After last week’s World Open, the top 16 players who will definitely feature in the 2024 edition of the World Snooker Championship are now known.
There is still one ranking event to go before the big one gets under way at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield next month.
However, the 12-player field at next week’s Tour Championship is made up entirely of players already ranked inside the top 16 on the official list.
Neil Robertson is the standout name who will be forced into the dreaded qualifiers this year.
The Australian’s run to the semi-finals of the World Open in Yushan was not enough to see him secure an automatic berth at the Crucible.
Robertson, the world champion in 2010, is still officially ranked as the world number 14 as things stand.
But with the points from his 2022 Tour Championship triumph soon to be deducted from his tally, the Melbourne man will plummet outside the elite group.
It’ll mark the first time since 2006 that Robertson will have to attend the qualifying competition.
His demise is good news for Robert Milkins, who despite currently being ranked in 17th will rise one spot after the crucial next revision of the standings.
Milkins has failed to qualify for the Tour Championship, meaning he will certainly represent the 16th seed in April’s hugely anticipated World Championship draw.
Luca Brecel, who has failed to qualify for the Tour Championship too, will of course be the top seed as the reigning Crucible champion.
The Belgian memorably lifted the trophy for the first time in 2023 with an 18-15 success over Mark Selby in the final.
With significant gaps both in front of him and behind him in the world rankings, Selby is also assured of being the fifth seed in Sheffield.
All of the other seeding positions could change depending on how results fare in next week’s Tour Championship.
There is a ยฃ150,000 top prize up for grabs at the Manchester Central, so there will likely be a shuffle in the specific order of the seedings.
Tour Championship prize money
Champion: ยฃ150,000
Runner-up: ยฃ60,000
Semi-Finals: ยฃ40,000
Quarter-Finals: ยฃ30,000
Round of 12: ยฃ20,000
Highest break: ยฃ10,000
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan and Sunday’s World Open champion Judd Trump are currently in line to be the respective second and third seeds.
The two Englishmen have dominated the 2023/24 snooker season, accumulating ten titles between them during a prolific period in which they have shared five pieces of silverware each.
All signs point to the pair being on a collision course to clash in Sheffield.
If they maintain their current positions, they would potentially meet at the semi-final stage, ending the possibility of a repeat of the 2022 final.
Mark Allen could still upset that order, but the Northern Irishman would need to win the Tour Championship.
Further down, Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, and Ali Carter provisionally occupy the remaining top eight seeding spots.
Among those, only Murphy hasn’t qualified for the Tour Championship – the Magician failing to get the opportunity to defend the title he won a year ago.
After a disappointing spell of form, Kyren Wilson won’t feature in the penultimate ranking event of this term either.
Zhang Anda and Tom Ford, meanwhile, will be seeded players in Sheffield for the first time in their careers.
2024 World Snooker Championship
Top 16 Seeds
Note: fixed seeding in RED. Other positions can change depending on results in Tour Championship (TC).
| Seed | Player | Points before TC |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Luca Brecel (world champ) | ยฃ690,500 |
| 2. | Ronnie O’Sullivan | ยฃ1,049,000 |
| 3. | Judd Trump | ยฃ1,031,000 |
| 4. | Mark Allen | ยฃ925,000 |
| 5. | Mark Selby | ยฃ658,500 |
| 6. | Shaun Murphy | ยฃ468,000 |
| 7. | Ding Junhui | ยฃ456,500 |
| 8. | Ali Carter | ยฃ413,000 |
| 9. | Mark Williams | ยฃ407,500 |
| 10. | Zhang Anda | ยฃ386,000 |
| 11. | Kyren Wilson | ยฃ381,500 |
| 12. | Gary Wilson | ยฃ381,500 |
| 13. | John Higgins | ยฃ333,500 |
| 14. | Tom Ford | ยฃ305,500 |
| 15. | Barry Hawkins | ยฃ292,500 |
| 16. | Robert Milkins | ยฃ283,500 |
Featured photo credit: WST
10 of the 16 seeds are English.
Four of the sixteen seeds are not English.
Actually six of them are not English.
Six, three “British, but not English”: Higgins (Sco), Allen (NI) and Williams (Wal), one Belgian (Brecel) and two Chinese (Ding and Zhang Anda).
Good solid article. But could you please ad the dates and times of all the tournaments.
When is the draw being made?
Should be Thursday, April 18th.
thanks.and the qualifying rounds?
Not exactly sure but would presume next week.
Think it said qualifying rounds should be done on monday
Is Ronnie OSullivan in the top half of the draw?
No. Depending on how the rest of the Tour Championship goes, he’ll be the second or third seed. Both will put him in the bottom half.