2025 World Snooker Championship Preview, Latest Odds & Format
Who are the runners and riders for the 2025 World Snooker Championship?
Lewis Watson 
Spring is in the air and that means only one thing — the World Snooker Championship is right around the corner!
The boys are heading to the baize inside the Crucible Theatre this April and May as the world’s best battle it out for the best prize in the sport.
It’s Kyren Wilson that arrives in Sheffield as the reigning champion after his 2024 heroics, but there are some experienced names and former winners heading to this year’s tournament in some of the best form of their storied careers.
Will we have a first-time winner, and underdog shocker or will the cream of the Class of ‘92 rise to the top once again? Odds are out with online betting sites, who have their opinion.
Oh, and will Ronnie O’Sullivan actually turn up?
We're counting down the days on Free Bets, so let’s take a closer look at the tournament and the field heading to Sheffield
2025 World Snooker Championship Format
The 2025 World Snooker Championship will take place inside Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre between April 19 – May 5, 2025.
It will be the 49th consecutive year that the tournament has been held at this venue, following a move away from the Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester, in 1976.
Kyren Wilson is the reigning champion after beating Jak Jones 18-14.
Format
- Round 1: Best of 19 frames
- Round 2: Best of 25 frames
- Quarter-finals: Best of 25 frames
- Semi-finals: Best of 33 frames
- Final: Best of 35 frames
Prize Fund
- Winner: £500,000
- Runner-up: £200,000
- Semi-finals: £100,000
- Quarter-finals: £150,000
- Last 16: £30,000
- Last 32: £20,000
- High break: £15,000
2025 World Snooker Championship Favourites
- Judd Trump is 7/2 with bet365 to win the 2025 World Snooker Championship
There are never any surprises when Trump gets to the table.
He’s world number one for a reason and has been the most consistent player on the tour for a number of seasons now, and is tournament favourite before we begin with snooker betting sites.
Just one world title from 2019 is something that’s been hanging over the head of the “Ace in the Pack” for a few years now — it would be a massive surprise if he ended his career without a handful of world crowns.
The draw has seen Trump on a collision course with Shaun Murphy in the second round, meaning a battle of former world champions could light up the schedule early in the tournament.
- Ronnie O’Sullivan is 5/1 with bet365 to win the 2025 World Snooker Championship
Will he or won’t he?
The signs are pointing towards the “Rocket” turning up in Sheffield this weekend, but considering the seven-time winner has pulled out of eight rankings tournaments this season, he’s surely one to avoid in the betting.
O’Sullivan hasn’t won a title this season, and with a few iffy performances when he has played, it’s hard to envisage him having the sticking power to grab an eighth title over these marathon Crucible matches.
If O’Sullivan does go on a good run, he’ll most likely bump into one of Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson, Mark Allen or Neil Robertson in the semi-finals.
- Mark Selby is 5/1 with bet365 to win the 2025 World Snooker Championship
Mark Selby is back playing some of his best snooker.
The four-time world champion is born to play at the Crucible and he will be relying on his granite style once again to run deep in 2025.
Selby was a finalist back in 2023 but fell at the first hurdle last season — not something that is expected to be repeated this time around.
Wins at the Welsh Open and British Open have pushed his rankings titles up to 24, and he’ll probably be secretly happy to find himself in the same segment as Ronnie O’Sullivan, who hasn’t got much in the way of match practise.
- Kyren Wilson is 13/2 with bet365 to win the 2025 World Snooker Championship
Since picking up his maiden World Championship title, Kyren Wilson has gone from strength to strength on the tour.
The “Warrior” has added another four ranking titles to his growing collection this season, winning impressively in Xi’an, Northern Ireland, Germany and the Players Championship.
His attacking style of snooker is seeing him dominate his opposition and rack up frame after frame in quick fashion, and a number of his rivals are struggling to keep up with him when he gets his eye in on the table.
Wilson is also enjoying a good run against the world number one, Judd Trump, beating him in three rankings finals this season.
2025 World Snooker Championship Tip
- Kyren Wilson or Judd Trump to win the 2025 World Snooker Championship at 19/10 with bet365
It’s hard to look past Wilson or Trump in Sheffield, and this bet is aided by them sitting at opposite ends of the draw.
This season they have combined to win six rankings titles and reach another three finals — it’s hard to think of too many players that this duo wouldn’t start as favourite against throughout the draw.
Their exciting form of snooker means they are both fan-favourites, and with one apiece, a race for that second World Championship crown could boil down to a memorable final at the start of May.
Snooker World Championship Coverage
As we countdown to Saturday's start, we'll be on the look out for any enhanced odds promotions we find for the snooker as betting sites form their markets for both the outright betting and individual games.
Of course, during the World Championship, we will be with you every step bringing our insights and snooker betting tips.
Lewis Watson is our man to deliver his thoughts, with an outright betting preview coming soon, followed by individual round tips to keep up with the action.
