The main stages of the 2026 World Snooker Championship are just around the corner after the qualifiers concluded on Wednesday in Sheffield.
Sixteen players emerged from the English Institute of Sport to join the top 16 seeds from the world rankings in the round-of-32 draw.
The first round proper commences on Saturday at the Crucible Theatre, but let’s see who made it through Judgement Day this week.
Who are the World Snooker Championship qualifiers?
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens will return to the Crucible Theatre for the first time since 2022 after recording hard-fought victories over Peter Lines and Stuart Bingham.
Now 48, the chances of Stevens lifting the world title are slim, but he has always had pedigree in Sheffield and over longer formats, so he remains a dangerous draw for any seeded player.
Hossein Vafaei
Injury struggles have hindered Hossein Vafaei’s progress in recent times, but a run to the quarter-finals of the recent World Open gave the Iranian a welcome boost in confidence.
Vafaei will be in the World Championship draw for the fifth straight year after beating Gao Yang 10-4, with two appearances in the last 16 of the competition under his belt.
David Gilbert
For the second year in a row, David Gilbert ended the aspirations of Aaron Hill on Judgement Day – this time earning a 10-6 victory over the young Irishman.
A player who made his debut in 2007, this will be the eighth World Championship in a row to feature Gilbert, and he has reached the semi-finals twice during that period.
Zhou Yuelong
For a player of his stature and potential, it’s somewhat surprising that Zhou Yuelong had only qualified for the World Championship three times prior to this year’s edition.
The 28 year-old from China will be back for a fourth time, though, after comfortably beating both Robbie McGuigan and Michael Holt in the qualifiers.
Stan Moody
Stan Moody’s maiden qualification was made even more remarkable by the fact he was advised by doctors to not even play.
Struggling with tonsillitis, 19 year-old Moody outlasted Jiang Jun in a deciding-frame thriller to become the first British teenager to qualify for the Crucible since Judd Trump in 2007.
Antoni Kowalski
Antoni Kowalski’s stock rose significantly during these World Championship qualifiers, with the young Pole’s hat-trick of victories not only securing a debut berth in the last 32 but also his own tour survival.
Never short of confidence, Kowalski added Jamie Jones to his list of conquests at the English Institute of Sport, and he could be a handful for some of the seeded players.
Pang Junxu
China’s Pang Junxu qualified for the fourth year in a row courtesy of a 10-8 victory over Jackson Page on Judgement Day.
The 26 year-old, who was the runner-up at the WST Classic ranking event in 2023, has represented a top 32-ranked player for some time and will be hoping to join many of his countrymen who have made breakthroughs on the biggest stages in recent years.
Liam Pullen
It was only a few short years ago when Liam Pullen lost to Stan Moody at the WSF Junior Championship, but here they are both set to make their maiden Crucible bow.
Pullen beat Alfie Burden, Amir Sarkhosh, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, and Noppon Saengkham as he stormed his way through from the opening qualifying round.
Top 16 Seeds
1. Zhao Xintong
2. Judd Trump
3. Kyren Wilson
4. Neil Robertson
5. John Higgins
6. Mark Williams
7. Mark Selby
8. Shaun Murphy
9. Xiao Guodong
10. Wu Yize
11. Barry Hawkins
12. Ronnie O’Sullivan
13. Chris Wakelin
14. Mark Allen
15. Si Jiahui
16. Ding Junhui
Jak Jones
Jak Jones has proven himself to be somewhat of a World Championship specialist, and the Welshman secured his Crucible return with a 10-5 victory over Luca Brecel.
Jones, who compiled five century breaks to beat the Belgian, reached the quarter-finals on his debut in 2023 and backed that up with a run to the final 12 months later.
Lei Peifan
In 2025, Lei Peifan made headlines for inflicting the Curse of the Crucible on then reigning first-time champion Kyren Wilson.
After beating Ryan Day on Judgement Day, Lei is back into the main draw for a World Snooker Championship for the second time.
Gary Wilson
Three-time ranking event winner Gary Wilson appeared to be coasting when he orchestrated a 7-2 lead over Xu Si in the final round.
But back came the Chinese cueist, who won seven out of the next eight frames to lead 9-8, only for Wilson to then take the last two frames for a dramatic deciding-frame triumph.
Zhang Anda
One of the most comfortable routes through to the Crucible saw Zhang Anda hammer Zak Surety with a 10-3 scoreline.
Zhang was in devastating scoring form, compiling five century breaks – including a 143 total clearance – in a thoroughly one-sided encounter.
Ali Carter
There are few players with better experience at the Crucible than Ali Carter, a two-time former runner-up.
The Captain will strive for glory in Sheffield once more after emerging from the qualifiers with victories over Julien Leclercq and Anthony McGill.
Liam Highfield
Liam Highfield reached the Crucible for the fourth time in his career with a resounding 10-2 victory over Oliver Lines.
Like Pullen, Highfield fought his way through from the very first qualifying round – also beating Oliver Brown, Wang Yuchen, and Stephen Maguire.
Fan Zhengyi
A 10-4 defeat of Ben Mertens on Judgement Day helped Fan Zhengyi secure his third qualification for the Crucible in the last four seasons.
Fan, a former ranking event winner, has slipped down the rankings in recent times but will look to end the 2025/26 season on a high note.
He Guoqiang
One of the biggest upsets of the entire qualifying competition saw He Guoqiang dispatch Northern Ireland Open champion Jack Lisowski.
He compiled just two breaks above 50 but always had a modicum of control after establishing an early 5-0 lead, and the 25 year-old’s reward will be a debut appearance at the Crucible.
When is the World Snooker Championship first-round draw?
The draw for the first round of the 2026 World Snooker Championship will be made at around 8:45am BST on Thursday, April 16th.
The draw will be conducted live on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Featured photo credit: WST
