Neal Foulds predicts whether snooker's 'Class of 92' can win another world championship title

Wu Yize’s epic triumph at the recent 2026 World Snooker Championship was perhaps a sign of the times. The 22-year-old became the second-youngest winner in the history of the near century-old blue riband event, and he completed back-to-back victories for China after compatriot Zhao Xintong’s trailblazing success from twelve months before.

For the first time in World Snooker Championship history, the tournament crowned a brand new champion for the fourth time in-a-row. Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson were maiden winners in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Whilst half of the world’s current top 16 are aged 40 or above, Brecel, Wilson, Zhao, and Wu were all aged between 22 to 32 when they tasted Crucible glory.

Before starting their world championship winning routes, neither Brecel nor Wu had ever won a match at the Crucible, meanwhile Zhao only had one match win under his name.

Speaking exclusively to The Totally Snookered Vodcast earlier this month, 1986 International Open champion Foulds was asked whether the ‘Crucible Code’ has changed, and if experience there counts for less these days.

“I think the fact there’ve been four now, new champions in-a-row, that does suggest you’re right (in terms of the above), but you could argue, well look at how close Shaun Murphy was to becoming champion” said Foulds, who reached the semi-finals at the Crucible in 1987.

“I mean, he was a ball or two away, as was Mark Allen. Wu Yize won the Championship, but really, there’s a whole lot of ways it could have gone differently, and then if you get Shaun Murphy winning the Championship after 21 years from his first and only title before, then we’re not saying this, are we?

“So I agree with the point, but it could have gone very differently as the 17 days went on, and it just seemed that it was meant to be for Wu Yize. He’s a brilliant player...now we find ourselves with a 22-year-old champion which has got to be exciting for the game.”

“It feels a little unlikely” Foulds questions the Class of 92’s burning desire

Following this record-breaking sequence of new world champions, where does that put snooker’s most revered triumvirate of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams?

Between them, the ‘Class of 92’ have 14 world championship crowns: O’Sullivan has seven (a joint modern-day record alongside Stephen Hendry), Higgins has four, and Williams has three.

The last player out of those three to lift the iconic trophy was O’Sullivan in 2022, although that doesn’t mean they haven’t come close since.

Last year, despite having not played competitively for a few months, O’Sullivan made the semi-finals in Sheffield, and Williams - at the age of 50 - became snooker’s oldest-ever world finalist. However, both players were comfortably defeated by champion Zhao who dispatched O’Sullivan with a session to spare in the last four, and led Williams 17-8 going into the final session before recording a 18-12 result.

This year, Higgins nearly eclipsed Williams’ world final record when he stood two frames away from the showpiece tie before being ousted by Shaun Murphy in a one-table classic.

Titles on the World Snooker Tour are not regular occurrences for the ‘Class of 92’ these days - Williams was the only one of the three to lift a trophy last season, and O’Sullivan has gone back-to-back top tier terms without an accolade - but there seems to be a feeling amongst most fans that any of the three are still capable of making it all come together at a particular event.

However, the World Snooker Championship with its long format is a different beast, and given their ages - all are set to be 51 at the end of this calendar year - perhaps their title chances are not so favourable as they once were.

When asked whether they could, Foulds wasn’t sold on the idea of one of the fiftysomethings winning another world title, but he would be happy to be proved wrong.

"I think it might be difficult for any of those three to win it again.

“I think they can take a lot of people down on the way, as we've seen. There's no doubt that any of those three can beat anybody else in the draw, but to be world champion...I just think it's going to be difficult for any of those guys to win again.

“You can't say they'll never win it but it feels a little unlikely the way that this Championship is going now.

“And it's not only the hunger but surely the mental stamina and fortitude...just maybe something else, that burning desire.

“They're still good players, but I don't really think they are going to win it again. I might look stupid but I wouldn't mind because if anyone do win it again then it would be some achievement, wouldn't it?”

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