THE World Snooker Championship returns to the iconic Crucible Theatre THIS Saturday!

heads to Sheffield looking for his eighth title and to move clear of on the all-time list.

Betfred World Snooker Championship 2022 - Day 17 - The CrucibleRonnie O’Sullivan is eyeing a record eighth titleCredit: PA : World Snooker ChampionshipZhao Xintong is the reigning world championCredit: Reuters

But The Rocket has plenty of competition with one of the firm favourites to go back-to-back.

World No1 will be vying for a second world title after suffering semi-final heartbreak last year.

The prestigious marks the climax of this season’s Triple Crown events.

The star-studded field will be competing for the mammoth prize pot worth £2,395,000.

SunSport brings you all the details you need ahead of the World Championship.

When is the World Snooker Championship 2026?

  • The World Snooker Championship 2026 begins on Saturday, April 18.
  • The tournament runs until Monday, May 4.
  • Sheffield’s iconic Crucible Theatre will host.

What TV channel is the World Snooker Championship 2026 on?

  • The World Snooker Championship will be broadcast LIVE across BBC One and Two.
  • TNT Sports will also broadcast the event.
  • Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action from the Crucible by following SunSport’s live blog.

Can I live stream the World Snooker Championship 2026 for FREE?

  • You can live stream the World Snooker Championship for FREE on the BBC iPlayer.
  • HBO Max customers can also stream the tournament with their app/website.

World Snooker Championship 2026 schedule and results

All first-round matches are best-of-19 frames, played over two sessions

Saturday April 18 – 10am BST

  • Mark Allen vs Zhang Anda
  • Zhao Xintong vs Liam Highfield

Saturday April 18 – 2:30pm BST

  • Xiao Guodong vs Zhou Yuelong
  • Mark Williams vs Antoni Kowalski
  • Barry Hawkins vs Matthew Stevens

Sunday April 19 – 10am BST

  • Ding Junhui vs David Gilbert

Sunday April 19 – 2:30pm BST

  • John Higgins vs Ali Carter

Monday April 20 – 10am BST

  • Kyren Wilson vs Stan Moody

Monday April 20 – 2:30pm BST

  • Wu Yize vs Lei Peifan

Monday April 20 – 7pm BST

  • Shaun Murphy vs Fan Zhengyi

Tuesday April 21 – 10am BST

  • Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson
  • Chris Wakelin vs Liam Pullen

Tuesday April 21 – 2:30pm BST

  • Ronnie O’Sullivan vs He Guoqiang

Wednesday April 22 – 10am BST

  • Mark Selby vs Jak Jones

Wednesday April 22 – 2:30pm BST

  • Si Jiahui vs Hossein Vafaei

Wednesday April 22 – 7pm BST

  • Neil Robertson vs Pang Junxu