2026 World Snooker Championship: Full Draw, Schedule and Results from the Crucible

The 50th Edition Gets Under Way in Sheffield

The 2026 World Snooker Championship — the 50th staging of the event at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield — is now well into its second round, with several high-profile contests either concluded or under way. As of Day 7 (24 April), the tournament has already delivered a number of significant results, and the remaining last-16 ties promise plenty of drama before the quarter-final line-up is confirmed. All results and scheduling information below are drawn from the official tournament data published via snooker.org and tracked on CueTracker.

First Round Summary (Best of 19)

All 16 first-round matches have now concluded. World number one Zhao Xintong opened his title defence with a composed 10-7 victory over Liam Highfield, while second seed Judd Trump was equally efficient in dispatching Gary Wilson 10-5. The most notable upset of the opening round came in match 15, where Hossein Vafaei defeated 15th seed Si Jiahui 10-3, a result that sets the Iranian up for a second-round meeting with Trump.

Elsewhere, Ronnie O'Sullivan — returning to the Crucible as 12th seed — produced the most dominant first-round display of the tournament, beating He Guoqiang 10-2. Mark Selby was equally emphatic against Jak Jones, winning 10-2, while Wu Yize matched that scoreline against Lei Peifan. At the other end of the margin spectrum, eighth seed Shaun Murphy required the full distance to see off Fan Zhengyi 10-9 in what was arguably the tightest first-round contest of the draw.

First Round Results in Full

The complete set of first-round results (Best of 19 frames) is as follows:

1. Zhao Xintong (1) 10–7 Liam Highfield
2. Ding Junhui (16) 10–5 David Gilbert
3. Xiao Guodong (9) 10–6 Zhou Yuelong
4. Shaun Murphy (8) 10–9 Fan Zhengyi
5. John Higgins (5) 10–7 Ali Carter
6. Ronnie O'Sullivan (12) 10–2 He Guoqiang
7. Chris Wakelin (13) 10–6 Liam Pullen
8. Neil Robertson (4) 10–6 Pang Junxu
9. Kyren Wilson (3) 10–7 Stan Moody
10. Mark Allen (14) 10–6 Zhang Anda
11. Barry Hawkins (11) 10–4 Matthew Stevens
12. Mark Williams (6) 10–4 Antoni Kowalski
13. Mark Selby (7) 10–2 Jak Jones
14. Wu Yize (10) 10–2 Lei Peifan
15. Si Jiahui (15) 3–10 Hossein Vafaei
16. Judd Trump (2) 10–5 Gary Wilson

Second Round: Results and Schedule (Best of 25)

The second round is now in full swing, with one match already decided and several others at various stages. Shaun Murphy has been the story of the last-16 stage so far, producing a commanding performance to beat ninth seed Xiao Guodong 13-3 — a result that books his place in the quarter-finals and renders him the first player guaranteed a spot in the final eight at this year's championship.

The standout fixture of the second round — and arguably of the entire first week — is the all-Chinese encounter between top seed Zhao Xintong and 16th seed Ding Junhui. Their match began on Friday 24 April (14:30 BST) and continues across three scheduled sessions. Both players are former world champions — Zhao claimed the title in 2023, while Ding reached the final in 2011 — and their meeting represents a rare instance of two Chinese players contesting a World Championship last-16 tie. Meanwhile, the contest between third seed Kyren Wilson and 14th seed Mark Allen has taken a notable turn, with Allen leading 5-3 heading into the third session on Saturday.

Second Round Schedule (All Times BST)

Match 17: Zhao Xintong (1) vs Ding Junhui (16) — Session 1: Fri 24 Apr 14:30 | Session 2: Sat 25 Apr 14:30 | Session 3: Sun 26 Apr 10:00
Match 18: Xiao Guodong (9) 3–13 Shaun Murphy (8) — Murphy wins, advances to quarter-finals
Match 19: John Higgins (5) vs Ronnie O'Sullivan (12) — Session 1: Sat 25 Apr 19:00 | Session 2: Sun 26 Apr 19:00 | Session 3: Mon 27 Apr 13:00
Match 20: Chris Wakelin (13) vs Neil Robertson (4) — Session 1: Sat 25 Apr 10:00 | Session 2: Sun 26 Apr 14:30 | Session 3: Mon 27 Apr 19:00
Match 21: Kyren Wilson (3) 3–5 Mark Allen (14) — Session 3: Sat 25 Apr 10:00
Match 22: Barry Hawkins (11) vs Mark Williams (6) — Session 1: Fri 24 Apr 10:00 | Session 2: Fri 24 Apr 19:00 | Session 3: Sat 25 Apr 19:00

Context and Tournament Significance

This edition carries added historical weight as the 50th consecutive year the World Championship has been staged at the Crucible — a venue that has hosted the sport's most prestigious event since 1977. The draw has produced several mouth-watering second-round ties, not least the prospect of a Higgins vs O'Sullivan clash that would bring together two of the game's all-time greats. Higgins has reached the Crucible final on six occasions; O'Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, remains one of the pre-tournament favourites despite his seeding of 12th, reflecting a period of reduced ranking-event participation. Murphy's 13-3 demolition of Xiao, meanwhile, is a reminder that unseeded or lower-seeded players can make serious runs at Sheffield — the 2005 champion has previous pedigree at this venue and will be a considerable obstacle for whichever top-four seed awaits him in the quarter-finals. All results will be updated as the tournament progresses.