Photo by Dan Burton

World Snooker Championship 2021 – Preview and TV Schedule

We’re gearing up for this years World Snooker Championship 2021 in Sheffield. It bears mentioning that the qualifiers are already well underway. 128 participants vying for their spot among the 32 players in the main draw.

The event will be held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for the 45^th consecutive year. This only underlines the standing England has garnered in the world of Snooker. The qualifying rounds have been running since 5 April. They will stretched until 14 April 2021. The main event begins on 17 April with the first of the 16 first round match ups.

Can O’Sullivan do it again?

Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has been a major force of English and frankly world-wide snooker for years. O’Sullivan will take on a qualifying opponent in the first match of the World Snooker Championship 2021 at 11am.

The World Championship is one of snooker’s Triple Crown events together with the Snooker UK Championship as well as the Masters. It is widely considered the most prestigious event in the yearly snooker calendar.

Snooker events in times of a corona pandemic

The season 2021 has seen quite a few adjustments due to the pandemic, including the cancellation of all Chinese events. The European Masters as well as the World Grand Prix has been preponed from 2021 to 2020. The Champions League had to be started twice.

Additionally, all events during the first half of the season had to take place in a protected “Corona bubble” in Milton Keynes, England.

Even the event plan of the World Snooker Championship 2021 is subject to changes depending on developments with the pandemic. Thus, it could still happen that postponements, location changes and changes in the allowed number of spectators will be announced even during the event.

World Snooker Championship 2021: Who are this year’s favourites?

Notwithstanding the challenges of the snooker season in times of a pandemic, the field of favourites is predictably dominated by players from the United Kingdom and specifically England.

First seed and reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is joined in the echelons of snooker greatness by countrymen Judd Trump. Trump occupies the second seed and Mark Selby as the fourth ranked player. The top 5 are completed by Australian Neil Robertson and Scot John Higgins who are ranked 3^rd and 5^th respectively.

It is widely expected that O’Sullivan will defend his title. Yet, he’s coming straight off final losses against both John Higgins as well as Neil Robertson in the Players Championship in February and the Tour Championship in March.

Here’s where you can watch the World Snooker Championship 2021 on TV

You won’t have to miss out on the main event as you can watch BBC snooker live and in the form of highlight shows.

There will be live action from every round on Eurosport, BBC TV as well as on BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button. Furthermore, you can also follow the events on the BBC Sport website and mobile app. On the latter, you’ll be able to get snooker flash scores and all the information on the snooker’s season highlights.

Get your fill of today’s snooker straight from the BBC or on Eurosport and don’t miss a thing. Moreover, you can find more information at our event page.

Heik Kolsch