The finest snooker players have gathered once again at the world-renowned Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, to try and capture the most prestigious trophy in the game. You can discover how to watch the World Snooker Championship in this article, with free options, worldwide access, and the 2025 tournament schedule all laid out.

The so-called Crucible Curse has struck once again, with Kyren Wilson the latest in a long line of first-time winners to fail to go back-to-back — the 2024 champion fell in a 10-9 round one thriller. That leaves the tournament tantalizingly poised, with seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan's return to action among the major talking points. He's already dismantled bitter rival Ali Carter, casually knocking in five century breaks along the way.

Former winners Judd Trump, Mark Selby, and John Higgins are among the names most expected to go deep into week two, with Mark Allen hoping to make it three new winners in as many years following the success of Wilson and Luca Brecel. This could also finally be the year when we see a Chinese player crowned champion. A record 10 Chinese competitors have qualified for the 2025 tournament, with Ding Junhui, Zhao Xintong, and Xiao Guodong leading the charge.

Whoever lifts the famous trophy on Monday, May 5 will need to come through five intense rounds of baize battles. And to make sure you don't miss a minute, you can follow our guide below to watch World Snooker Championship live streams.

As ever, the free-to-air BBC has extensive live coverage of the 2025 World Snooker Championship. In addition to televised action across its BBC One, Two and Four channels, the broadcaster will show every single shot and pot on its free online BBC iPlayer platform and BBC Sport website. As well as smartphones and laptops, iPlayer is available to stream on pretty much every streaming device you can think of.

For an alternative commentary and analysis, UK snooker fans can also watch on TNT Sports — available with certain Sky, Virgin Media, and EE TV plans, or through a Discovery Plus Premium subscription costing £31/month.

Unlike in the UK, you have to pay to watch this tournament in the US. It is being shown on the dedicated WST Play streaming platform. Prices are listed in GBP, with the monthly pass costing £7. That means you can watch every match of the 2025 World Snooker Championship for less than $10.

Watching the 2025 World Snooker Championship for free in the UK is easy. But try watching iPlayer when abroad and you'll discover that you can't due to geo-blocking. Thankfully, you can get around this annoyance with a VPN (or virtual private network), which will let you set your smartphone, laptop, or streaming device so that it thinks it's back in the UK. These are key tools for anyone looking to access their usual websites while traveling or enhance their security while online.

We recommend ExpressVPN as a great option. As per our in-depth ExpressVPN review, it's a superb all-around service that offers impressive unblocking skills alongside its primary purpose of giving users an extra layer of encrypted cybersecurity.

• Semifinals: May 1—3
• Final: May 4—5

According to the BBC, the total prize fund for the 2025 World Snooker Championship is £2.395 million — around $3.2 million. The overall winner will receive £500,000 (approx. $670,000), with the losing finalist having to console themselves with £200,000 (approx. $270,000).

With defending champion Kyren Wilson knocked out in round one, the 2025 Snooker World Championship field is wide open. World number one Judd Trump started the tournament as the outright favorite to add to his sole title from 2019, while multiple winners Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby, and John Higgins are close behind.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.