World Snooker Championship prize money: How much do the players earn at the Crucible?

The 2026 World Snooker Championship will see 32 players battle for the sport’s biggest prize, with prestige and plenty of money on the line at the Crucible Theatre.

Every player in the main draw will win at least £20,000, and the winner of the tournament will take home a cheque for half a million pounds – not bad for two weeks’ work.

The total prize pot this year is £2,395,000, and as well as payouts for finishing positions there are also bonuses on offer for the highest break and any maximum break achieved during the tournament.

Those bonuses already have a potential winner, however, after China’s Chang Bingyu hit a 147 break in qualifying. He stands to win £172,000 for the feat – despite failing to qualify for the main draw – although that prize will be shared if someone else pulls off a maximum during the tournament itself.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is well out in front for the most money earned in snooker history with total winnings in excess of £15m, and the 50-year-old returns to Sheffield having rediscovered some of his best form in recent months.

But he faces a battle with the game’s leading lights including last year’s champion Zhao Xintong, 2019 champion Judd Trump and fellow of Class of ‘92 stars John Higgins and Mark Williams.