World Snooker Championship Winners: Every Crucible Final, 1977–2026
The World Championship has been played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977: 50 championships, won by 25 different players. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan share the record with seven titles each, Steve Davis has six.
The last two champions are both Chinese: Zhao Xintong in 2025, the first from Asia, and Wu Yize in 2026, who beat Shaun Murphy 18–17. The 2027 championship runs from 17 April to 3 May.
The championship itself is older. Joe Davis won the first one in 1927 and every one until 1946, fifteen in all, and Ray Reardon won six in the 1970s. But the modern event, with a 32-player draw and two weeks at one small Sheffield theatre, dates from the move to the Crucible, so that is where the lists below start.
Most world titles at the Crucible
| Player | Country | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Hendry | Scotland | 7 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | England | 7 | 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2022 |
| Steve Davis | England | 6 | 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| John Higgins | Scotland | 4 | 1998, 2007, 2009, 2011 |
| Mark Selby | England | 4 | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021 |
| Mark Williams | Wales | 3 | 2000, 2003, 2018 |
Another 19 players have won once. Counting the years before 1977, Joe Davis (15 titles, 1927–1946) holds the overall record, and Ray Reardon won six, five of them before the Crucible and one there in 1978.
Every final, 1977–2026
Newest first. Finals involving a Chinese player are shaded. The 1977 to 1979 finals were longer, first to 25 or 24 frames; since 1980 the final has been best of 35, played over two days.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wu Yize China | Shaun Murphy England | 18–17 |
| 2025 | Zhao Xintong China | Mark Williams Wales | 18–12 |
| 2024 | Kyren Wilson England | Jak Jones Wales | 18–14 |
| 2023 | Luca Brecel Belgium | Mark Selby England | 18–15 |
| 2022 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | Judd Trump England | 18–13 |
| 2021 | Mark Selby England | Shaun Murphy England | 18–15 |
| 2020 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | Kyren Wilson England | 18–8 |
| 2019 | Judd Trump England | John Higgins Scotland | 18–9 |
| 2018 | Mark Williams Wales | John Higgins Scotland | 18–16 |
| 2017 | Mark Selby England | John Higgins Scotland | 18–15 |
| 2016 | Mark Selby England | Ding Junhui China | 18–14 |
| 2015 | Stuart Bingham England | Shaun Murphy England | 18–15 |
| 2014 | Mark Selby England | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | 18–14 |
| 2013 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | Barry Hawkins England | 18–12 |
| 2012 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | Ali Carter England | 18–11 |
| 2011 | John Higgins Scotland | Judd Trump England | 18–15 |
| 2010 | Neil Robertson Australia | Graeme Dott Scotland | 18–13 |
| 2009 | John Higgins Scotland | Shaun Murphy England | 18–9 |
| 2008 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | Ali Carter England | 18–8 |
| 2007 | John Higgins Scotland | Mark Selby England | 18–13 |
| 2006 | Graeme Dott Scotland | Peter Ebdon England | 18–14 |
| 2005 | Shaun Murphy England | Matthew Stevens Wales | 18–16 |
| 2004 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | Graeme Dott Scotland | 18–8 |
| 2003 | Mark Williams Wales | Ken Doherty Ireland | 18–16 |
| 2002 | Peter Ebdon England | Stephen Hendry Scotland | 18–17 |
| 2001 | Ronnie O'Sullivan England | John Higgins Scotland | 18–14 |
| 2000 | Mark Williams Wales | Matthew Stevens Wales | 18–16 |
| 1999 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Mark Williams Wales | 18–11 |
| 1998 | John Higgins Scotland | Ken Doherty Ireland | 18–12 |
| 1997 | Ken Doherty Ireland | Stephen Hendry Scotland | 18–12 |
| 1996 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Peter Ebdon England | 18–12 |
| 1995 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Nigel Bond England | 18–9 |
| 1994 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Jimmy White England | 18–17 |
| 1993 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Jimmy White England | 18–5 |
| 1992 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Jimmy White England | 18–14 |
| 1991 | John Parrott England | Jimmy White England | 18–11 |
| 1990 | Stephen Hendry Scotland | Jimmy White England | 18–12 |
| 1989 | Steve Davis England | John Parrott England | 18–3 |
| 1988 | Steve Davis England | Terry Griffiths Wales | 18–11 |
| 1987 | Steve Davis England | Joe Johnson England | 18–14 |
| 1986 | Joe Johnson England | Steve Davis England | 18–12 |
| 1985 | Dennis Taylor Northern Ireland | Steve Davis England | 18–17 |
| 1984 | Steve Davis England | Jimmy White England | 18–16 |
| 1983 | Steve Davis England | Cliff Thorburn Canada | 18–6 |
| 1982 | Alex Higgins Northern Ireland | Ray Reardon Wales | 18–15 |
| 1981 | Steve Davis England | Doug Mountjoy Wales | 18–12 |
| 1980 | Cliff Thorburn Canada | Alex Higgins Northern Ireland | 18–16 |
| 1979 | Terry Griffiths Wales | Dennis Taylor Northern Ireland | 24–16 |
| 1978 | Ray Reardon Wales | Perrie Mans South Africa | 25–18 |
| 1977 | John Spencer England | Cliff Thorburn Canada | 25–21 |
Records and oddities
The Crucible curse
No first-time world champion at the Crucible has ever defended the title the following year. It caught Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby, all of whom went on to win again later, and it caught Zhao Xintong in 2026. Wu Yize takes it on in 2027.
Four finals that went the distance
Only four Crucible finals have reached 18–17: Dennis Taylor's win over Steve Davis in 1985, settled on the final black; Hendry against Jimmy White in 1994; Peter Ebdon against Hendry in 2002; and Wu Yize against Shaun Murphy in 2026.
Jimmy White, six times a runner-up
White lost six finals, four of them to Hendry and one each to Steve Davis and John Parrott, and never won the title, the most final defeats without a win. John Higgins and Shaun Murphy have each lost four finals, but both have won the title too.
Youngest and oldest
Stephen Hendry was 21 when he won in 1990, the youngest champion; Ronnie O'Sullivan was 46 when he won his seventh title in 2022, the oldest.
Chinese players at the Crucible
Ding Junhui became the first Chinese player to reach the final in 2016 and lost 18–14 to Mark Selby. Nine years later Zhao Xintong beat Mark Williams 18–12, the first world champion from China and from Asia; he had entered as an amateur, and the £500,000 counted in full for the rankings. A year after that, Wu Yize, 22, beat Shaun Murphy on the deciding frame. Chinese players have now won eight Triple Crown titles between them; see the snooker Triple Crown.
Prize money
The 2027 champion will win £625,000, up from £500,000, from a prize fund of £3 million, the biggest in snooker. Round-by-round payouts are in snooker prize money 2026/27, and the format of every round in how long is a snooker match.
Follow the 2027 championship live
Our snooker section updates scores, results and the schedule every hour during events, with the world rankings that decide the 16 seeds for the Crucible.
Go to snooker scores →FAQ
Who has won the most World Snooker Championships?
At the Crucible, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan with seven each. Counting the whole history, Joe Davis won 15, from 1927 to 1946.
Who won the 2026 World Snooker Championship?
Wu Yize of China, who beat Shaun Murphy 18–17 on the deciding frame.
What is the Crucible curse?
No player winning the world title for the first time at the Crucible has retained it the following year. It has held since 1977.
Has a Chinese player won the World Snooker Championship?
Yes: Zhao Xintong in 2025, the first from Asia, and Wu Yize in 2026.
How many frames is the World Championship final?
Best of 35 frames, first to 18, played over two days. It has been that length since 1980.
Related reading: UK Championship Winners · Masters Snooker Winners · The Snooker Triple Crown · Snooker Prize Money 2026/27 · How Long Is a Snooker Match?
Sources: finals from Wikipedia's list of World Snooker Championship winners, cross-checked year by year against our Chinese list; ages of the youngest and oldest champions from the same list; 2027 prize money from wst.tv. This article contains no sponsored or affiliate links.