The 2024 World Snooker Championship takes place in Sheffield between Saturday April 20 and Monday, May 6 at the Crucible in Sheffield, with Luca Brecel the defending champion and Ronnie O’Sullivan targeting a record eighth title.
The tournament’s champion will take home £500,000 and £40,000 awarded for 147 break.
Ding Junhui, Judd Trump and Mark Williams are among the players looking to stop Ronnie O’Sullivan from winning record eighth World Snooker Championship.
Belgian star Brecel defeated O’Sullivan 13-10 at the quarter-final stage at The Crucible last year before beating four-time world champion Mark Selby in the final to become the first player from mainland Europe to claim snooker’s top prize.
O’Sullivan won the World Championship in 2022 to equal Stephen Hendry’s record of seven Crucible crowns and comes into the 2024 event having won five titles in the 2023-2024 season, including The Masters and the UK Championship for a record eighth time each.
The 48-year-old will become only the fourth player to win snooker’s three Triple Crown events (World Championship, The Masters, UK Championship) in the same season if he triumphs in Sheffield, after Steve Davis, Hendry (twice) and Mark Williams.
Second seed O’Sullivan begins his tournament at 2.30 pm on Wednesday, April 24, with top seed Brecel kicking his defence off at 10 am on the opening day and then concluding it later that evening.
If the 32-player tournament goes according to seedings, O’Sullivan will face Barry Hawkins in round two, Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals, Judd Trump in the semi-finals, and Brecel in the final on Sunday, May 5, and Monday, May 6.
Brecel’s route would see him meet Robert Milkins in the last 16, Shaun Murphy in the quarters and Mark Allen in the semis – although the defending champion is not among the most fancied players after only reaching one ranking quarter-final this season.
World Snooker Championship – last 10 winners:
2023: Luca Brecel
2022: Ronnie O’Sullivan
2021: Mark Selby
2020: Ronnie O’Sullivan
2019: Judd Trump
2018: Mark Williams
2017: Mark Selby
2016: Mark Selby
2015: Stuart Bingham
2014: Mark Selby
World Snooker Championship 2024 – full first-round schedule:
Saturday, April 20
10am
Luca Brecel vs qualifier
Zhang Anda vs qualifier
2.30pm
Ali Carter vs qualifier
Judd Trump vs qualifier
7pm
Luca Brecel vs qualifier
Tom Ford vs qualifier
Sunday, April 21
10am
Mark Selby vs qualifier
Zhang Anda vs qualifier
2.30pm
Shaun Murphy vs qualifier
Judd Trump vs qualifier
7pm
Ali Carter vs qualifier
Tom Ford vs qualifier
Monday, April 22
10am
Shaun Murphy vs qualifier
Gary Wilson vs qualifier
2.30pm
Mark Selby vs qualifier
Mark Williams vs qualifier
7pm
Robert Milkins vs qualifier
Gary Wilson vs qualifier
Tuesday, April 23
10am
Kyren Wilson vs qualifier
Ding Junhui vs qualifier
2.30pm
Mark Allen vs qualifier
Mark Williams vs qualifier
7pm
Robert Milkins vs qualifier
Barry Hawkins vs qualifier
Wednesday, April 24
10am
Kyren Wilson vs qualifier
Ding Junhui vs qualifier
2.30pm
Mark Allen vs qualifier
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs qualifier
7pm
John Higgins vs qualifier
Barry Hawkins vs qualifier
Thursday, April 25
1pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs qualifier
7pm
John Higgins vs qualifier
Second round – Thursday, April 25-Monday, April 29
Quarter-finals – Tuesday April 30-Wednesday May 1
Semi-finals – Thursday, May 2, Friday, May 3, Saturday, May 4
Final – Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6
