Ronnie O’Sullivan Chases Record Eighth World Snooker Title Against He Guoqiang at The Crucible

Ronnie O’Sullivan is chasing a record-breaking eighth World Snooker Championship title as the 17-day World Championship begins, with the final beginning on Sunday, 3 May and concluding the next day.

“In 2001, Ronnie O'Sullivan won his first World Snooker Championship”

BBC

The BBC says the 50-year-old has lifted the trophy seven times, a feat only matched by Stephen Hendry in the 1990s, and notes that O’Sullivan already holds records including being the oldest Crucible final winner after his most recent success in 2022, aged 46.

BBC

O’Sullivan’s momentum is described through his performance last month at the World Open in China, where the BBC says he made a break of 153, “the highest ever recorded in professional snooker,” after an early sequence left him a free ball that then acted like a 16th red.

The BBC also frames the tournament’s pressure dynamics through the reigning champion Zhao Xintong, who the BBC says starts as favourite having won four events this season, including three of the past five ranking tournaments.

In the BBC’s preview, O’Sullivan is set to play Chinese debutant He Guoqiang in round one, with the match scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The BBC adds that O’Sullivan is one of the two seeded players—along with world number one Judd Trump—who were the only ones not at a media day at the Crucible on Friday.

Sky Sports similarly reports that O’Sullivan has been drawn to face He Guoqiang at The Crucible as he attempts to win a record eighth world title at the 50th World Championship in Sheffield.

The tournament’s opening matchups were set by the World Snooker Championship draw, which multiple outlets describe as producing “eyecatching” first-round fixtures at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

The Star says defending champion Zhao Xintong aims to break the Crucible Curse and begins his defence against Liam Highfield, while also describing Ronnie O’Sullivan’s first-round opponent as He Guoqiang.

Flashscore.fr

Flashscore.fr’s French-language report similarly says “Le tirage au sort” revealed He Guoqiang as O’Sullivan’s first opponent, after He Guoqiang qualified for the Crucible Theatre of Sheffield by beating Jack Lisowski on Wednesday.

Sky Sports adds that He Guoqiang defeated Jack Lisowski in qualifying and will begin his maiden campaign against O’Sullivan on Tuesday afternoon.

Beyond O’Sullivan and Zhao, the draw places other seeded players into specific first-round clashes: Sky Sports lists John Higgins vs Ali Carter, Mark Selby vs Jak Jones, Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson, and Mark Williams vs Antoni Kowalski.

The Star’s version of the draw also includes Shaun Murphy vs Fan Zhengyi, Barry Hawkins vs Matthew Stevens, and Neil Robertson vs Pang Junxu, while listing the full first-round slate at the Crucible Theatre.

Sky Sports emphasizes that the tournament gets under way this Sunday before the final takes place on Sunday May 3 and concludes the following day.

It also notes that O’Sullivan will be making a record 34th straight appearance at the iconic venue, and that Zhao will try to overcome the “Crucible Curse” and become the first maiden winner to successfully defend the trophy.

In the same preview, Sky Sports says since 1980, 21 players have tried and failed, and it adds that since 32 players were first introduced in the first round in 1982, there has never been a time when all 16 top seeds reached even the second round.

The BBC’s preview ties O’Sullivan’s prospects to both his recent high-scoring form and the way other top players assess him when he is “in flow.”

“World Snooker Championship 2026: Ronnie O'Sullivan drawn against China's He Guoqiang at The Crucible Ronnie O'Sullivan bids for a record-breaking eighth world title at the 50th World Championship in Sheffield; Zhao Xintong returns as defending champion at the Crucible, where he faces England's Liam Highfield in the opening round Last Updated: 16/04/26 1:44pm Ronnie O'Sullivan has been drawn to face Chinese debutant He Guoqiang as he attempts to win a record eighth World Snooker Championship title at The Crucible”

Sky Sports

Shaun Murphy, who the BBC says lost 5-3 to O’Sullivan in the last 16 at the World Open, is quoted describing O’Sullivan’s sharpness and quality: “When I played him in Yushan he seemed pretty sharp and it was a very high-quality match.”

Murphy is also quoted saying, “He has not been at his brilliant best this season, but when he gets in and in flow he is still as good as ever,” and he adds, “It would be great for snooker if he did get to eight and great for him - it's a story everyone wants to write and it would be an incredible achievement.”

The BBC then contrasts those sentiments with the tournament favourite narrative around Zhao Xintong, quoting Murphy again on the difficulty of the title race: “It's the first time in a long time when Ronnie is not number one favourite for the tournament.”

Zhao’s own comments in the BBC preview reject the idea that others are better, saying, “I can still be better. Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, everyone in the top 16 is better [than me],” and he adds, “There's a big pressure and I'm just trying to get better - I'm still learning. Now I'm nervous as I'm back at the Crucible, but I will try to control myself.”

The BBC also quotes Zhao on the so-called Crucible Curse, including, “I'm not thinking about it. I have pressure, but the pressure is not from this, it's just from myself.”

For O’Sullivan’s part, the BBC includes quotes from four-time champion John Higgins, who says, “Ronnie looks in good nick and is hitting the ball well and seems confident so he could have a big say in this tournament.”

Higgins is also quoted in the BBC’s framing of the age factor, while Mark Williams is quoted via BBC Radio 5 Live about the odds and stamina: “In years gone by you'd have O'Sullivan as 7-4 favourite, and Zhao Xintong is favourite, but at 4-1 - so that shows how difficult it is.”

While all the outlets agree on the core draw and the key matchups, they frame the story through different angles: odds and record-chasing in the BBC, match-by-match fixture detail in Sky Sports, and a broader “eyecatching” draw narrative in The Star.

The BBC’s focus is on O’Sullivan’s record pursuit and the tournament’s favourite, stating that “On form you would make Xintong favourite to retain his title” and then quoting Murphy that “It's the first time in a long time when Ronnie is not number one favourite for the tournament.”

BBC

Sky Sports, by contrast, foregrounds the matchup mechanics and the tournament timeline, reporting that O’Sullivan is drawn against He Guoqiang and that “The tournament gets under way this Sunday before the final takes place on Sunday May 3 and concludes the following day.”

It also supplies a full first-round draw in “Best of 19 frames” format, including “Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) (12) vs He Guoqiang (China) -” and “Zhao Xintong (China) (1) vs Liam Highfield (England).”

The Star emphasizes the defending champion’s attempt to end the Crucible Curse and highlights the debutant angle, saying “Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan is in the running for an eighth title” and describing He Guoqiang as making his debut at the Crucible.

Flashscore.fr adds a qualification pathway detail, stating that He Guoqiang qualified for the Crucible Theatre of Sheffield after beating Jack Lisowski, and it also notes other first-round pairings such as John Higgins against Ali Carter.

Even where the outlets overlap, their wording differs: the BBC describes O’Sullivan’s match as “He Guoqiang on Tuesday and Wednesday in round one,” while Sky Sports says He Guoqiang will begin his maiden campaign “on Tuesday afternoon.”

The Star’s draw listing also includes “Si Jiahui v Hossein Vafaei” and “Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson,” while Sky Sports includes “Chris Wakelin (England) (13) vs Liam Pullen (England) (Best of 19 frames)” in its full draw.

Together, the differences show how the same event—O’Sullivan vs He Guoqiang and Zhao vs Liam Highfield—can be presented as a record chase, a bracket of fixtures, or a narrative about the Crucible Curse.

The stakes in the BBC and Sky Sports previews are framed through records, age, and the Crucible Curse, with the next matches determined by the draw and the tournament schedule.

“In 2001, Ronnie O'Sullivan won his first World Snooker Championship”

BBC

The BBC describes O’Sullivan as aiming for “a record-breaking eighth title” and highlights that he is the third-oldest player in the tournament, behind John Higgins, 50, and 51-year-old Williams, while also noting that he is “running out of time” according to Murphy’s quoted view that “But he is running out of time so he needs to do it sooner or later.”

Flashscore.fr

It also emphasizes that Zhao Xintong is trying to overcome the Crucible Curse, quoting Zhao saying, “I know a little bit about it and everyone is talking about this,” and then adding, “I'm not thinking about it. I have pressure, but the pressure is not from this, it's just from myself.”

Sky Sports adds a historical pressure point by saying “Since 1980, 21 players have tried and failed” to overcome the curse of defending or repeating success, and it notes that Zhao will try to become the first maiden winner to successfully defend the trophy.

Sky Sports also underscores the tournament’s scale and continuity by stating O’Sullivan will make “a record 34th straight appearance at the iconic venue,” and it lists the tournament as the 50th World Championship in Sheffield.

The Star’s draw coverage similarly positions the event as “the biggest sporting event in Sheffield’s calendar,” with attention on the defending champion and the debutant fixtures.

Flashscore.fr’s draw report adds that the first-round matches will run between “le samedi 18 avril et le jeudi 23 avril,” giving a concrete window for the early-stage stakes.

Across outlets, the next steps are clear: O’Sullivan begins against He Guoqiang, Zhao begins against Liam Highfield, and the tournament proceeds through the first round before the final on Sunday, 3 May.

With the BBC also reporting that Zhao beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the 2025 final and that Zhao delivered a 10-3 demolition of Judd Trump in the Tour Championship final in Manchester, the previews set up a scenario where both record-chasing and defending-chasing are central to what comes next.