The 2026 World Snooker Championship takes place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from 18 April to 4 May - and you can watch every shot of the tournament live on the BBC.Top seed Zhao Xintong, who became the first champion from China by beating Mark Williams in last year's final, is the favourite this year. Ronnie O'Sullivan hopes to win a record eighth world title at the age of 50 - 25 years after claiming his first - to move clear of Stephen Hendry as the championship's most successful player.World number one Judd Trump aims to lift the trophy for the second time, while other contenders include former champions Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy.This year is the 50th championship to be held at the Crucible since the tournament moved to Sheffield in 1977.The two-day final starts on 3 May, with the winner taking home £500,000.O'Sullivan chasing eighth Crucible title aged 50Who are the 16 Crucible seeds?As defending champion, Zhao has the honour of being named as top seed.O'Sullivan, who made the sport's highest-ever professional break with a 153 at the World Open in March, is seeded 12th and is in the same half of the draw as Zhao.World number one Trump is the number two seed and is joined in the bottom half of the draw by third seed and reigning Masters champion Wilson.Australian Neil Robertson is the number four seed ahead of veteran duo Higgins and Williams at five and six, with UK Championship winner Selby at seven and Murphy eight.Other seeds: 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.'I'd run the M4 naked' - Williams targets snooker historyWhat is the Crucible curse?When does O'Sullivan play next?The Englishman, whose most recent world title triumph was in 2022, is making his 34th consecutive appearance at the World Championship.The 50-year-old, who has not won a ranking title this season and has played a limited schedule, opened his campaign with an emphatic 10-2 win over He Guoqiang. O'Sullivan will now face four-time champion Higgins in the second-round in a best-of-25 contest starting on Saturday evening.'The Rocket' lost 17-7 with a session to spare to Zhao in the semi-finals last year.O'Sullivan's 'rolling the dice' cue gamble pays offWhy snooker's golden generation are still shining at 50Who are the 16 Crucible qualifiers?Moody has reached two ranking event quarter-finals this season and is ranked 40th in the world [Getty Images]Moody and Liam Pullen both made their debuts after coming through the qualifying tournament at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.Moody gave 2024 champion Wilson a tough test before falling to a 10-7 defeat, while Pullen lost 10-6 to 13th seed Chris Wakelin.China's He was another debutant, while Antoni Kowalski, 22, became the first player from Poland to play at the Crucible.Former finalists Matthew Stevens, Ali Carter and Jak Jones all claimed one of the 16 qualifying places before being beaten in the first round.So far, Iran's Hossein Vafaei is the only unseeded player to make it into the second round thanks to a comprehensive 10-3 victory over 15th seed Si Jiahui.Six qualifiers beat seeded players in 2025, including Zhao who went on to lift the trophy.Vafaei 'fighting to make Iranians proud' at WorldsHow many nationalities have played at the World Snooker Championship?How to follow on the BBCWith comprehensive television coverage across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, and uninterrupted streaming on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, audiences won't miss a moment from the first break to the final frame.Legends of the game Hendry, Steve Davis, John Parrott, Ken Doherty and Dennis Taylor will offer their expert analysis throughout the tournament.The BBC Sport website and app will provide daily coverage via live streams and live text pages, including updates from our reporters at the Crucible.BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will have regular updates throughout the Championship.BBC Sport social media channels will deliver behind-the-scenes content as well as highlight clips from the tournament and player interviews.How 'dropouts' hangout' became snooker's ultimate stageFirst round (best of 19 frames)All times BST and subject to late changes, while session times could finish earlier or later than listed below. *denotes final sessionThursday, 23 April19:00Neil Robertson (4) 5-4 Pang Junxu *Live coverage13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app13:00-17:00 - BBC Two & Red ButtonSecond round (best of 25 frames)Thursday, 23 April13:00Xiao Guodong (9) v Shaun Murphy (8)19:00Kyren Wilson (3) v Mark Allen (14)Live coverage13:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app13:00-17:00 - BBC Two & Red Button19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red ButtonHighlights00:00-02:00 - World Championship Extra on BBC TwoFriday, 24 April10:00Xiao Guodong (9) v Shaun Murphy (8)Barry Hawkins (11) v Mark Williams (6)14: