Who Will Win 2024’s World Snooker Championship?

by , 5 April 2024

The World Snooker Championship is the ultimate test of endurance, skill and mental toughness. Since 1977, this famous tournament has been staged at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The venue is renowned for its unique and intense atmosphere. Very few players have lifted the winner’s trophy in the modern era, but there have been several multiple winners.

Stephen Hendry took the title seven times between 1990 and 1999. Steve Davis won the valuable contest six times in the 1980s. Of the current generation of players – and contestants in this year’s event – Ronnie O’Sullivan is a seven-time winner. John Higgins and Mark Selby have lifted the trophy four times, and Mark Williams is a three-time winner.

Snooker player Gary Wilson taking a shot using the rest.

Gary Wilson appears very underrated by the bookmakers ahead of the World Championship. ©GettyImages

Last year, Luca Brecel, an outsider with the snooker betting sites, captured the title for the first time. Other one-time World Championship winners that will hope to double their tally in 2024 include Judd Trump (the 2019 champion), Stuart Bingham (2015), Neil Robertson (2011), Graeme Dott (2006) and Shaun Murphy (2005).

Join us as we assess the chances of these contestants and others in this remarkable competition, which will run for 17 days, from April 20 until May 6. We will look at players’ previous World Championship finishing positions, 2023/24 season results, current form and the odds offered by snooker betting sites.

How the World Championship Works

The top 16 players in the world rankings are automatically placed in the first round of the competition. Following a random draw, they will each face a qualifier that has successfully come through the qualifying rounds – played at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

One hundred twenty-eight individual players will contest the World Snooker Championship qualifiers between April 8-17. There is limited television coverage, but live streaming betting sites will show the action. Here, all matches are played as the ‘best of 19 frames’ and staged over four rounds using the following format:

  • Players seeded 81-144 (plus invited and amateur players) play one another in the opening/first round.
  • The 32 round-one winners will face players seeded 49-80 in round two.
  • In round three, the 32 round two winners will face players seeded 17-48.
  • In round four, the 32 round three winners will play one another, with the 16 winners going to the main competition/draw at the Crucible.

To reach the competition’s televised 32-player stage, players must win up to four consecutive qualifying matches during the preceding ten days. It is fair to say they have to be in ‘good form’ and cannot be underprepared for the marathon task ahead.

But sadly, you can rarely consider a ‘qualifier’ for the title. The last time a qualifier won the World Championship was in 2005 when Shaun Murphy scored. Neil Robertson, Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire, Si Jiahui, Anthony McGill, Ryan Day and Hossein Vafaei are among the star names playing in the qualifying rounds of this year’s World Championship.

The World Championship Favourites in Betting Order

3/1. Ronnie O’Sullivan – Tournament Record: QF-W-2R-W-1R-2R-QF-2R-QF-F-W-W

The ‘Rocket’ has won 41 ranking tournaments, amongst those are 23 Triple Crown events. Even by his standards, the 48-year-old has had a remarkable season, winning the UK Championship, World Grand Prix, Masters, the massively valuable Shanghai Masters and World Masters of Snooker.

He may complain of stage fright, but O’Sullivan excels on the big stage. The more money on the line, the better he seemingly plays. A public favourite, 3/1 is a surprisingly generous price, but bookmakers know that Judd Trump could be an early roadblock that he must overcome.

4/1. Judd Trump – Tournament Record: 1R-F-QF-QF-W-QF-1R-2R-SF-QF-SF-2R-F

It seems Judd Trump has won what O’Sullivan has not won during the current season! The 2019 World Champion has claimed five ranking tournaments – the English and Northern Irish Opens, the Wuhan Open, the German Masters and the World Open – and was a finalist in the European Masters and World Grand Prix.

Quickly closing in on 1,000 career century breaks, Trump is having his best season since 2019/20. The Bristolian fully deserves his position in the market based on current form and his three appearances at the World Championship final.

15/2. Mark Selby – Tournament Record: F-2R-W-SF-2R-1R-W-W-2R-W-2R-1R-QF-SF-QF

Turning professional in 1999, at age 16, Selby is a four-time World and three-time Masters Champion. He is a handful for anyone when on song. Issues with mental health mean he is not always on song, and the 2023/24 season has been disappointing with just one final appearance in the 12 ranking tournaments he has played.

A great tactician, Selby normally peaks towards the end of the season. He would have been buoyed by success in March’s low-key Championship League. But first-round defeat in the first round of the Tour Championship at the start of April will concern those who have backed him ante-post.

14/1. Neil Robertson -Tournament Record: 2R-2R-QF-QF-QF-1R-2R-1R-QF-SF-1R-QF-1R-W

Robertson is inexplicably short in the betting. His 2023/24 season has been nothing short of disastrous, with first-round defeats in the first five ranking tournaments he has played. It is over two years since he last won a tournament – or reached a final.

Of course, the back-class is there to be seen. Still, former World Championship sponsors Betfred and others have surely over-rated the Australian’s chances, especially as he will have to win two qualifying matches to book his ticket to the Crucible.

14/1. Mark Allen – Tournament Record: SF-2R-2R-1R-1R-QF-2R-2R-2R-1R-1R-QF-QF-SF

Success in the single-frame Shootout competition counts for little but it is one of three events the Northen Irishman has won this year. He has climbed to number three in the world rankings. Sadly for him, he is also good at first-round defeats and displays a very questionable temperament on occasions.

Progressing beyond the second round of the World Championship just twice in the past 12 years, it is difficult to place much faith in this inconsistent player.

18/1. Luca Brecel – Tournament Record: W-1R-LQ-LQ-1R-1R-1R-LQ-LQ-LQ-LQ-1R

Brecel stunned fans and snooker betting sites alike when taking this event last year. It was only his fourth ranking title, and based on a string of disappointing efforts throughout this campaign, it is difficult to see lightning striking twice.

20/1. Ding Junhui – Tournament Record: 1R-1R-1R-2R-2R-QF-SF-F-QF-1R-QF-1R-SF-2R

The Chinese players’ recent efforts in the World Championship make for a horrible viewing experience. But the 14-time ranking event winner is climbing out of the mire following a few disastrous seasons. A semi-finalist in this season’s World Grand Prix and semi-finalist in the UK Championship, he made the final of the World Open just a few weeks ago.

A back-to-form Ding – and a 147 break in the Masters showed he is currently bubbling under – would put the frighteners up any opponent. And the best snooker betting sites can clearly see that his form is on an upward trajectory.

22/1. Shaun Murphy – Tournament Record: 1R-1R-F-1R-2R-1R2R-1R-F-QF-QF-1R-2R-QF-F

It has all been downhill for Murphy since he won the season’s first ranking event. He has failed to qualify for seven tournaments this term, and his supporters must take a leap of faith that he will return to his best.

A first-round exit five times from World Championships during the past decade is a significant negative, but four visits to the final – including his 2005 victory is a major positive. With a very poor head-to-head record against Trump and O’Sullivan, he is still difficult to fancy.

22/1. John Higgins – Tournament Record: QF-SF-2R-2R-F-F-F-QF-2R-1R-1R-2R-W-2R-W-2R-W

Three wins and an additional three finals since 2007 underline Higgins’ ability to leave his season-long form behind and excel at the World Championship. The veteran Scotsman has played 18 competitions this season and has six semi-final appearances to show for his efforts. Never one to underestimate; there could be life in this old dog yet.

28/1. Ali Carter – Tournament Record: 1R-LQ-1R-LQ-QF-QF-1R-2R-2R-2R-2R-F-2R-SF-2R-R

He might not have won, but Carter has had one of his better seasons, and he has moved up to ninth in the rankings. A finalist in the Masters – beaten 10-7 by Ronnie O’Sullivan – the five-time ranking winner will surely get through a round or two at the very least.

28/1. Mark Williams – Tournament Record: 2R-SF-QF-QF-2R-W-LQ-QR-1R-LQ-1R-2R-SF-2R-1R

Forty-nine-year-old Mark Williams started the season well, making the final of the Championship League and winning the British Open (beating Selby 10-7 in the final). But things have gone wayward, and he has suffered a sequence of first and second-round defeats since.

The Welshman is a three-time winner of the World Championship, but on each occasion, his success came during a rich vein of form. He is not currently enjoying great success, so Williams is difficult to fancy.

28/1. Kyren Wilson – Tournament Record: 2R-2R-SF-F-QF-SF-QF-QF-LQ-1R-A

Wilson is in poor form and has failed to qualify for several tournaments this season. He is dropping down the rankings and appears to be lacking in confidence. Subsequently, he is quickly dismissed from calculations.

28/1. Zhang Anda – Tournament Record: LQ-LQ-A-LQ-LQ-LQ-1R-1R-LQ-LQ-A-LQ

It is impossible to fancy Zhang on his World Championship form figures, but the 32-year-old has risen from 60 to 11 in the rankings this season. His meteoric rise comes courtesy of victory in the International Championship and appearances in the final of the English Open and Players Championship.

Of his 2023 form, a 9-6 verdict over Ronnie O’Sullivan during the International Championship stands out. Consequently, of the outsiders, Zhang comes with positives and could claim some big scalps en-route to a deep run in the World Championship.

40/1. Jack Lisowski – Tournament Record: 2R-QF-2R-1R-1R-2R-LQ-LQ-LQ-LQ-1R

Lisowski must come through the qualifiers to make his seventh successive appearance in the Crucible. A semi-final appearance in the Northern Ireland Open is his best result of the current season, and without a ranking tournament victory to his credit – beaten in six finals – it is difficult to make a case for him.

40/1. Gary Wilson – Tournament Record: 2R-LQ-1R-LQ-SF-LQ-LQ-1R

Wilson has risen to twelfth in the rankings, and 2023/24 has been his best season to date. He took the Scottish Open in December and the Welsh Open in February. A run to the quarter-finals of the Players Championship followed.

Head-to-head, he has only beaten Trump once in five meetings and has the same record against O’Sullivan. However, 40/1 is a fantastic price compared to others in the same bracket, and Wilson is a lively outsider.

66/1. Si Jiahui – Tournament Record: SF-LQ-LQ-LQ-A-A-A

Live betting sites had a ball with Jiahui in last year’s World Snooker Championship as he squandered a 14-5 semi-final lead against Luca Brecel. The 21-year-old Chinese player seemed damaged by the experience and showed very little during much of the current season.

However, the fearless attacking player made the final of the German Open (beaten 10-5 by Judd Trump) in early February, suggesting his head and game were returning to good order. He probably still lacks the maturity for this marathon event, but if making it out of the qualifiers, Jiahui could prove a thorn in the side of any opponent.

Legend
A: Did Not Take Part
1R: First Round
2R: Second Round
QF: Quarter Finals
SF: Semi Finals
F: Finalist
W: Winner
LQ: Lost in Qualifying Round

What Is the Best Bet?

The draw will prove vital to the chances of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump. In their current form, and if positioned at opposite ends of the draw, it is easy to foresee a repeat of the 2022 final. But Luca Brecel’s victory 12 months ago demonstrated that anything is possible, and a big outsider can, at the very least, reach the final.

In the world’s top 16, Gary Wilson does not have to play in the qualifiers and, given his dire record in the qualifiers in recent years, he could hit the ground running this time. 40/1 represents an attractive price for each-way backers. A place in the final is where the each-way bets become a winner – and that requires any player to win four consecutive matches.

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