World Snooker Championship draw as Ronnie O'Sullivan told his Crucible opponent

The 2026 World Snooker Championship draw has been completed ahead of the action getting underway at the Crucible next week with Ronnie O'Sullivan looking to roll back the years

09:11, 16 Apr 2026Updated 09:31, 16 Apr 2026

[The World Snooker Championship trophy on display during day two of the Halo World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Picture date: Sunday April 20, 2025]

The draw for the World Snooker Championship has been completed(Image: PA)

The 2026 World Snooker Championship draw has been completed with the action getting underway at the Crucible in just a matter of days.

Reigning champion Zhao Xintong will be returning to defend his crown while seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan will be looking to roll back time as he looks to land his first world title since 2022.

Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy all booked their spots automatically and found out their opponents in the draw on Thursday morning.

[Ronnie O'Sullivan of England reacts during the round one matches of the WST World Grand Prix 2026 against Joe O'Connor of England at Kai Tak Arena on February 4, 2026 in Hong Kong, China. ]

HONG KONG, CHINA - FEBRUARY 4: Ronnie O'Sullivan of England reacts during the round one matches of the WST World Grand Prix 2026 against Joe O'Connor of England at Kai Tak Arena on February 4, 2026 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

The full 2026 World Snooker Championship draw:

Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson

Chris Wakelin vs Liam Pullen

Kyren Wilson vs Stan Moody

Barry Hawkins vs Matthew Stevens

Shaun Murphy vs Fan Zhengyi

Xiao Guodong vs Zhou Yuelong

[Judd Trump holding his cue during a snooker match]

Snooker world No.1 Judd Trump faces Gary Wilson in the opening round(Image: Getty)

John Higgins vs Ali Carter

Neil Robertson vs Pang Junxu

Si Jiahui vs Hossein Vafaei

Ronnie O'Sullivan vs He Guoqiang

Wu Yize vs Lei Peifan

Mark Selby vs Jak Jones

Mark Allen vs Zhang Anda

Ding Junhui vs David Gilbert

Mark Williams vs Antoni Kowalski

Zhao Xintong vs Liam Highfield

[Zhao Xintong]

Zhao Xintong secured victory in last year's tournament(Image: Getty Images)

The competition gets underway on Saturday, April 18 with defending champion Zhao taking on Liam Highfield at 10am - the same time as Mark Allen and Zhang Anda.

The tournament will run through until the first May bank holiday, with the opening session of the final at 1pm on Sunday, May 3 and the fourth session starting at 7pm on Monday, May 4.

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Like the 2025 edition, the winner will take home a jackpot of 500,000, with the runner-up receiving 200,000.

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