Qualifying rounds First qualifying round (
pictured at the event) became the youngest player to win a
World Championship match, aged .|alt=Photo of Szubarcyk The first qualifying round featured players ranked 81 to 112 against players
seeded 113 to 144, including selected amateurs. At the age of ,
Michał Szubarczyk defeated
Ng On-yee 10–7 to become the youngest player to win a
World Championship match, surpassing
Liam Davies, who had been 15 years and 277 days old when he achieved the feat at the
2022 edition. Veteran player
Jimmy White, aged 63, played in his 46th World Championship campaign, having last reached the
Crucible at the
2006 edition. He led
Gao Yang 5–1, but the match went to a , which White lost on the . The reigning World Women's Champion
Bai Yulu made a
century break of 101 as she defeated amateur player Daniel Womersley 10–7. She became the first female player to win a World Championship qualifying match since
Reanne Evans defeated
Robin Hull at the
2017 edition.
Liam Pullen trailed amateur player
Alfie Burden 1–5 but recovered to force a deciding frame, which he won on the last .
Lan Yuhao, aged 17, made three centuries and seven other over 50 during his 10–5 victory over
Chatchapong Nasa. Lan attempted a
maximum break in the last frame of the match but missed the 15th .
Jamie Clarke made his highest break in professional competition, a 138, in his 10–5 win over
Haydon Pinhey.
Farakh Ajaib,
Cheung Ka Wei, Doherty,
Kreishh Gurbaxani,
Huang Jiahao,
Jonas Luz,
Mitchell Mann, Mink Nutcharut, Pinhey,
Haris Tahir, and
Hatem Yassen all lost their professional tour cards after their first-round defeats.
Second qualifying round (
pictured at the event) became the first woman to make multiple
century breaks in a
World Championship qualifying campaign. The second qualifying round featured the winners of the first qualifying round against players ranked 49 to 80. Amateur player Wang Xinbo made a 143 break as he defeated
Iulian Boiko 10–4.
Robert Milkins, aged 50, who had played on the professional tour continuously since 1995, lost his tour card after his 3–10 defeat by Whelan.
Mark Davis, aged 53, a professional since 1991, also lost his tour card after his 6–10 defeat by Gao.
Oliver Sykes, who had secured a professional tour card as runner-up at the
EBSA European Snooker Championship, made the 40th 146 break in the history of professional snooker during his 10–8 win over
Lyu Haotian.
Jamie Clarke lost the first five frames of his match against
Ben Mertens and then withdrew due to illness.
Sam Craigie forfeited the fifth frame of his match against amateur player Umut Dikme after he returned late from the mid-session interval, and Dikme went on to win in a deciding frame. Fu won five consecutive frames to lead Davies 9–5. Davies took four in a row to tie the scores at 9–9, but Fu won the deciding frame.
Bulcsú Révész also led
Louis Heathcote 9–5, but Heathcote won three further frames before Révész secured a 10–8 victory.
Jordan Brown defeated
Ian Burns on the final of a deciding frame.
Chang Bingyu made three centuries as he beat Prin Ratmukda 10–2, and
Ishpreet Singh Chadha advanced with a 10–5 win over
Chris Totten.
Stuart Bingham, winner of the
2015 edition, made nine breaks over 50 as he took a 9–0 lead over Wang Xinbo in the first session; he also went on to complete a 10–2 win.
Liam Highfield produced back-to-back century breaks in his 10–5 win over
Stephen Maguire, marking the third time in four years that Maguire had failed to qualify for the main stage. Having made a maximum in the
2025 UK Championship qualifying rounds, Chang won a £147,000 bonus for making two maximums across the season's
Triple Crown events and the
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. He also won the £15,000 highest break prize and a £10,000 bonus for making a maximum in the qualifiers. Chang made three centuries in the first session, ending it 5–4 ahead, but Brecel produced breaks of 51, 70, 81, 120, 63, and 52 in the second session as he won the match 10–8. Brecel's century in the 15th frame was his first in professional competition that season.
Jak Jones, runner-up at the
2024 edition, made centuries of 119 and 135 and six other as he defeated Fu 10–6.
Robbie McGuigan, Révész, and
Allan Taylor lost their tour cards after their third-round defeats. (
pictured in 2025) was the first Polish player to reach the
Crucible. The other Crucible debutants were
He Guoqiang,
Stan Moody, and
Liam Pullen. Facing Jamie Jones, Kowalski won four frames in a row to lead 9–6 and went on to secure a 10–8 victory, becoming the first Polish player to reach the main stage at the Crucible. His win ensured that he would remain on the professional tour the following season, as a defeat would have led to his relegation. In tears after the match, Kowalski said: "I never cry, so that's the perfect explanation of what it means to me."
Pang Junxu defeated
Jackson Page by the same score, and
Zhou Yuelong advanced with a 10–4 win over Holt. Two-time finalist
Matthew Stevens led Bingham 5–4 after the first session and went on to win the match 10–7, reaching the Crucible for the first time since the 2022 edition. The qualifying rounds produced a record total of 177 century breaks, surpassing the 143 set during the
previous year's qualifiers. Facing Highfield, the defending champion
Zhao Xintong led 5–4 after the first session and went on to complete a 10–7 win, having made three centuries in the match, 123, 128, and 112. "I didn't play that well," Zhao commented afterwards, saying he was under "big pressure" in trying to defend the title. Zhang made centuries of 129 and 109 and further breaks of 75, 58, and 72 as he took a 5–3 lead over
Mark Allen in the opening session, which ended a frame early due to time constraints. Allen, who called his play "absolutely embarrassing" after he failed to make a break over 50 in the first session, produced breaks including 140, 109, 129, and 81 in the second session as he won six consecutive frames for a 10–6 victory. Zhang's defeat meant that he had lost in the first round on all six of his Crucible appearances. "I want to be World Champion," said Allen after the match. "It will be a disappointing career for me if I look back and I haven't won it."
Xiao Guodong led Zhou 5–4 after the opening session. The three-time champion
Mark Williams faced debutant Kowalski. The scores were tied at 3–3 after the first six frames, but Williams then won three consecutive frames for a 6–3 lead. Facing Stevens,
Barry Hawkins won six consecutive frames to end the first session 7–2 ahead and went on to win the match 10–4, his first victory at the Crucible since the
2021 event.
Ding Junhui, runner-up at the
2016 edition, made his 20th consecutive Crucible appearance. He led Gilbert 7–2 after the first session and went on to complete a 10–5 victory.
Kyren Wilson, winner of the
2024 edition, faced debutant Moody, who made breaks of 84, 91, 110, 55, and 101 in the first session as he took a 6–3 lead. Moody won the first frame of the second session to go 7–3 ahead and had a 35-point lead in frame 11 when he missed , the last red, along the . Wilson won the frame on a and went on to take seven consecutive frames, winning frame 14 after requiring three snookers on the last red. "It was really tough," said Wilson of his 10–7 win. "I wasn't playing great but I made some dogged and I had to keep doing the right things."
Wu Yize, who had lost in the first round on his previous two Crucible appearances, produced breaks including 93, 92, 85, 67, 58, and 105 as he took an 8–1 lead over Lei.
Shaun Murphy, winner of the
2005 edition, led Fan 3–1 at the mid-session interval, but Fan tied the scores at 3–3, winning the sixth frame on a re-spotted black. The scores were tied again at 4–4, but Murphy won the last of the session with a 140 for a 5–4 advantage.
Judd Trump, the
world number one and winner of the
2019 edition, faced Gary Wilson, who made a century of 139 as he moved into a 4–1 lead. Trump won frame six, took frame seven on the colours after requiring a snooker, and then produced breaks of 128 and 77 as he added the last two of the session for a 5–4 lead. Wilson took the first frame of the second session, but Trump then won five consecutive frames for a 10–5 victory. "When it got to 8–5, I could sense a little bit of his confidence was draining and he was going for some rash shots. I knew for me it was then the time to step up," Trump said afterwards. In the second session, he made back-to-back centuries of 113 and 100 as he completed a 10–2 victory. "I still feel a bit rusty," commented O'Sullivan, who had featured in just nine other tournaments that season. "I haven't played against top players regularly so it's hard to know what my chances are."
Chris Wakelin, competing as a seeded player in the tournament for the first time, took a 5–4 lead over debutant Pullen, his friend and practice partner.
(pictured in 2025) was the only seeded player eliminated in the first round, losing 3–10 to
Hossein Vafaei. It was the third time, following the
1983 and
1993 events, that 15 of the 16 seeds advanced. The four-time champion
Mark Selby won the first six frames against Jak Jones, the 2024 runner-up, and ended the first session 7–2 ahead. He went on to complete a 10–2 victory, his first win at the Crucible since the
2023 edition. "It's very tough when you lose in round one because this only comes around once a year," Selby said afterwards, adding that he had been happy with his form in the second half of the season. Facing
Si Jiahui, Vafaei came from 1–3 behind to win nine consecutive frames for 10–3 victory. "Perhaps I was sharp after the qualifiers," Vafaei said afterwards. "This gives me confidence and I will be ready for my next match."
Neil Robertson took a 5–4 lead over Pang in the first session, despite conceding the second frame while only 47 points behind with 51 remaining on the table, mistakenly believing the deficit was actually 57. In the second session, Pang tied the scores at 5–5, but Robertson won five of the last six frames for a 10–6 victory. A record-equalling 15 of the 16 seeds reached the second round, with Si the only seed to lose his first-round match. This had previously happened only twice, at the
1983 edition, when Jimmy White was the only seed who lost in the first round, and the
1993 edition, when
Alain Robidoux was the only seed who did not advance.
Second round The second-round matches were played from 23 to 27 April as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions. Allen won the first five frames against the world number two Kyren Wilson, who responded to take the last three of the session. In the third session, Allen won four of the six frames played for a 13–9 victory, reaching his fifth World Championship quarter-final. "I'd love to score a little bit better," Allen said afterwards. "It isn't a lot of fun grinding matches out." Wilson commented: "Any loss here is disappointing. I came here to try and win the tournament."
(pictured in 2026) lost 9–13 to
Barry Hawkins. Ding faced the defending champion Zhao in a match that was expected to reach large audiences in China. The scores were tied at 4–4 after the opening session. Zhao won four of the six frames played in the third session as he completed a 13–9 victory. "Before the match I said I just wanted to enjoy it and not put myself under pressure," Zhao said afterwards. "It wasn't like that. We knew everyone had their eyes on us. I couldn't enjoy it." Williams and Hawkins were tied at 4–4 after their first session, Hawkins having made a century of 127 in the opening frame and Williams a century of 124 in frame four. The final session of the match coincided with the first session between O'Sullivan and Higgins on the other table, meaning that all three members of the
Class of '92 were competing at the Crucible simultaneously. The players received a standing ovation, which Williams called "the best reception I've ever seen here." Hawkins went on to complete a 13–9 victory, reaching the seventh World Championship quarter-final of his career and his first since the
2018 edition. "I used to crumble against those sorts of players," Hawkins said afterwards. "I think in the last four or five years I've had more belief in myself." champion
Judd Trump (pictured in 2026) lost in a to
Hossein Vafaei. The world number one Trump faced Vafaei, the only qualifier to reach the second round. The scores were tied at 4–4 after the opening session, In the final session, Trump led 12–11, but Vafaei made a century of 106 to force a deciding frame, which he won with a break of 91 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, having previously lost twice in the second round. The players embraced after the match as Vafaei received a standing ovation. "I wasn't nervous. I enjoyed every minute," Vafaei said afterwards. "It was a fantastic feeling against the world number one." Trump commented: "It hurts but I had my chances. I'm not angry about it, I just was not good enough."
(pictured in 2026) led
John Higgins 9–4 but lost the match 12–13. O'Sullivan and Higgins faced each other for the seventh time at the World Championship, each having won three of their previous Crucible encounters. They had last met at the tournament in the semi-finals of the
2022 edition, when O'Sullivan won 17–11. O'Sullivan made breaks of 86, 82, 137, 95, and 76 in the first session as he took a 6–2 lead. Higgins also won the first three frames of the final session, making back-to-back centuries of 118 and 128 in frames 18 and 19, as he took a 10–9 lead. Having lost six consecutive frames at the Crucible for only the fifth time, O'Sullivan won the next two with breaks of 62 and 93, but Higgins responded with breaks of 111 and 88 to move one from victory at 12–11. O'Sullivan tied the scores at 12–12, but Higgins won the deciding frame. The players received a standing ovation after the match ended. "In the first two sessions I didn't play well and Ronnie [O'Sullivan] was brilliant. I felt a bit inferior," said Higgins afterwards. "At 9–4 last night I felt I had to win the last three frames to have a chance." O'Sullivan commented: "There was pressure out there and I felt tight, maybe because I haven't been playing that many tournaments. But I feel in a better place with my game than I have done in the past three years." Former champions
Stephen Hendry and Doherty praised the quality of the match. "You just can't play snooker better than this," Hendry said. Doherty called the encounter "one of the greatest last-16 matches I've ever seen." Selby praised his opponent after the match, saying: "Wu is young, still loving the game and not too many battle scars. Good luck to the boy. I really like him. I think he is a World Champion in the making." In the second session, Murphy led 7–5 at the mid-session interval, but Zhao won three of the next four as he tied the scores at 8–8. In the final session, Murphy won three consecutive frames, making breaks including 80 and 70, as he moved one from victory at 12–9. Zhao won the next with an 81 break, but Murphy then completed a 13–10 win, helped by a break of 69. "I think when you are playing a great player, which Zhao unquestionably is, it makes it straightforward for you," Murphy said. "I just knew I had to play properly and knew I had to be somewhere near my best and I think I was." Murphy called the victory one of the best wins of his career. "[Murphy] played perfect snooker and deserves his win," said Zhao, who became the 21st player to experience the so-called "
Crucible curse", referring to the fact that no first-time champion had retained the title since the tournament moved to the Crucible in
1977. Of his time as World Champion, Zhao said: "Everyone is watching you and has high expectations for you. I've learned a lot from this experience and that will be very helpful for me going forward." Facing Allen, Hawkins took a 4–3 lead. Allen led by 56 points in the final frame of the session when he missed a red; Hawkins produced a 63 clearance to extend his lead to 5–3.
(pictured in 2026) won seven of the last eight frames to beat
Neil Robertson, becoming the oldest semi-finalist since
Ray Reardon in
1985. Higgins, competing in his 20th World Championship quarter-final, was tied at 2–2 with Robertson at the mid-session interval. Robertson then won three of the next four frames, taking the 56-minute eighth frame on the colours, to lead 5–3 after the first session. In the second session, Robertson moved 6–3 ahead before Higgins made breaks of 51, 86, and 126 to tie the scores at 6–6. Robertson won three consecutive frames to lead 9–6, but Higgins won the last of the session with an 80 break to leave Robertson 9–7 ahead.
Semi-finals (
pictured in 2026) made his 100th
century break at the Crucible. He defeated
John Higgins 17–15 to reach his fifth World Championship final. The semi-final matches were played from 30 April to 2 May as the best of 33 frames, held over four sessions. BBC journalist Steve Sutcliffe noted that in the first session Higgins "appeared to still be feeling the effects of his late-night quarter-final victory over Neil Robertson", describing his play as "an error-strewn showing." Murphy made breaks of 68, 69, and 100 as he took a 3–1 lead. Higgins's highest break of the session was just 50, but he won three of the last four frames played, tying the scores at 4–4. In the second session, the scores were tied at 5–5 and 6–6. Higgins took an 8–6 lead, but Murphy won the last two frames of the session to level at 8–8. In the third session, the scores were tied again at 9–9, 10–10, and 11–11. Murphy's 105 break in the 22nd frame was his 100th century at the Crucible, making him the fifth player, after O'Sullivan, Higgins, Hendry, and Selby, to reach that milestone. Higgins responded with breaks of 70 and 101 as he took the last two frames of the session, ending it 13–11 ahead. Murphy won the first two frames of the final session with back-to-back centuries of 132 and 127, tying the scores at 13–13. Higgins took the next two frames to go 15–13 in front, but Murphy then won four consecutive frames, making breaks including 105 and 78 as secured a 17–15 victory. On reaching the final, Murphy said: "I have worked so hard to get back to this stage, in the hunt for that rhythm and timing and commitment under pressure. I am going to give it absolutely everything." Higgins said: "I can't be too disappointed because Shaun [Murphy] was superb."
(pictured in 2026) and
Wu Yize played the longest frame in Crucible history, at 100 minutes and 21 seconds. Allen missed a match-ball off its spot in frame 32 and lost in a . Allen played in his third World Championship semi-final, having previously reached that stage at the 2009 and
2023 editions. He faced Wu, who was the fourth player from mainland China to reach the semi-finals, following Ding, Si, and Zhao. In the second session, Allen won the first five frames, making centuries of 145 and 121 as he moved into a 7–6 lead. During the 14th frame, the last eight reds became clustered around the black, which was blocking a top corner pocket. Wu repeatedly rolled the cue ball into the reds and Allen played away again. After 75 consecutive safety shots from that position, with the audience cheering and slow-clapping, tournament director Rob Spencer instructed referee
Marcel Eckardt to give the players three further shots each to resolve the stalemate or face a . Allen, who then had a 34-point lead, objected to a re-rack and ended the impasse by potting the black and fouling. Wu moved ahead, leaving Allen requiring snookers, and eventually secured the frame by potting the last pink. The frame lasted 100 minutes and 21 seconds, a new record for the longest frame played at the Crucible, surpassing a frame between Selby and
Yan Bingtao at the
2022 edition that had lasted 85 minutes and 22 seconds. The 14th frame included a 55-minute stretch during which neither player potted a ball. Speaking during the BBC's coverage, six-time champion
Steve Davis called the frame "an embarrassment to snooker", while Hendry called it "the most ludicrous frame of snooker in Crucible history." The second session ended after the 14th frame due to time constraints, with the scores tied at 7–7. In the third session, Wu made breaks of 142, 76, and 121 as he moved 10–8 ahead, but Allen tied the scores at 10–10 with breaks of 85 and 99. Wu produced a century of 140 to win frame 21, but Allen took the last frame of the session to tie the scores again at 11–11. In the final session, the players traded frames, with Wu making a century of 126 in frame 24, until Allen won two consecutive frames to lead 16–14. Allen had match-winning opportunities in all three remaining frames. In frame 31, he was on a break of 45 when he missed a red, and Wu won the frame with a 67 clearance. In frame 32, Allen led by 10 points when he missed the last red. Wu attempted a clearance but missed a pot on the last pink. Allen potted the pink but then missed a black off its , and Wu tied the scores at 16–16. In the deciding frame, Allen made a break of 47 before losing position, and Wu went on to win the frame and match with a clearance of 71. Wu said afterwards: "I feel sorry for Mark [Allen]. I thought I was going to lose but I was able to take the opportunity. I was under pressure in the second session and lost my lead. After that, I felt less pressure." Allen commented: "I had my chances and completely blew it, to be honest. I always fancy myself under pressure, but I didn't cope with it today. When you miss a black like that, you don't deserve to win. I had more than enough chances to win it."
Final (pictured before the event) defeated
Shaun Murphy in a to become the second World Champion from Asia. He also became the second-youngest winner in the tournament's history. The final was played on 3 and 4 May as the best of 35 frames, held over four sessions, between the eighth seed Shaun Murphy and the tenth seed Wu Yize. Murphy contested the fifth World Championship final of his career, having previously won the title in
2005 and been runner-up in
2009,
2015, and
2021. Rob Spencer, a referee on the professional tour since 2013, officiated his first World Championship final. Wu won the first three frames, making breaks including 51 and 61. During the third frame, a female spectator jumped the barrier at the front row and entered the playing area, but the referee prevented her from approaching the table, and security removed her from the arena. The woman, who shouted an objection to paying the
television licence, was later identified as an
OnlyFans model. Murphy made breaks of 85, 98, 77, and 109 as he won the next four frames. Wu attempted a maximum break in the last frame of the session, but his effort ended on 65 after he missed the ninth black. The scores were level at 4–4 after the first session. In the second session, Wu won four of the first five frames played, making breaks including 82, 103, and 89 as he moved 8–5 ahead. Murphy narrowed Wu's lead to 9–7, but Wu made a 91 break in the last frame of the session for a three-frame overnight lead at 10–7. Wu also won the first frame of the final session with an 88 break, moving 14–12 ahead, but Murphy made an 82 break to win frame 27 and then tied the scores at 14–14. Wu won frame 29, but Murphy recovered from 70 points behind in frame 30 to level at 15–15. Wu won frame 31, but Murphy made a century of 131 to tie the scores again at 16–16. Murphy missed a red while on a break of 45 in frame 33, and Wu took the frame with a 91 break. Wu had a match-winning opportunity in frame 34 but missed the black off its spot while on a break of 43, and Murphy levelled at 17–17 with a 75 break. It was the fourth time the World Championship final had gone to a deciding frame, following the
1985 final between
Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, the
1994 final between Hendry and Jimmy White, and the
2002 final between
Peter Ebdon and Hendry. Wu won the decider with a break of 85 to secure an 18–17 victory. In all, the final featured three centuries and 29 other breaks over 50. "I am so happy I could play like that today," Wu said after the match. "I played for my family, for myself and for China. My parents are the true champions. Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side. My mum has also been through so much over the years. They are the source of my strength and I love them so much." Writing in the
New York Times, Tim Spiers called the championship "one of the best tournaments in recent years," and said "the two semis and the final were all bona fide classics." == Main draw ==