The 2026 World Snooker Championship takes place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from 18 April to 4 May – and you can watch every shot of the tournament live on the BBC.

Zhao Xintong, who became the first champion from China by beating Mark Williams in last year’s final, will get the 17-day tournament under way against qualifier Liam Highfield at 10:00 BST on Saturday.

Zhao is one of a record 11 players from China in the field of 32, beating the previous high of 10 from last year.

Ronnie O’Sullivan hopes to win a record eighth world title at the age of 50 – 25 years after claiming his first – to finally move clear of Stephen Hendry as the championship’s most successful player.

World number one Judd Trump will aim to lift the trophy for the second time, while other contenders include four-time champions Mark Selby and John Higgins, three-time winner Mark Williams and 2024 champion Kyren Wilson.

There are four debutants including England’s Stan Moody, 19, and Liam Pullen, 20.

This year is the 50th championship to be held at the Crucible since the tournament moved to Sheffield in 1977.

The two-day final starts on 3 May, with the winner taking home £500,000.

He will need to win 71 frames over four matches to lift the trophy.