For many professionals this is a week that can make or break a season. With the 2025 Snooker World Championship now under two weeks away, the top 16 players in the world rankings are back at home resting ahead of their tilt at making history.
However, for those who find themselves outside of the cosy confines of the top 16, the pressure is on to try and grab one of the 16 spots left in the draw.
With a spot at the World Championship offering the opportunity of huge ranking points as well as big prize money, there are several big names who will be hoping to qualify and then go on a big run at snooker’s grandest showpiece. Let’s take a look at some of these players in more detail.
Gary Wilson - odds to win the World Championship - 80/1
Ranked seventeenth in the world rankings it is Gary Wilson who is the unlucky man to have missed out on a direct entry into the World Championship and will be qualifying’s number one seed.
It’s fair to say that heading into qualification, Wilson’s form has fallen off a cliff and so far the Englishman has just won one match this year.
Admitting that he is low on confidence, qualification is the last place that he would have wanted to be. He is expected to be one of the sixteen players who takes his place at the Crucible next week.
Despite the pressure being firmly on his shoulders, if Wilson can string some wins together and qualify for the Crucible he has reasonably good memories of the Crucible. A semi finalist back in 2019, he has competed in the main draw in three of the last four years.
He suffered a first round defeat twelve months ago and will be hopeful of amending that record this time around. Whether he can turn it around when it matters the most is a question that is very much up for debate.
Joe O’Connor - Odds to win World Championship - 66/1
One man to watch with real interest through qualifying is Joe O’Connor. The 29 year old seems to be flourishing at exactly the right time and heads to qualification in the form of his career following his run to the World Open final.
Eventually defeated by John Higgins, O’Connor took some big scalps in the lead up to the final, beating world number one Judd Trump and 2025 Masters Champion Shaun Murphy.
A hugely talented player he has only reached the main draw of the World Championship once and that came back in 2024 where he reached the second round, defeating Mark Selby in round one.
O’Connor has plenty of match winning experience against the biggest players in the game, and if he can handle the pressure of qualifying, he could well go on a big run and make his current odds of 66/1 look vastly overpriced.
Jack Lisowski - Odds to win World Championship - 40/1
For the snooker aficionados amongst you, Jack Lisowski is a name you will be familiar with. Once ranked as high as ten in the world, Lisowski is no stranger to success at the highest level having reached the final of six ranking events.
Although he is still waiting to win his first title, he is a classy player and would have been disappointed that he finds himself in qualifying once again.
A mainstay in the main draw for the past seven years, his best Crucible effort came back in 2022 when he reached the quarterfinals.
Now ranked at 25th in the world, the reason why 33 year old finds himself in qualification is his inconsistent form.
Only once this year has Lisowski been able to string multiple wins together and he will need to do that this week if he is to keep his main draw streak alive.
A gifted player who when on form is a hugely talented shot maker, the main draw will be a better tournament with Lisowski in it and he will hope that he can keep his nerve and turn a few heads by the time that the main draw swings around.
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Ali Carter - Odds to win World Championship - 66/1
A veteran of the World Tour, Ali Carter will once again try to land a maiden World Championship. A winner of six ranking titles, Carter has been a World Championship finalist twice. He first reached the final in 2009 where he lost in the final to Ronnie O’Sullivan. He then returned back to the final four years later where once again he was downed by the Rocket.
In recent years it’s been a struggle on the big stage for the Englishman. With Carter falling in the first round in each of his last three attempts.
No stranger to qualification for the World Championships, Carter is rounding into form at the right time. A semi finalist at the Welsh Open, he then backed that up with another semi final appearance at the World Open.
Hoping to use all of his experience to reach the big stage once again, he is one of the names most people expect to qualify this time around.
Stuart Bingham - Odds to win World Championship - 66/1
Stuart Bingham was a World Champion ten years ago and would love to dearly repeat the feat.
Ten years on and Bingham finds himself ranked just inside the top twenty but still clearly capable of producing big results on the big stages.
Although he tried to make a late run for automatic qualification thanks to his run at the World Grand Prix where he reached the final, his consistency has deserted him and the chances of him reaching another World Championship final look slim.
A semifinalist at last year’s worlds, he is an opponent that everyone will want to avoid in the first round. He has work to do in order to qualify but if he can make it, he is more than capable of pulling off several big shocks.
Jonathan Ashby
Jonathan Ashby, at 35, boasts a deep well of knowledge about the world of snooker. A specialist with a passion for the game's history, techniques, and players, he provides invaluable insights to both novices and seasoned enthusiasts. Through his articles, Jonathan aims to share the rich tapestry and nuances of this beloved cue sport.
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