The World Snooker Championship is an annual snooker tournament founded in 1927, and played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England since 1977. The tournament is now played over seventeen days in late April and early May, and is chronologically the third of the three Triple Crown events of the season. The event was not held from 1941 to 1945 because of World War II and between 1958 and 1963 due to declining interest from players.

The governing body that organises this event is the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). Prior to the WPBSA assuming control of the professional game in 1968, the world championship was organised by the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC), except for between 1952 and 1957 when the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) staged their own event, the World Professional Match-play Championship, following a dispute with the BACC.

As of 2026, 30 players have won the Championship. The most successful player at the World Snooker Championship is Joe Davis, who won fifteen consecutive titles between 1927 and 1946. The record in the modern era, usually dated from the reintroduction in 1969 of a knock-out tournament format, rather than a challenge format, is shared by Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan, both having won the title seven times.

Champions

+ Format OrganiserKnockout tournament () BACCChallenge event with defending champion receiving a bye to the final (*) BACCWorld Professional Match-play Championship (◊) PBPAChallenge matches (‡) BACC Knockout tournament WPBSA

+List of World Snooker Championship winners Year Winner Runner-up Final score Season Venue 1927 20–11n/aCamkin's Hall, Birmingham 1928* n/aCamkin's Hall, Birmingham 1929 19–14n/aLounge Hall, Nottingham 1930 25–12n/aThurston's Hall, London1931 25–21n/aLounge Hall, Nottingham1932 30–19n/aThurston's Hall, London1933 25–18n/a1934 25–22n/aLounge Hall, Nottingham and Central Hall, Kettering1935 25–20n/aThurston's Hall, London1936 34–27n/a1937 32–29n/a1938 37–24n/a1939 43–30n/a1940 37–36n/a 1941–1945: No tournament1946 78–67n/aRoyal Horticultural Hall, London1947 82–63n/aLeicester Square Hall, London1948 84–61n/a1949 80–65n/a1950 51–46n/aTower Circus, Blackpool1951 58–39n/a1952 94–49n/aHouldsworth Hall, Manchester1952◊ 38–35n/aTower Circus, Blackpool1953◊ 37–34n/aLeicester Square Hall, London1954◊ 45–26n/aHouldsworth Hall, Manchester1955◊ 38–35n/aTower Circus, Blackpool1956◊ 38–35n/a1957◊ 39–34n/aJersey Billiards Association Match Room, St Helier, Jersey 1958–1963: No tournament1964‡ 19–161963–64Burroughes Hall, London1964‡ 40–331964–651965‡ 37–361964–651965‡ 25–221965–66South Africa1965‡ 39–12 1965–661966‡ 5–21965–66St George's Hall, Liverpool1968‡ 39–341967–68Co-operative Hall, Bolton1969 37–24 1968–69Victoria House, London1970 37–33 1969–701971 37–29 1970–71Chevron Hotel, Sydney1972 37–31 1971–72Selly Park British Legion, Birmingham1973 38–32 1972–73City Exhibition Hall, Manchester1974 22–12 1973–74Belle Vue, Manchester1975 31–30 1974–75Nunawading Basketball Centre, Melbourne, Australia1976 27–16 1975–76Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester1977 25–21 1976–77Crucible Theatre, Sheffield1978 25–18 1977–781979 24–16 1978–791980 18–16 1979–801981 18–12 1980–811982 18–15 1981–821983 18–6 1982–831984 18–16 1983–841985 18–17 1984–851986 18–12 1985–861987 18–14 1986–871988 18–11 1987–881989 18–3 1988–891990 18–12 1989–901991 18–111990–911992 18–141991–921993 18–51992–931994 18–171993–941995 18–91994–951996 18–121995–961997 18–121996–971998 18–121997–981999 18–111998–992000 18–162001 18–142000–012002 18–172001–022003 18–162002–032004 18–82003–042005 18–162004–052006 18–142005–062007 18–132006–072008 18–82007–082009 18–9 2008–09 2010 18–132009–102011 18–15 2010–112012 18–112011–122013 18–122012–132014 18–142013–142015 18–15 2014–152016 18–142015–162017 18–152016–172018 18–162017–182019 18–92018–192020 18–82019–202021 18–152020–212022 18–132021–222023 18–152022–232024 18–142023–242025 18–122024–252026 18–172025–262027 –2026–272028 –2027–282029 –2028–29United Kingdom

Multiple champions

+Key Challenge match * World Professional Match-play Championship ¤ Player competed in 2025 +Multiple-time Snooker World Championship winners Player Total Years Status 151927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946died 10 July 1978 81948, 1949, 1951, 1952*, 1953*, 1954*, 1955*, 1956*died 16 April 1998 1957*, 1964, 1964, 1965, 1965, 1965, 1966, 1968died 25 December 1998 71990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999retired 2024 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2022¤ 61970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978died 19 July 2024 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989retired 201641998, 2007, 2009, 2011¤2014, 2016, 2017, 2021¤ 31969, 1971, 1977died 11 July 2006 2000, 2003, 2018¤ 21947, 1950died 24 May 1973 1972, 1982died 24 July 2010

Notes

References