Page became the first player to compile two maximum 147 breaks in the same match, earning the Welshman a £147,000 bonus.

But Page did not qualify for the Crucible, losing 10-7 to Englishman Joe O’Connor in the fourth and final qualifying round.

Six-time finalist Jimmy White’s bid to play at the Crucible for the first time since 2006 ended in the second round, while former semi-finalist Joe Perry and Dominic Dale retired from the sport after going out in the third round.

The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000.

Winner: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finalists: £100,000

Quarter-finalists: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

Last 32: £20,000

Last 48: £15,000

Last 80: £10,000

Last 112: £5,000

Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000

First-round matches are the best of 19 frames.

Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25.

Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames.

The final is the best of 35 frames.

What is snooker? Rules, points, colours and set-up explained

No imminent decision to be made on Crucible future

Watch live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, or take your pick of the matches on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

For further coverage, audiences can tune into Snooker Extra every night on BBC Two and iPlayer to catch up on the action from the day’s early games.

Radio 5 Live will have regular updates and features in programmes throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the BBC Sport website and app will have text updates on the early rounds and quarter-finals before full live text commentary on the semi-finals and final.

World Snooker Championship

19 April to 5 May

The BBC’s presenting team will be Hazel Irvine, Seema Jaswal and Rishi Persad, with reporting from Shabnam Younus-Jewell and Abigail Davis.

Audiences can expect expert commentary and insights from snooker legends Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, alongside some of the game’s current players including Masters winner Shaun Murphy.

All times are BST and subject to late changes. Championship seedings in brackets

First round

10:00

Jak Jones (16) v Zhao Xintong

Xiao Guodong (14) 7-2 Matthew Selt

14:30

Mark Allen (8) v Fan Zhengyi

Mark Williams (6) 5-4 Wu Yize

19:00

Neil Robertson (9) 2-7 Chris Wakelin

Barry Hawkins (11) 5-4 Hossein Vafaei

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-17:40 – BBC Two (13:00-16:50 on BBC Two Wales)

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:45-01:45 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

John Higgins (3) v Joe O’Connor

Jak Jones (16) v Zhao Xintong

14:30

Ding Junhui (10) v Zak Surety

Mark Allen (8) v Fan Zhengyi

19:00

Si Jiahui (13) v David Gilbert

John Higgins (3) v Joe O’Connor

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:55-01:45 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Ding Junhui (10) v Zak Surety

19:00

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Si Jiahui (13) v David Gilbert

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

01:05-03:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

13:00

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Second round

13:00

Neil Robertson (9)/Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

19:00

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)/Matthew Selt

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:55-01:55 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two (00:55-01:55 on BBC Two Northern Ireland)

Second round

10:00

Neil Robertson (9)/Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

Barry Hawkins (11)/Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)/Wu Yize

14:30

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)/Matthew Selt

Lei Peifan v Jak Jones (16)/Zhao Xintong

19:00

Barry Hawkins (11)/Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)/Wu Yize

Neil Robertson (9)/Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen (8)/Fan Zhengyi

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:25-02:25 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

10:00

John Higgins (3)/Joe O’Connor v Xiao Guodong (14)/Matthew Selt

Lei Peifan v Jak Jones (16)/Zhao Xintong

14:30

Barry Hawkins (11)/Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams (6)/Wu Yize

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

19:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two & Red Button

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:45-16:30 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:25-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

10:00

Lei Peifan v Jak Jones (16)/Zhao Xintong

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

19:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-12:25 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 10:00-12:15)

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 14:40-18:00)

15:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

13:00

Si Jiahui (13)/David Gilbert v Mark Selby (4)/Ben Woollaston

Shaun Murphy (15)/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump (2)/Zhou Yuelong

19:00

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda (12)/Pang Junxu

Luca Brecel (7)/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui (10)/Zak Surety

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

The 1985 Black Ball Final: Final Frame

Sunday, 28 April 1985

Crucible Theatre

A full replay of the final, dramatic frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor

Semi-finals

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

14:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:30 – BBC One

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-17:30 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Final

Live coverage

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

Final

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

First round

Kyren Wilson (1) 9-10 Lei Peifan

Framed: The Snooker Podcast

Explore the sport of snooker, from its biggest names to stories of the people involved at all levels of the game

Snooker World Championship guide: Draw, seeds & coverage

The seeded players gathered at the Crucible Theatre for a group photograph on Friday

The 2025 World Snooker Championship starts at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday, with Kyren Wilson bidding to retain his title.

The Englishman defeated Jak Jones 18‍–‍14 in the 2024 final and, as top seed, will get this year’s championship under way against China’s Lei Peifan at 10:00 BST on the opening day.

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is playing in a 33rd consecutive edition of the tournament despite battling “stage fright” and “nerves” over the past two years.

Seeded fifth this year, the 49-year-old is set to face two-time finalist Ali Carter in his opening match at 14:30 BST on Tuesday.

World number one Judd Trump begins his campaign against Zhou Yuelong at 19:00 on Tuesday.

BBC Sport has comprehensive live coverage of the championship on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, while every match will be shown in full on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.

The final takes place over two days starting on Sunday 4 May.

This video can not be played

Watch the best shots as Wilson beats Jones to world title

As the defending champion, Wilson has the honour of being the top seed.

Trump becomes the second seed, with four-time champions John Higgins and Mark Selby third and fourth respectively.

Higgins beat Selby in the Tour Championship final earlier in April to move above him in the listings.

O’Sullivan, bidding for an eighth title to surpass the record he shares with Stephen Hendry, is seeded fifth.

The 49-year-old is seeded to play 12th seed Zhang Anda in the second round, Selby in the quarter-finals and Wilson in the semi-finals.

Full seedings:

1) Kyren Wilson, 2) Judd Trump, 3) John Higgins, 4) Mark Selby

5) Ronnie O’Sullivan, 6) Mark Williams, 7) Luca Brecel, 8) Mark Allen

9) Neil Robertson, 10) Ding Junhui, 11) Barry Hawkins, 12) Zhang Anda

13) Si Jiahui 14) Xiao Guodong, 15) Shaun Murphy, 16) Jak Jones

Wilson to face Lei, O’Sullivan v Carter at World Championship

The greatest first-round Crucible upsets

No imminent decision to be made on Crucible future

A total of 144 players started the qualifying tournament, which was staged at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport from 7-16 April.

Among the 16 players who secured their places at the Crucible were two-time finalist Ali Carter and 2021 UK champion Zhao Xintong, while Daniel Wells, Zak Surety and Lei Peifan will make their Crucible debuts.

China’s Zhao returned to the sport as an amateur player in September following a 20-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

Five of Zhao’s fellow countrymen also qualified, bringing the number of Chinese players in the first round up to a record 10.

Jack Lisowski, 2015 winner Stuart Bingham, world number 17 Gary Wilson and Jackson Page were among the names to miss out.

In the third qualifying round, Page became the first player to compile two maximum 147 breaks in the same match, earning the Welshman a £147,000 bonus and putting the 23-year-old in line for the £15,000 World Championship highest break prize.

But Page did not qualify for the Crucible, losing 10-7 to Englishman Joe O’Connor in the fourth and final qualifying round.

Six-time finalist Jimmy White’s bid to play at the Crucible for the first time since 2006 ended in the second round, while former semi-finalist Joe Perry and Dominic Dale retired from the sport after going out in the third round.

No first-time champion has managed to retain the title since the championship moved to the Crucible Theatre in 1977.

Kyren Wilson will start his bid to break the ‘Crucible curse’ on Saturday morning.

The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000.

Winner: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finalists: £100,000

Quarter-finalists: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

Last 32: £20,000

Last 48: £15,000

Last 80: £10,000

Last 112: £5,000

Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000

First-round matches are the best of 19 frames.

Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25.

Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames.

The final is the best of 35 frames.

Kyren Wilson is the second first-time Crucible winner in a row, after Luca Brecel in 2023

What is snooker? Rules, points, colours and set-up explained

Watch live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, or take your pick of the matches on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

For further coverage, audiences can tune into Snooker Extra every night on BBC Two and iPlayer to catch up on the action from the day’s early games.

Radio 5 Live will have regular updates and features in programmes throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the BBC Sport website and app will have text updates on the early rounds and quarter-finals before full live text commentary on the semi-finals and final.

World Snooker Championship

19 April to 5 May

The BBC’s presenting team will be Hazel Irvine, Seema Jaswal and Rishi Persad, with reporting from Shabnam Younus-Jewell and Abigail Davis.

Audiences can expect expert commentary and insights from snooker legends Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, alongside some of the game’s current players including Masters winner Shaun Murphy.

All times are BST and subject to late changes. Championship seedings in brackets

First round

10:00

Kyren Wilson (1) v Lei Peifan

Xiao Guodong (14) v Matthew Selt

14:30

Neil Robertson (9) v Chris Wakelin

Mark Williams (6) v Wu Yize

19:00

Kyren Wilson (1) v Lei Peifan

Barry Hawkins (11) v Hossein Vafaei

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:30 – BBC One (15:00-16:30 on BBC One Scotland and 13:15-16:30 on BBC Two Wales)

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

Jak Jones (16) v Zhao Xintong

Xiao Guodong (14) v Matthew Selt

14:30

Mark Allen (8) v Fan Zhengyi

Mark Williams (6) v Wu Yize

19:00

Neil Robertson (9) v Chris Wakelin

Barry Hawkins (11) v Hossein Vafaei

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-17:40 – BBC Two (13:00-16:50 on BBC Two Wales)

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:45-01:45 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

John Higgins (3) v Joe O’Connor

Jak Jones (16) v Zhao Xintong

14:30

Ding Junhui (10) v Zak Surety

Mark Allen (8) v Fan Zhengyi

19:00

Si Jiahui (13) v David Gilbert

John Higgins (3) v Joe O’Connor

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:55-01:45 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Ding Junhui (10) v Zak Surety

19:00

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Si Jiahui (13) v David Gilbert

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

10:00

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

14:30

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

19:00

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

01:05-03:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Second round

Schedule TBC

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

23:55-01:55 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two (00:55-01:55 on BBC Two Northern Ireland)

Second round

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:25-02:25 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two & Red Button

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:45-16:30 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:25-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

Live coverage

10:00-12:25 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 10:00-12:15)

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 14:40-18:00)

15:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

The 1985 Black Ball Final: Final Frame

Sunday, 28 April 1985

Crucible Theatre

A full replay of the final, dramatic frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor

Semi-finals

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

14:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:30 – BBC One

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-17:30 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Final

Live coverage

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

Final

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

Framed: The Snooker Podcast

Explore the sport of snooker, from its biggest names to stories of the people involved at all levels of the game

Snooker World Championship guide: Draw, seeds & coverage

This video can not be played

Watch the best shots as Wilson beats Jones to world title

The 2025 World Snooker Championship gets under way at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday, with Kyren Wilson bidding to retain his title.

The Englishman defeated Jak Jones 18‍–‍14 in the 2024 final to win his maiden world championship.

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has been struggling with health issues, has yet to decide if he will play in a 33rd consecutive edition of the tournament.

BBC Sport has comprehensive live coverage of the championship on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, while every match will be shown in full on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.

The final takes place over two days starting on Sunday 4 May.

A total of 144 players started the qualifying tournament at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport on 7 April. It runs until 16 April.

Among those bidding to qualify are two-time finalists Ali Carter and Matthew Stephens.

China’s Zhao Xintong, the 2021 UK champion, has secured his place at the Crucible after returning to the sport in September following a 20-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

Six-time finalist Jimmy White’s bid to play at the Crucible for the first time since 2006 ended in the second round, while former semi-finalist Joe Perry and Dominic Dale retired from the sport after going out in the third round.

Stuart Bingham, the 2015 champion, also suffered a third qualifying round defeat.

Jackson Page made the first 147 maximum break of his career during the third round of qualifying, and incredibly the 23-year-old Welshman added a second later in the same match – a 10-2 win against Allan Taylor.

That earned Page a £147,000 bonus and put him in line for the £15,000 World Championship highest break prize.

Sixteen qualifiers will join 16 seeded players in the first round proper.

The draw for the first round will take place at 08:45 BST on Thursday at BBC Sport’s MediaCity UK headquarters in Salford.

You can watch the draw live on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app from 08:40 BST or follow it on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The greatest first-round Crucible upsets

As the defending champion, Kyren Wilson has the honour of being the top seed.

World number one Judd Trump is the second seed, with four-time champions John Higgins and Mark Selby third and fourth respectively.

Higgins beat Selby in the Tour Championship final earlier in April to move above him in the listings.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, bidding for an eighth title to surpass the record he shares with Stephen Hendry, is seeded fifth.

The 49-year-old is seeded to play 12th seed Zhang Anda in the second round, Selby in the quarter-finals and Wilson in the semi-finals.

Full seedings:

1) Kyren Wilson, 2) Judd Trump, 3) John Higgins, 4) Mark Selby

5) Ronnie O’Sullivan, 6) Mark Williams, 7) Luca Brecel, 8) Mark Allen

9) Neil Robertson, 10) Ding Junhui, 11) Barry Hawkins, 12) Zhang Anda

13) Si Jiahui 14) Xiao Guodong, 15) Shaun Murphy, 16) Jak Jones

No first-time champion has managed to retain the title since the championship moved to the Crucible Theatre in 1977.

Kyren Wilson will start his bid to break the ‘Crucible curse’ on Saturday morning.

The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000.

Winner: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finalists: £100,000

Quarter-finalists: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

Last 32: £20,000

Last 48: £15,000

Last 80: £10,000

Last 112: £5,000

Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000

Kyren Wilson is the second first-time Crucible winner in a row, after Luca Brecel in 2023

First-round matches are the best of 19 frames.

Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25.

Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames.

The final is the best of 35 frames.

What is snooker? Rules, points, colours and set-up explained

Watch live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, or take your pick of the matches on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

For further coverage, audiences can tune into Snooker Extra every night on BBC Two and iPlayer to catch up on the action from the day’s early games.

Radio 5 Live will have regular updates and features in programmes throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the BBC Sport website and app will have text updates on the early rounds and quarter-finals before full live text commentary on the semi-finals and final.

World Snooker Championship

19 April to 5 May

The BBC’s presenting team will be Hazel Irvine, Seema Jaswal and Rishi Persad, with reporting from Shabnam Younus-Jewell and Abigail Davis.

Audiences can expect expert commentary and insights from snooker legends Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor and John Virgo, alongside some of the game’s current players including Masters winner Shaun Murphy.

All times are BST and subject to late changes.

First round

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:00 – BBC One

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-17:40 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First round

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

First and second round

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – BBC Four

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round/quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two & Red Button

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:45-16:30 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:25-18:00 – Red Button

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

Live coverage

10:00-12:25 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 10:00-12:15)

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (Red Button 14:40-18:00)

15:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Second round

Live coverage

13:00-17:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Quarter-finals

Live coverage

10:00-11:15 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Semi-finals

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

13:00-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-22:00 – BBC Four

Highlights

00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

14:00-18:00 – BBC Two

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-20:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Semi-finals

Live coverage

10:00-12:00 – BBC Two

10:00-14:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

13:15-16:30 – BBC One

14:30-18:00 – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

16:30-17:30 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:30 – iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app

20:00-23:00 – BBC Four

Final

Live coverage

13:00-18:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two

Final

Live coverage

13:00-16:00 – BBC Two

19:00-22:00 – BBC Two