Please note that this is NOT an official website. At this point in time Ronnie O’ Sullivan does not have an official website, nor does he wish to have one.
Luca Brecel – Crucible king just three years ago – will be missing from the line up in the televised stages this time as he lost 10-5 to Jak Jones in the final qualifying round of the Halo World Championship.
Since his 2023 triumph, Belgium’s Brecel has struggled to find that magic again and has slipped to 46th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. He won his first qualifying match against Chang Bingyu but was outplayed today by Welshman Jones, who was runner-up to Kyren Wilson in 2024.
World number 19 Jones led 7-4 with top breaks of 136, 100, 114 and 114 then crucially won frame 12 on the final black after Brecel had missed his chance to close the gap. Brecel pulled one back but Jones then made his fifth century of the match, 132, for 9-5 and settled the result in the next with a 78 clearance.
“I played well, I felt really good this morning,” said Jones, who broke his right hand earlier this season when he smacked it against the table in anger during a practice session, but has since recovered. “I love this format because you have time to get into the matches. Today is the best I have played all season. I enjoy the Crucible, you can crumble but I love the atmosphere, it’s an unbelievable venue and that really gets me up for it.“
Jack Lisowski has had a breakthrough season, winning his first ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open as well as reaching the final of the Welsh Open, but he failed to reach the Crucible, losing 10-5 to He Guoqiang who will make his debut at the Theatre of Dreams. He will be one of 11 Chinese players at the Crucible, surpassing the record of ten set last year.
After winning the first five frames with a top break of 138, world number 47 He was able to nurse his lead over the line and reach the last 32.
Ali Carter, runner-up in 2008 and 2012, booked a 22nd Crucible appearance by coming from 7-5 down to beat Anthony McGill 10-7, taking the last five frames with a top break of 92. “Anthony was playing with a lot of freedom and I knew I had to stick with him,” said Carter. “I’m delighted to get through, it’s a great achievement to still be mixing it up at the age of 46. I’ve had a lot to deal with away from the table over the past year but that has come to a conclusion and I can focus on snooker. It’s tough – we all have lives to lead, children and families and it’s a juggling act because it’s a busy tour now.“
Arguably the best performance of the whole qualifying event came from China’s Zhang Anda as he beat Zak Surety 10-3 with breaks of 80, 61, 109, 67, 105, 134, 108, 64 and 143. The former International Championship winner is through to the Crucible for the sixth time though he has never won a match there.
Liam Highfield booked his fourth appearance by thrashing Oliver Lines 10-2 with a top run of 126. Highfield said: “Things have come full circle for me, I fell off the tour and broke my wrist, it was been a long journey coming back so it’s emotional for me to be back at the Crucible. Hopefully my career is on an upward curve now.“
Fan Zhengyi saw off Ben Mertens 10-4 with top breaks of 104, 119 and 100, while Lei Peifan, who knocked out Kyren Wilson last year, secured his return with a 10-5 defeat of Ryan Day.
In the last match to finish, Gary Wilson won a roller-coaster battle with Xu Si 10-9. From 7-2 and 8-4 down, Xu hit back to lead 9-8 and he was also 44-0 up in frame 18, but Wilson fought back to force a decider then compiled a superb 126.
There are a lot of “household names” in there, as we could expect, but six of the qualifiers are under 26 years of age including two young Brits and a 22 years old Pole. This is encouraging.
The last match to finish was crazy stuff. I’m not sure how Gary Wilson managed to win it, and going by his post-match interview, he’s not sure either… 😉
Three of snooker’s brightest young talents, Antoni Kowalski, Stan Moody and Liam Pullen, made it to the Crucible for the first time with outstanding victories in the final qualifying round of the Halo World Championship.
The trio head for the Theatre of Dreams in Sheffield for the televised stages, which start on Saturday.
Kowalski was in tears after coming through the biggest match of his life, beating Jamie Jones 10-8. From 6-5 down the 22-year-old won four frames in a row with a top break of 84, then Jones battled back to 9-8 before Kowalski got over the line with a run of 62 to become the first Polish player to make it to the Crucible. The result also secured his place on the tour, while defeat would have meant relegation – instead it’s Allan Taylor who loses his pro status.
“The best explanation of how much this means to me is that I never usually cry!” said Kowalski, who has won three qualifying matches. “This is the only time I will think more about saving my tour card rather than playing at the Crucible. There are so many emotions for me now. It’s so special for an overseas player like me. My parents and girlfriend are going to come to the Crucible as well so that’s going to be amazing, I can’t wait.
“This was the first time in my life I absolutely gave up in a match. At the end of the first session and the start of the second I was gone, I couldn’t cue straight. I stopped thinking, turned off my brain and it worked. I played faster and more dynamically and my cue action came back. In the back of my mind I knew I could win. I can imagine how many people in Poland are going to watch me. I will realise one of my biggest dreams.“
When he is in the UK, Kowalski stays and practises with Chris Wakelin and he added: “I wish everyone could have a friend like Chris. He has helped me so much with nothing in return. Because of him I am a better player now. Hopefully I won’t draw him.“
Moody, long touted as a star of the future, will be the first British teenager to play at the Crucible since Judd Trump in 2007. The 19-year-old from Halifax made a fantastic century in the last frame to beat Jiang Jun 10-9. From 6-5 down, world number 44 Moody fired runs of 71, 70, 113 and 127 to go 9-8 ahead, then missed match-winning chances in frame 18, but made amends with a superb 104 in the decider.
His victory was all the more remarkable given that he was in hospital with tonsilitis last night, but discharged himself and played through the discomfort to book his place on the biggest stage.
“The doctors said to me ‘we know you are going to say no but we want you to stay in.’ I said no, I’ve got a match to play. And I’m glad I did. They gave me some antibiotics and other medication. I won’t be going back there, I don’t like it!” said Moody. “Towards the end of the match, I have never felt pressure like that in my life, I am just so happy. This has been a dream of mine since I started playing.”
York’s 20-year-old Pullen enjoyed a 10-8 success against Noppon Saengkham with top breaks of 131 and 105.
“When I saw Stan win, I thought I better not lose now, I’ll let everyone down!” said Pullen, who lost to Moody in the final of the WSF Junior Championship in 2023. “I am very proud. I appreciate everyone who has helped me along the way. When it went from 8-5 to 8-8 In didn’t feel great, but I hung in there.“
In a battle between two players with 63 years professional experience between them, former UK and Masters champion Matthew Stevens beat 2015 Crucible king Stuart Bingham 10-7 with a top break of 86.
Iran’s Hossein Vafaei secured his fifth consecutive visit to the Crucible with a 10-4 victory over Gao Yang. From 4-1 down, Vafaei won nine frames in a row with top breaks of 60, 53, 60, 70, 57 and 86.
“I’m fighting for my family and trying my best,” said Vafaei. “The Crucible is a fantastic place and we all love to play there, I can’t wait to meet the fans there.”
Zhou Yuelong and Pang Junxu will be among at least seven Chinese players at the Crucible, alongside five of the top 16 seeds. Zhou saw off Michael Holt 10-4 with a top break of 109 while Pang enjoyed a 10-8 defeat of Jackson Page with top runs of 104, 107 and 105.
David Gilbert, a semi-finalist in 2019 and 2024, beat Aaron Hill at this stage for the second consecutive year, winning 10-6 with top breaks of 141 and 126.
I’m very happy to see young players coming through. Antoni Kowalski’s win in particular pleases me because it’s so much harder for the “non British” players who have to live as expats in the UK, coping with a different culture and language away from their families. It’s either that or traveling back and forth all the time which is costly and tiring. It’s made even worse because, unlike British players, they have no right to take a side job “outside” snooker to make ends meet if the results don’t come regularly enough.
As for Hossein Vafaei, it must be very difficult as well to concentrate on snooker given the terrible situation in his country. I do hope that his family is safe.
Only 32 players remain on course to qualify for the 2026 “Crucible” … They still have a match to win to achieve that though. Who are they and who do they face in that last qualifying match? You will find the answers on snooker.org … as always …
Fourteen of those players neither British nor Irish. That’s nearly half of that remaining field. Nine of those players are Chinese. Mainland Europe is represented by three players, two of them Belgians… which is quite remarkable given that Belgium is a such a small country. The third one is Polish.
Gao Yang is the “lowest ranked” qualifier still in the qualifiers draw. He started as “number 97” and beat Jimmy White, Mark Davis and Tom Ford to get this far. He now faces Hossein Vafaei.
Unless I’m mistaken, Stan Moody, 19, is the youngest player and the only teenager still in the qualifiers draw.
The very important 2026 World Championship qualifiers continued over the week-end, but my attention was partly elsewhere … in Goffs where four greats of the game – Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, John Higgins and Ronnie – honoured the memory of John Virgo who passed away recently, aged 79. The iconic venue was packed and John Virgo’s children, Brook and Gary were present, watching.
Ronnie won the event, beating Stephen Hendry by 6-1 in the semi-finals on Saturday and John Higgins by 6-0 in the Final yesterday. Brook and Gary presented him the trophy. You will find links to Ronnie’s matches in comments … thanks to Kalacs… as always 👍
Stephen Hendry salutes Ronnie O’Sullivan after old rivals meet at World Snooker Championship warm-up event – ‘Ronnie is obviously the GOAT’
By Desmond Kane Published 12/04/2026
Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins will face each other in the final of the John Virgo Trophy on Sunday as the ‘Class of ’92’ rivals warmed up for the 50th World Championship by entertaining a sell-out crowd at Goffs in Ireland. Higgins edged Mark Williams 6-4 in the first semi-final with O’Sullivan easing to a 6-1 win over Stephen Hendry at the exhibition event.
Stephen Hendry paid tribute to Ronnie O’Sullivan after the two seven-time world champions took a trip down memory lane before a sell-out crowd at Goffs in Ireland.
Competing for the John Virgo Trophy in memory of the celebrated former UK champion and commentator, O’Sullivan ran out a 6-1 winner in securing a final meeting with fellow ‘Class of ’92’ icon John Higgins on Sunday evening at the exhibition event.
Higgins had earlier defeated Mark Williams 6-4 in the opening semi-final as snooker returned to a venue made famous by staging the game’s biggest names at the Irish Masters between 1978 and 2000.
Despite producing 61 in the second frame, Hendry looked a bit rusty under the testing shot clock format as his opponent won the final five frames in coasting to victory.
O’Sullivan said it was a “privilege” to share the table with Hendry, who remains the youngest world champion in Crucible history after an 18-12 win over Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White in 1990 when aged 21.
“Stephen for me is the greatest player I’ve ever seen, ever played,” said O’Sullivan on Channel 5.
“He doesn’t play much these days, so for him to get his cue out of his case is a privilege. His middle pocket potting is still unbelievable.
“It took me back years ago. There was no weakness. His middle pocket potting is still unbelievable.
“To be on the same table as him is a privilege.“
O’Sullivan, world champion in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022, needs one more title victory to overtake Hendry as the most prolific world champion of the modern era.
“You can’t get higher praise from a better player. Ronnie is obviously the GOAT,” said Hendry.
“In terms of break-building and cue ball control, he’s taken the game to a level that I thought we might never see.
“He’s an artist with the cue ball. That’s the beauty of snooker in controlling the cue ball and nobody has done it better than Ronnie.
“For me, it is fabulous to be involved in this event with these three great players.“
O’Sullivan’s friendly joust with Higgins could be a dress rehearsal for the Crucible with both men seeded to meet in the second round of the World Championship.
For all four men, boasting 21 world titles between them, it was a welcome return to Goffs in County Kildare.
“I have not been back here since the Irish Masters,” said world No. 6 William.
“It is a fantastic arena and I wish we could get a proper tournament back here.“
Hendry claimed the Irish Masters three times between 1992 and 1999, while two-time winner Higgins made the tournament’s only maximum against Jimmy White in a 6-4 quarter-final win in 2000.
He would defeat Hendry 9-4 in the title match in the last staging of the non-ranking event at Goffs.
O’Sullivan also ran out a 9-3 winner in the 1998 final at Goffs against Ken Doherty, but was stripped of the title after testing positive for cannabis.
The snooker GOAT would lift the title four times, twice as a ranking tournament, when it moved from Goffs to Dublin in 2001, including a 9-8 final win over Hendry 25 years ago.
“I’ve always said this is the greatest country on earth,” said O’Sullivan. “The people are amazing, the best people.
I thought that Stephen Hendry played quite well actually, by far the best I have seen him play in years.
Zhao Xintong won the 2026 Tour Championship in Manchester, having previously won the other two events of the “Players Series. He beat Judd Trump convincingly in the final.
Zhao Xintong boldened his status as the best player in the world on current form as he thrashed Judd Trump 10-3 in the final of the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship, becoming the first man to win all three events in the Players Series in the same season.
China’s Zhao was imperious all week in Manchester, conceding just eight frames on his way to the title as he showcased his tremendous long potting and seemingly effortless break-building. He beat Chris Wakelin 10-4 before dismantling John Higgins 10-1 – the heaviest defeat of Higgins’ career – then comfortably saw off an out-of-sorts Trump. A fierce battle was expected today between the World Champion and world number one, but it turned out to be a one-sided affair as Zhao pulled away from 5-3 to win the last five frames in the evening session.
Trump admitted: “Over the last two months Zhao has been the best player in the world. I always enjoy the challenge, it’s up to me to go away and try to improve.”
After a relatively quiet first half to this season, highlighted only by winning the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in November, in recent weeks 29-year-old Zhao has recaptured the form which made him the first Asian to conquer the Crucible last Spring. In February he won both the World Grand Prix and Players Championship, and he has now completed an unprecedented hat-trick of Players Series titles.
The top prize of £150,000 takes Zhao’s prize money for this season past the £1 million mark, and he climbs to a career high of fourth in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. He could even take over as world number one in Sheffield, albeit only if he lands the £500,000 jackpot and Trump goes out in the first round.
Zhao has now won his first six ranking finals – previously only achieved by Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson – and on the all-time list he is now level with Ken Doherty, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter. The left-hander becomes the 12th player to win three ranking titles in a single season, and surely now heads to the Crucible as the clear favourite.
Trump misses out on a 32nd ranking title, which would have brought him within one of Higgins in fourth place on the all-time list, and has now lost 22 ranking finals. He has landed the German Masters crown this season, but the 36-year-old has finished second best at the Northern Ireland Open, Champion of Champions, UK Championship and now this event in Manchester, where he had never previously reached the final.
Zhao is an amazing player and I love to watch him at the table.
In less than two weeks, he will enter the Crucible arena as the defending Champion to start his defence of the title. No first time World Snooker Champion has ever defended at the Crucible but I certainly don’t write Zhao off … he could well be the one who breaks “The Curse”.
The qualifiers for the 2026 World Championship start today and those who will be action in the first round need to win four matches to get at the Crucible … a formidable task. Good luck to all players involved.
The draw for the qualifying rounds of the 2026 Halo World Championship has been made, with all players seeded outside the top 16 ready to battle for coveted places at the Crucible.
The qualifying event for snooker’s biggest tournament runs from Monday April 6th to Wednesday 15th at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Tickets to watch are on sale now for just £12 per day – fantastic value for the chance to see an array of former champions, all-time greats and up-and-coming talents.
Fans with an annual WST PLAY subscription can attend the event for free, with one free ticket per day for each member and a unique link will be sent to subscribers. Blue Light card holders will also be able to attend for just £5, with tickets purchased on the Blue Light website.
The qualifying event starts with 128 players, seeded as follows:
Round one pits players ranked 81 to 112 against those seeded 113 to 144
In round two, those 32 winners will face players ranked 49 to 80.
In round three, those 32 winners will face players ranked 17 to 48.
In round four, those 32 winners play each other, with the 16 winners going through to the Crucible.
Notable matches in the opening round include:
Tour rookie Michal Szubarczyk v three-time World Women’s Champion On Yee Ng Six-time Crucible finalist Jimmy White v China’s Gao Yang Reigning World Women’s Champion Bai Yulu v Daniel Womersley 1997 Crucible king Ken Doherty v Patrick Whelan Rising star Liam Pullen v Shoot Out champion Alfie Burden Hong Kong’s finest Marco Fu v Mink Nutcharut
Star names entering the fray as the qualifiers progress will include Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Ali Carter, Luca Brecel, Stephen Maguire, Gary Wilson, Jak Jones and many more.
With Thepchaiya Un-Nooh playing in this week’s Sportsbet.io Tour Championship and still able to climb from his current provisional seeding of 21 into the world’s top 16, seed numbers from 17 to 21 have been placed in the draw, and those players will be confirmed in those slots once the final seeding list is known.
The final round, on April 14th and 15th, is known as Judgement Day, when places at the Crucible are at stake. As always our Judgement Day show will be live and free for fans to watch on (WST PLAY and YouTube), with full details to be announced soon.
The final stages of the Halo World Championship then run from April 18th to May 4th.
I’ll have a closer look at that after completion of the 2026 Tour Championship
