When is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing at Snooker World Championship?

Ronnie O’Sullivan returns to Sheffield’s iconic Crucible Theatre looking to win the World Snooker Championship for a record eighth time and break the current tie with Stephen Hendry. O’Sullivan matched the Scot when he lifted the trophy for a seventh time in 2022 by beating Judd Trump 18-13 in the final, more than 20 years after he’d claimed his first world title.

‘The Rocket’ is the greatest snooker player of all time and has transcended the sport like no one else, meaning there are always an army of supporters cheering him on in every match he plays. The start of his latest tilt at world title number eight will undoubtedly be eagerly anticipated and those with ticket on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon will be lucky enough to see him in action.

O’Sullivan begins his campaign against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang, who has actually beaten the 50-year-old in two of the three matches they’ve played but doing so in the cauldron of the Crucible, over the best-of-19 frames, is a different proposition altogether.

And for his part, O’Sullivan has been quietly happy with the form he has found in recent times. “I started playing alright a couple of weeks ago,” said O’Sullivan after beating John Higgins in the final of an exhibition in Ireland over the weekend. “For three years, I have been very poor, pretty much every day. So I didn’t think I’d ever have another day where I’d feel good. But the last month I’ve been feeling alright. So it was nice to feel comfortable at the table.” Opponents beware…

Here’s everything you need to know about Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Crucible campaign:

When is the World Snooker Championship?

The main stage of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield begins on Saturday 18 April and runs until Monday 4 May, when the champion will be crowned in a best-of-35 final over two days.

When does Ronnie O’Sullivan play?

Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his Crucible campaign with a best-of-19, first-round encounter against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang. The first session of their match, consisting of nine frames, is on Tuesday 21 April, starting at 2.30pm with the concluding session of the match exactly 24 hours later on Wednesday 22 April at 2.30pm.

If O’Sullivan gets through that match, then his second-round contest will be the best of 25 frames, across three sessions against either John Higgins or Ali Carter. The first session is on Saturday 25 April at 7pm, the second session is on Sunday 26 April at 7pm and the final, concluding session will be the following afternoon – Monday 27 April at 1pm.

Ronnie O’Sullivan will be in action on the opening Tuesday and Wednesday of the tournament (Getty)

How to watch the World Snooker Championship

Every session of every match at the 2026 World Snooker Championship will be live on the BBC, with BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website all utilised for coverage across the 17 days. The tournament is also broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK, with every session shown across their channels and subscribers can also use streaming service HBO Max to watch TNT Sports.

What’s the format?

First-round matches at the World Snooker Championship are the best of 19 frames.

Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25, before the semi-finals increase to the best of 33 frames. The final is then [played out over the best of 35 frames.

How much is the Crucible prize money?

The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000.

Winner: £500,000
Runner-up: £200,000
Semi-finals: £100,000
Quarter-finals: £50,000
Last 16: £30,000
Last 32: £20,000
Last 48: £15,000
Last 80: £10,000
Last 112: £5,000
Highest break: £15,000
Maximum break: £40,000, paid out in addition to the highest break prize. The break bonuses are shared if two players hit the same total.