The World Snooker Championship is the worlds top tournament for this sport in both prestige and also in how much can be won. Originally held back in 1927 it went in decline in the 1950s and wasn’t played again until 1969. From 1977 to this day it is held in the Crucible Theatre of Sheffield and will continue to do so until 2027. Played over seventeen days, the tournament finally ends on the first Monday in May

How it Works

Remaining relatively unchanged over the years, the format of the Championship is simple. Thirty-two players join the tournament and proceed to go through a knockout format that occurs over the seventeen days. To get into the Championship, sixteen of the players will automatically qualify whilst the other half arrive there through smaller qualifying competitions. The previous year’s champion receives automatic qualifying and also the position of number one in the seeds.

The initial round is nineteen frames and is played in two sessions. The second and quarterfinal rounds are simply the best of twenty-five frames and these are played over three separate sessions. The semi final and the final are both played using four sessions with the frame count being thirty-three and thirty-five respectively. During the tournament there are usually two games played at the same time but by the end of the tournament and its last five days, there is only one match at a time.

Winning Players

There are a number of standout players in the tournaments, the first of which is Stephen Hendry; the holder of the greatest number of Championship wins at a massive seven. He became the youngest snooker player when beginning at just 16. He continued this trend by later winning the Championship at just 21 becoming the youngest player to ever win the tournament.

Joint second are Steve Davis and Ray Reardon each with six wins. Ronnie O’Sullivan at fourth comes in with five wins but with his current form, gameplay and the simple fact that he is still active, he may well exceed all these previous high scorers. With his fast playing style he was nicknamed the Rocket, and he holds the record for the most century breaks at 874.

Sponsorship History of the World Championship

From 2006 through 2022, the World Championships were exclusively sponsored by betting companies. The sponsorship was taken over by 888.com in 2006, following the signing of a five-year agreement. However, they withdrew from this agreement after only three years. From 2009 to 2012, Betfred.com assumed the role of sponsor, succeeded by Betfair in 2013, Dafabet in 2014, and then Betfred resumed its sponsorship from 2015 all the way through to 2022. In 2023 crypto casino Duelbits started to sponsor World grand prix. 

Beginning in 2023, the tournament found a new sponsor in Cazoo, an online car retailer, which entered into a multi-year deal to support the event.