Wu Yize Reaches World Final: Can You Name Every Crucible Finalist Since 2000?

The 21st Man — Wu Yize Makes History at the Crucible

Wu Yize has done something remarkable. With a stunning victory over Mark Allen in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, the Chinese star has become just the 21st different player to reach a Crucible final since the turn of the century. Let that sink in for a moment. Over a quarter of a century of world-class snooker, and fewer than two dozen men have made it to that famous Sheffield showpiece. It's an elite club, and Wu Yize has just knocked on the door.

A Quarter-Century of Crucible Finals

Cast your mind back to 2000. The millennium had just ticked over, and the World Championship was already well established as the sport's crown jewel. Since that year, the sport has seen dominant dynasties — Ronnie O'Sullivan collecting titles like most of us collect disappointments, Mark Selby grinding opponents into the baize across multiple finals, and Mark Williams returning against all expectations to claim glory. The list of finalists reads like a who's who of the modern era, yet it remains surprisingly compact for a tournament that has run annually for over five decades.

That exclusivity is precisely what makes Wu's achievement so significant. He's not just any player making a final — he's a young Chinese talent joining a pantheon that includes multiple world champions, Crucible legends, and players who defined generations of the sport. His semi-final win over the experienced and dangerous Mark Allen was no fluke; it was a statement.

So — How Many Can You Name?

Here's where it gets interesting. If you reckon you know your snooker history, try naming all 20 players who appeared in a World Championship final between 2000 and 2025 before Wu Yize added his name to that list this week. It's trickier than you'd think. You'll rattle off the obvious names quickly enough — the multiple winners, the household names — but then you'll start second-guessing yourself. Did he reach a final? Was that 2003 or 2004? The gaps in your memory will surprise you.

Some of those 20 names are automatic. Others will have you staring at the ceiling, desperately trying to recall a late-night BBC Two session from fifteen years ago. There are players who reached one final and never returned, others who became perennial fixtures on the final Sunday in Sheffield. The BBC Sport quiz is well worth five minutes of your time if you want to test yourself properly.

Why This Matters Beyond the Trivia

The broader point here is one that any serious snooker follower should appreciate: reaching a World Championship final is extraordinarily difficult. In a sport where any top-32 seed can theoretically challenge on any given day across 17 days of relentless best-of frames, only 21 players have managed to navigate that gauntlet to the very last match since 2000. The Crucible has a habit of producing upsets in the early rounds, yet somehow the cream consistently rises to the top when it matters most.

For Wu Yize, this is the culmination of years of development. Chinese snooker has produced genuinely world-class players — Ding Junhui remains the most decorated, having reached the final himself and winning multiple ranking events — but a Chinese world champion at the Crucible remains the sport's most anticipated milestone. Whether Wu can go one further and take the title will depend on the final itself, but just being in this conversation places him firmly in the sport's history books regardless of what happens on that famous final Sunday.

The Crucible, the BBC, and Why It Still Matters

It's also worth pausing to acknowledge the setting. The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield has hosted the World Snooker Championship since 1977, and there remains no more atmospheric venue in world sport for a one-on-one contest. The BBC's coverage — live on BBC TV and available in full on iPlayer — continues to bring the drama into living rooms across the country, and moments like Wu Yize's semi-final victory are exactly why this tournament endures as the sport's definitive event.

With the 2026 championship running through to 4th May, the final is almost upon us. However it plays out, Wu Yize has already secured his place in snooker history as that 21st man — and that's not nothing. That's everything.

Think you can name all 20 of his predecessors? Head to the BBC Sport quiz and find out. Then come back here when you've either aced it or quietly closed the tab in shame. We've all been there.

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