2025 World Snooker Championship first round schedule revealed - when Wilson, Trump, O'Sullivan will play

The World Snooker Tour released the opening round match schedule for the sport’s blue riband event on their website on Saturday - a week before the televised stages at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield begin.

One top 16 star who already knew when they were playing was Kyren Wilson, who as the reigning and defending World Champion completes his first round match on day one (Saturday 19th April) across morning and evening sessions - as per tradition for the tournament.

Joining title holder Wilson for the opening session on Saturday morning will be China’s Xiao Guodong, who will be a seeded player at the Crucible for the first time in his career.

It has been a breakthrough season for 36-year-old Xiao who won his maiden ranking event title at the Wuhan Open, reached the final of the Champion of Champions on debut, and made it to three other semi-finals. It will be Xiao’s first Crucible appearance since 2018.

The other seeds starting their title tilts on day one are former champions Neil Robertson and Mark Williams in the afternoon, and Barry Hawkins in the evening.

2010 Champion Robertson slipped outside the world's top 16 shortly before last year's edition and failed to make the Crucible for the first time in two decades after losing in the final qualifying round.

Number 16 seed and last year's runner-up Jak Jones gets underway on Sunday (20th April) morning. Should Jones and Wilson navigate their opening round opponents, they would face each other in round two for a rerun of the final here from 12 months ago.

Former Masters and UK Champion Mark Allen is in action on Sunday afternoon - world number one at the start of this season, the Northern Irishman is aiming to reach the final here for the first time.

Arguably the most in-form player in the world right now is John Higgins, who has won two of the last four world ranking events, including the most recent one at the Tour Championship.

The Scottish ace - who last conquered the Crucible in 2011 - plays Monday (21st April) morning. Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui - two of four Chinese top 16 seeds this year - touch the baize in the afternoon and evening sessions respectively.

The final Chinese seed to start is Zhang Anda; the number 12 seed has yet to win a match at this venue in four previous attempts. He will aim to get off to a good start to his round one tie that breaks off on Tuesday (22nd April) morning. On the other side of the divide that morning, Shaun Murphy - champion here 20 years ago - also begins his campaign.

It is still unclear whether seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will play this year having not featured on the professional circuit since the start of the January when he deliberately snapped his cue in frustration at the Championship League Invitational.

O’Sullivan has never not played at the Crucible during his professional career, ever since winning 10 qualifying round matches as a rookie to appear at the 1993 staging. There are some positive signs that ‘The Rocket’ will play in Sheffield following recent footage of him making a speedy maximum 147 break with his new cue in Saudi Arabia.

The 49-year-old has entered the competition and not yet withdrawn, and has been scheduled to start his tournament on Tuesday afternoon, with the concluding session coming the next day, also in the afternoon.

World number one Judd Trump - victor here in 2019 - plays his first round fixture on the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The final two top 16 exponents to enter the fray were the contestants for the final here two years ago.

2023 Champion Luca Brecel has not played a professional match since the middle of February, but is set for his return on the Wednesday (23rd April) afternoon.

Four-time World Champion Mark Selby is once again a very serious contender for this crown having won three titles this season and just reached the Tour Championship final in Manchester. 'The Jester' comes to the party on Wednesday evening.

When is the draw for the 2025 World Snooker Championship and how to watch it

For round one at the Crucible, the world’s top 16 will be randomly drawn against the 16 qualifiers who emerge from the preliminary phases which take place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield between April 7-16.

The live draw for the 2025 World Snooker Championship is due to be conducted at around 08:45BST on the morning of Thursday 17th April - two days before the Crucible stages start.

The draw will be on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sport website, and it is believed that it is also accessible on BBC Sounds.