2026 World Snooker Championship Results & Draw | SnookerWins

Wu Yize Is World Champion — The Full Story from the Crucible

In one of the most remarkable results in World Championship history, Wu Yize has been crowned the 2026 World Snooker Champion — defeating Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a pulsating final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The tenth seed arrived at the Crucible under the radar and left with the sport's greatest prize and a cheque for £500,000. If you backed him each-way before the tournament, you were very well rewarded.

The path Wu Yize carved through the draw was nothing short of extraordinary. He began by brushing past Lei Peifan 10-2 in Round One — a performance that, in hindsight, set the tone for the week. Few would have anticipated what followed. In Round Two, he edged out seventh seed Mark Selby 13-11, before a quarter-final demolition of Hossein Vafaei — the man who had famously knocked out world number two Judd Trump 13-12 in Round Two. Wu then survived an agonisingly close semi-final against Mark Allen, winning 17-16 in a match that went right down to the wire.

The Final: Murphy Comes Up Just Short

The final itself was an absolute epic. Shaun Murphy — the eighth seed who had produced his own stunning run, knocking out top seed Zhao Xintong in the quarter-finals and edging out five-time world champion John Higgins 17-15 in the semis — pushed Wu Yize every inch of the way across the best-of-35 contest. Murphy won 17 frames; it simply wasn't enough. Wu Yize won 18 and took the title. It is a victory that will be remembered for a very long time.

Full 2026 World Snooker Championship Draw & Results

Round One — Best of 19

The first round featured the top 16 seeds matched against 16 qualifiers, with all matches played over two sessions.

1. Zhao Xintong (1) 10-7 Liam Highfield
2. Ding Junhui (16) 10-5 David Gilbert
3. Xiao Guodong (9) 10-6 Zhou Yuelong
4. Shaun Murphy (8) 10-9 Fan Zhengyi
5. John Higgins (5) 10-7 Ali Carter
6. Ronnie O'Sullivan (12) 10-2 He Guoqiang
7. Chris Wakelin (13) 10-6 Liam Pullen
8. Neil Robertson (4) 10-6 Pang Junxu
9. Kyren Wilson (3) 10-7 Stan Moody
10. Mark Allen (14) 10-6 Zhang Anda
11. Barry Hawkins (11) 10-4 Matthew Stevens
12. Mark Williams (6) 10-4 Antoni Kowalski
13. Mark Selby (7) 10-2 Jak Jones
14. Wu Yize (10) 10-2 Lei Peifan
15. Upset Alert: Si Jiahui (15) 3-10 Hossein Vafaei
16. Judd Trump (2) 10-5 Gary Wilson

Round Two — Best of 25

17. Zhao Xintong (1) 13-9 Ding Junhui (16)
18. Shaun Murphy (8) 13-3 Xiao Guodong (9)
19. John Higgins (5) 13-12 Ronnie O'Sullivan (12)
20. Neil Robertson (4) 13-7 Chris Wakelin (13)
21. Mark Allen (14) 13-9 Kyren Wilson (3)
22. Barry Hawkins (11) 13-9 Mark Williams (6)
23. Wu Yize (10) 13-11 Mark Selby (7)
24. Major Upset: Hossein Vafaei 13-12 Judd Trump (2)

Quarter-Finals — Best of 25

25. Shaun Murphy (8) 13-10 Zhao Xintong (1)
26. John Higgins (5) 13-10 Neil Robertson (4)
27. Mark Allen (14) 13-11 Barry Hawkins (11)
28. Wu Yize (10) 13-8 Hossein Vafaei

Semi-Finals — Best of 33

29. Shaun Murphy (8) 17-15 John Higgins (5)
30. Wu Yize (10) 17-16 Mark Allen (14)

Final — Best of 35

31. Wu Yize (10) 18-17 Shaun Murphy (8)
🏆 CHAMPION: WU YIZE

Prize Money

The winner's prize remains at £500,000 — unchanged from 2025 — with a substantial overall prize pot shared across all participants throughout the tournament.

A Tournament of Upsets and Brilliance

Let's not gloss over the broader chaos this draw produced. Judd Trump, the world number two and one of the pre-tournament favourites, was bundled out in Round Two by qualifier Hossein Vafaei — a player who had only reached the Crucible by coming through qualifying. The Iranian then beat Si Jiahui in Round One and pushed all the way to the quarter-finals before Wu Yize finally ended his fairytale run. Ronnie O'Sullivan — looking sharp after that 10-2 demolition of qualifier He Guoqiang in Round One — was pipped out 13-12 by John Higgins in Round Two in what must rank as one of the matches of the tournament. Kyren Wilson, the third seed and reigning champion, fell to Mark Allen in Round Two, exiting without truly making his mark. And of course, Zhao Xintong — the world number one and title favourite — was beaten 13-10 by Shaun Murphy in the last eight, ending hopes of a repeat coronation for the Chinese star.

Wu Yize's triumph is a landmark moment for Chinese snooker, following in the footsteps of Ding Junhui's near misses and Zhao Xintong's own Crucible success. At just 22 years old, the world is genuinely his oyster. Expect the bookmakers to take him very seriously indeed when the 2027 odds are posted.

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