World Snooker Championship 2025: Dates, schedule, players, prize money and how to follow as Kyren Wilson defends title
The 2025 World Snooker Championship is coming up soon and the best players will be competing for glory.
Last year at the Crucible, Kyren Wilson lifted the title for the first time as he beat Jake Jones 18-14 in the final.
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This will be the 49th edition of the tournament, which is the most prestigious in snooker, and Wilson is going for glory again.
He is set to be challenged by seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, while former winners Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Mark Williams will be among those eyeing the trophy.
World Snooker Championship: Date and how to follow
The 2025 World Snooker Championship will begin on April 19 and will run until May 5.
The tournament will be held at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
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Morning sessions are scheduled to begin at 10am each day, with afternoon sessions starting at 2:30pm and evening sessions at 7pm.
The final will begin at 1pm on Sunday, May 4 and Monday, May 5.
Fans will be able to watch the action live and free-to-air across the BBC and on iPlayer.
talkSPORT will also have live coverage of the action.
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To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
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World Snooker Championship: Players
The players for the World Snooker Championship are yet to be confirmed.
The top 16 ranked stars will be joined by 16 qualifiers, with 32 players taking part.
Qualifying rounds that will are set to take place between April 7-16.
At the moment, this is the list of 16 players that will be straight into the tournament:
- Kyren Wilson
- Judd Trump
- Mark Selby
- Ronnie O’Sullivan
- Mark Williams
- John Higgins
- Luca Brecel
- Mark Allen
- Neil Robertson
- Ding Junhui
- Barry Hawkins
- Zhang Anda
- Si Jiahui
- Xiao Guodong
- Shaun Murphy
- Jak Jones
Tournament format
- All first-round matches are best of 19 frames / first to 10 frames and will be played over two sessions
- Second-round matches and quarter-finals are best of 25 frames / first to 13 frames and will be played over three sessions
- The semi-finals are best of 33 frames / first to 17 frames and will be played over four sessions
- World Championship Final is best of 35 frames / first to 18 frames and will be played over four sessions
World Snooker Championship: Prize money
The prize pot is set to be a whopping £2.3million in total.
That is split between finishing positions, with the winner claiming £500,000.
The runner-up in the tournament takes home £200,000 while losing semi-finalists will be rewarded with £100,000.
Quarter-finalists received £50,000 each and if eliminated in the last 16, players are able to walk away with £30,000 each.
There is also a £15,000 bonus for the highest break in the World Championship.
Recent World Snooker Champions
- 2024 - Kyren Wilson
- 2023 - Luca Brecel
- 2022 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 2021 - Mark Selby
- 2020 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 2019 - Judd Trump
- 2018 - Mark Williams
- 2017 - Mark Selby
- 2016 - Mark Selby
- 2015 - Stuart Bingham
- 2014 - Mark Selby
World Snooker Championship: What has been said?
Speaking to talkSPORT on how his celebrations went last year after winning the World Championship, Wilson said: “Yeah, it was quite messy.
“I think I ended up back at my hotel at about half six in the morning. I hadn’t eaten, I was just on Peroni’s and Sambuca’s at that point.
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“It was kebab time but I’d left it so late that I went to reception with a brandy in my hand and said what time’s breakfast.
“So I carried on until half seven when breakfast started and had a brandy with my fry-up. It went down a treat!”
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