The World Snooker Championship brings with it two weeks of gripping, gruelling and attritional snooker from the world’s best players, all desperate to win the sport’s top prize.
Here’s what you need to know about the competition’s history, its iconic venue, the big stories ahead of this year’s edition and a run through the betting favourites, their odds and their chances of going all the way.
History of the Crucible Theatre and the World Snooker Championship
The first Snooker World Championship was held back in 1927, but in a different format to what we’re used to today. Rather than being played over a period of two weeks, it was contested between late November 1926 and mid-May 1927, with only ten players taking part, rather than the 32 we have now.
But perhaps the greatest difference of all was the venue. Or rather, venues. Instead of all the matches taking place at one venue, as is the case with the Crucible these days, matches took place at multiple venues, including ones in London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Liverpool.
The winner was the great champion of the day, Joe Davis, who, for good measure, went on to win the next 14 editions as well. Up to 1935, it was known as the Professional Snooker Championship, before being re-named the World Snooker Championship in 1935.
After being played in different formats for the next few decades, it reverted to a knockout tournament in 1969, the start of snooker’s modern era. Over the years, the venue constantly changed, as did the number of players taking part, with some editions being played in London, Middlesbrough, Manchester, and even in Australia in 1975.
However, since 1977, it has always been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, becoming the home of snooker and providing players and fans with the opportunity to become accustomed to the same venue and conditions every year.
The Crucible Experience: What Makes This Venue Unique
The hosting of the Snooker World Championship at the Crucible has been a subject of much debate for years.
On the one hand, the more forward-thinking and progressive stakeholders (and fans) argue that the Crucible has had its time and that the flagship event of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports deserves a bigger, better and more modern venue to host it.
Many point to the success of the Alexander Palace in London, which has a capacity of over 3,200 (more than three times that of The Crucible, which hosts 980 fans). It has enjoyed phenomenal success when hosting both the Darts World Championship and the Snooker Masters, thanks to a packed West Hall, where the action takes place.
Top players, including Ronnie O’Sullivan and Iran’s Hossein Vafaei, have openly said it’s too small for a tournament of its stature, while also criticising some of the facilities as being outdated.
An example of this is that, up to the semifinals, it is played with a two-table setup, making it slightly cramped for the players. They, in turn, may also be distracted by the action and cheers relating to the other table, where another match is simultaneously taking place.
Others have called for the tournament to be hosted in such places as China and Saudi Arabia as a way of growing the sport there, similar to what has happened with Formula One or golf.
But at the other end of the scale are the traditionalists who don’t want it moved away from The Crucible. Among them is 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy, who called it ‘holy ground’ for competitors.
They argue that it’s exactly the intimate nature of it, with fans so close to the players and where every cough and sneeze can be heard by all, that makes it so special.
The year 2027 will be a key one in the history of the tournament as the contract between the Snooker governing body and the Crucible itself expires. It remains to be seen whether the event will remain at the Crucible or move to a different location.
Top Players to Watch at the 2025 World Snooker Championship
The Snooker World Championship is one of the most popular UK betting events outside the major sports like football, tennis and horse racing.
There’s also plenty of betting in Ireland on it, where it also enjoys huge popularity, despite the fact that there aren’t many top Irish players at the moment who can be considered snooker world title contenders.
But let’s take a quick look at six players who could win at the Crucible this year.
Judd Trump
It’s never a bad thing to go into the Snooker World Championship as the current World Number 1, and that’s exactly what the Bristol-born 35-year-old Trump will be doing after topping the rankings in August 2024 and remaining there ever since.
So far this season, Trump has won the Shanghai Masters, the Saudi Arabia Masters and best of all, the UK Championship, which is part of the Triple Crown alongside the Snooker World Championship and The Masters.
There have been further runner-up spots in the Xi’an Grand Prix, the Northern Ireland Open and the Players Championship, to go with a load of semi-finals made as well..
But Trump has unfinished business here at The Crucible.
He may have won it in 2019, but just the one win to go with two runner-up spots in 19 attempts is a poor return for a player with 30 ranking tournament wins to his name.
Kyren Wilson
When the 32-year-old from Northamptonshire entered last year’s Snooker World Championship, he wasn’t coming into it in any great form with just one final and two semi-final appearances to speak of so far during the season 2023/24. So, the odds of around 25/1 about Wilson winning the big one sounded about right.
But Wilson would be the first to admit he benefited from a kind draw at ‘The Worlds’, facing out-of-sorts players in Dominic Dale and Joe O’Connor before finally facing a real tough nut to crack in John Higgins, beating him 13-8 before going on to also get the better of David Gilbert (17-11) in the semi.
And with all due respect to Jak Jones, Wilson couldn’t have asked for a sweeter opponent in the final than Welshman Jones, who was a qualifier in the tournament and who to this day, is yet to win a ranking event.
So Wilson was fortunate to avoid most of the big guns in the draw, but you can only beat the player in front of you. And he certainly did that, ultimately winning the final 18-14.
Wilson has put much of his recent success down to a change of approach in tactics, where he’s looked to be far more aggressive and secure higher breaks, even if that means taking more risks. The proof is in the pudding because he’s already won four ranking events this season.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
It’s hard to know where to start with the man they call ‘The Rocket’. His seven world titles are a joint record alongside Stephen Hendry, his 23 Triple Crown Titles a stand-alone record, as are his 41 ranking titles.
He also holds just about every other possible record in the game for century breaks, 147s, career prize money won and just about anything else you can think of.
There is no player in the history of the game more popular, more talented or more exciting to watch than this one.
The flipside to all this is that O’Sullivan can be at times moody and seemingly disinterested in the game he’s playing, or the game in general, having threatened to quit the sport on numerous occasions.
Outbursts against low prize money, the top brass of snooker, the standard of refereeing, venues, and playing conditions have resulted in numerous fines and suspensions over the years.
It says it all that Ronnie could rock up and win the whole event for a record eighth time. Or he might just walk out halfway through his first match if he’s in a bad mood.
Mark Selby
If you needed one player in the world to play snooker for three straight days, Selby would be a good candidate to do so. The Leicester-born player loves nothing more than being at the table for hours on end and has the physical and mental stamina, plus the powers of concentration, to do just that.
Not to mention: the game. He’s one of the few who is just as comfortable exchanging safety shots all day as he is compiling big breaks so there’s no clear chink in his armour, making him a nightmare to play against.
He’s won four times at The Crucible already, so this marathon tournament is right up his street in terms of his strengths. If you want to beat Selby, you’re going to have to be at your absolute best.
John Higgins
If beating Selby over long-format snooker is hard enough, doing so against Higgins must feel like getting blood out of a stone.
Like Selby, Higgins is a four-time World Champion, but the Scot has had a further eight years to hone his snooker skills at the highest level, which include remarkable positioning of the cue ball, consistent century breaks and a patient safety game that allows him to steal frames that appeared lost.
At age 49, most players are thinking of packing in their cue, but not Higgins. After winning the Tour Championship earlier this season, beating Selby of all people, he’s certainly not done just yet. He will bank on all his experience to secure another deep run in the competition.
Neil Robertson
Like Trump, for a player of his ability, Australian Neil Robertson has never really got to grips with life at The Crucible with its marathon matches and cramped venue. Yes, he won it back in 2010, but that and a couple of semi-final places are all he has to show for over 25 years of playing here.
The quiet left-hander then went through a couple of tricky seasons, falling out of the World’s Top 16 and missing out on playing at the Snooker World Championship last year for the first time since 2004, after losing the final frame of his final qualifying match.
But he was back in business in March 2025, winning the Grand Prix in style with a 10-0 whitewash of Stuart Bingham. But at a venue where he’s had plenty of poor results in the past, don’t expect too much from him this time round.
What to Watch for at the World Snooker Championship 2025
Whether the Snooker World Championship is all about the snooker betting side of things for you or the sporting drama side of things, here are possible narratives to look out for.
Zhao Xintong’s Controversial Comeback
Xintong won the UK Championship in 2021 and seemingly had the snooker world at his feet, with many tipping him to become China’s first-ever snooker world champion.
But then in January 2023, he was suspended for match-fixing (betting) offences alongside nine other Chinese players, with his suspension only coming to an end in September 2024.
At the moment, he’ll be playing as an amateur after going through qualifying to secure his place at this year’s World Championships, during which he made an incredible 12 centuries en route to securing his place in the draw.
It will be interesting to see what sort of reception he gets from opponents and fans after his much-awaited return to the big stage following his ban. He starts against last year’s runner-up, Jak Jones, in the first round.
Grudge Match First Up, but Is It Ronnie’s Last Dance?
In typical Ronnie style, he left it to the very last minute to confirm that he would, in fact, be playing in this year’s Snooker World Championship, having hardly played since January.
Though he did at least confirm he had been properly practising out in Saudi Arabia these last few weeks.
It may be the last time we see him at The Crucible, or he may still be there in 10 years’ time; you just never know with him.
But what we do know is that first-round opponents Ali Carter and Ronnie do not get on, especially after trading insults during and after last year’s Masters. It could make for the typical fiery encounter that Ronnie’s fans live for.
Fan Favourites, Underdogs, and World Snooker Championship Odds
So, who are the favourites to win the Crucible Title, and who is the smart money on?
The Fans' Favourite: Ronnie O’Sullivan
If betting odds were determined by the number of fans a player has or the amount of noise they make at The Crucible, Ronnie would be the clear favourite.
But he’s only made the quarters at the last two Worlds, hasn’t played competitively since January, broke his cue at the time and seems more disinterested in snooker than ever. So, despite being the 10/1 fourth-favourite, he’s facing plenty of obstacles if he’s to win it again.
The Bookies’ Favourite: Judd Trump
The bookies aren’t oblivious to Trump’s standing as the World’s Number 1 player or his excellent season, where he’s won three big tournaments already and consistently made the semis in many of the others, at the very least.
That’s why he’s the 4/1 favourite.
But there are two possible flies in the ointment. The first is his very average record here at The Crucible, as mentioned already. The second is a growing difficulty in beating that man Kyren Wilson, especially when it comes to big finals.
In the last season, Trump lost finals to Wilson at the Xi’an Grand Prix (10-8), the Northern Ireland Open (9-3), the Masters (6-3) and The Players Championship (10-9), so as things stand, Wilson seems to have his number.
Given they’re seeded 1 and 2, they’d only meet in the final if they both got that far. But if they both do, Trump has reasons to be worried.
Golden Oldies: John Higgins and Mark Williams
Aged 49 and 50 respectively, Williams (50/1) and Higgins (16/1) are relative dinosaurs in what is increasingly becoming a young man’s game, but try telling them that.
With seven World championships between them, they’ve seen it all before at The Crucible and knowing their careers can’t last forever, they’ll want to win at least one more of these before their time is up.
These are two of the most focused, professional, hard-working and tactically astute players the game has ever produced so one, or both, could go on a big run.
Who Will Rise at the Crucible in 2025?
So, when does the World Snooker start? The main draw begins on Saturday, April 19 and runs till May 5.
It’s not an event you want to miss. It may be your last chance to see Williams, Higgins or O’Sullivan at the home of snooker, as well as a great chance to see the stars of tomorrow like Si Jiahui and Wu Yize make their mark here for the first time.
Elsewhere, all eyes will be on the returning Zhao Xintong, who has all the talent but has already made one serious mistake in his career. Let’s hope he doesn’t make another.
There are priceless ranking points at stake here that could seriously affect players’ rankings, which in turn determine which future tournaments they qualify for over the rest of the season, and where they’re seeded in them, another crucial factor.
We’ve already seen the remarkable case of Jackson Page making two 147 breaks in qualifying in the same match (despite not actually qualifying for the main draw) for the first time in history. With the standard constantly on the rise, we may see it happen again this year.
But who should your money be on? At the big price of 16/1, Higgins may yet have one big effort here left in him.
There’s certainly plenty to like about last year’s champion Kyren Wilson, at 9/1, the third favourite. He’s had a huge season so far, keeps beating Trump in big finals and is scoring incredibly heavily these days, so he could go out and do it all over again.
