The World Snooker Championship got under way yesterday (Saturday 18 April) – and fans can look forward to another blockbuster session of snooker in store at the Crucible today.
Much of today’s action will see the conclusion of the various match-ups that started yesterday, with the highlight for many fans bound to be the tie between Mark Allen and Zhang Anda, which paused with the Chinese star up 5 frame to 3 after yesterday’s session.
The only match that was completed yesterday saw Zhao Xintong open his title defence with a 10-7 win against Liam Highfield, while other games that are finely poised include the all Chinese clash between Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong.
Elsewhere, Scottish star and four-time World Champion John Higgins starts his tournament with a clash against Ali Carter, while Mark Williams and Barry Hawkins are among the other players back in action.
Radio Times brings you the daily order of play and full schedule for the World Snooker Championship 2026.
We’ll keep this page updated throughout the course of the tournament with all the latest times and coverage details.
World Snooker Championship 2026 order of play
All UK time. All sessions live on TNT Sports, HBO Max and BBC iPlayer, plus BBC channels specified below. Coverage may switch channels mid-session, subject to change.
Sunday 19 April
From 10am on BBC Two
- R1: Ding Junhui (16) v David Gilbert
- R1: Mark Allen (14) v Zhang Anda
From 2:30pm on BBC Two
- R1: John Higgins (5) v Ali Carter
- R1: Barry Hawkins (11) v Matthew Stevens
From 7pm on BBC Four
- R1: Xiao Guodong (9) v Zhou Yuelong
- R1: Mark Williams (6) v Antoni Kowalski
World Snooker Championship 2026 schedule and round dates
- First round: Saturday 18 – Thursday 23 April
- Second round: Thursday 23 – Monday 27 April
- Quarter-finals: Tuesday 28 – Wednesday 29 April
- Semi-finals: Thursday 30 April – Saturday 2 May
- Final: Sunday 3 – Monday 4 May
How to watch World Snooker Championship 2026 on TV and live stream
Coverage of the World Snooker Championship will be extensively shown across BBC, TNT Sports and HBO Max.
BBC Two will bear the weight of the coverage once the main draw starts, while certain sessions will be shown on BBC One, BBC Four and BBC Red Button. Every session will be live on BBC iPlayer so you won’t miss a moment.
There are multiple ways to get TNT Sports. If you already have BT Broadband, you can add TNT Sports to your existing contract from just £18 per month. You can add the ‘Big Sport’ package for £40 per month which includes all TNT Sports and 11 Sky Sports channels via a NOW pass.
You can also access TNT Sports via HBO Max and stream directly to your smart TV or watch the matches on TNT Sports via a HBO Max sport pass without signing up to a contract.
HBO Max is the new streaming home of TNT Sports, showing events including live Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Premiership Rugby, UFC, Boxing and MotoGP. Learn more here: hbomax.com
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