World Snooker Championship: how to watch 2022 tournament, UK TV coverage and prize money

Mark Selby will return as defending champion for World Snooker Championship title this weekend in Sheffield
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The World Snooker Championship is back for its 54th consecutive year and will take place for the 46th consecutive year in Sheffield.

Mark Selby will return to the Theatre to defend his 2021 title and hopefully win a fifth title overall while Ronnie O’Sullivan will look to meet the record set by Stephen Hendry, who has won the Championship seven times.

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The World Snooker Championship reverted to a knockout tournament in 1969, beginning what is now called the snooker’s modern era.

Not only is Hendry the tournament’s most successful competitor in the modern era, but he is also the youngest to have ever won it, winning his first title in 1990 aged 21.

Steve Davis, who has six titles to his name, has made the most appearances in The Crucible era, with 30 between 1979 and 2010, while O’Sullivan the most consecutive with 29 between 1991 and 2021.

Ronnie O’Sullivan celebrating his win in 2012Ronnie O’Sullivan celebrating his win in 2012
Ronnie O’Sullivan celebrating his win in 2012

This year, fans will be looking out for the young talents of Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao when this tournament begins in a few days time as well as the return of the sport’s greats.

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Here is all you need to know about how to keep up with the World Snooker Championship.

When does the World Championship begin?

The tournament starts on Saturday 16 April 2022 and will conclude with the final on Monday 2 May 2022.

Where is the World Championship taking place?

The tournament will take place at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England.

How to watch the World Championship?

Once again the BBC will have the rights for the World Championship. BBC Two is the main home of the event but BBC One and BBC Four will also be used throughout the two weeks. Fans will be able to live stream the event as well through BBC iPlayer.

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The tournament will also be available to watch on Eurosport and Discovery+ in the UK and across Europe.

The Eurosport website and app will also give live reports and reactions as the tournament goes on for those who cannot watch.

Eurosport subscriptions start at around £6.99/month.

It will also be possible to follow the tournament through the World Snooker Tour’s Youtube and Facebook Channels.

When does the draw for the tournament take place?

The tournament draw takes place on Thursday 14 April at 11am BST. The qualifying stages finish on Wednesday 13 April with 16 players hoping to join those who have already qualified.

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The first round of the tournament will be the best of 19 frames while the second round and quarter-final stage are the best of 25.

The semi-finals and final stages are best of 35 frames.

What is this year’s prize money?

The overall prize money for the tournament is set at over £2 million and the winner will receive £500,000 while the runner-up is set to receive £200,000.

There is a prize of £15,000 for the highest televised break and £40,000 for a 147 maximum break.

Neil Robertson celebrates his win in 2010Neil Robertson celebrates his win in 2010
Neil Robertson celebrates his win in 2010

Who is competing in this year’s tournament?

The top 16 players in the latest snooker rankings qualify automatically for the World Championship while the remaining places are battled out in the qualifiers.

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These qualifiers are taking place at the moment so go to our article on the World Snooker Championship Qualifying Stages to find out more.

The 16 who have already qualified are:

  • Ronnie O’Sullivan
  • Mark Selby
  • Neil Robertson
  • Judd Trump
  • Kyren Wilson
  • John Higgins
  • Zhao Xintong
  • Mark J Williams
  • Barry Hawkins
  • Shaun Murphy
  • Luca Brecel
  • Stuart Bingham
  • Anthony McGill
  • Jack Lisowski
  • Mark Allen
  • Yan Bingtao

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