The Snooker World Championship is almost upon us with 32 players vying for the most coveted prize in the sport.First held in 1927, the World Championship is one of three tournaments that make up snooker’s Triple Crown Series.The iconic Crucible will host this year’s Snooker World ChampionshipGettyThe historic event has seen some of snooker’s all-time great strut their stuff from Joe Davis in the 1980s to modern-day stars including Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan.A whopping £500,000 will be on offer to this year’s victorious potter with £200,000 awarded to the runner-up from a total prize fund of £2,395,000.Zhao Xintong reigned supreme at the 2025 World Championship, the Chinese star becoming the first Asian player to win the tournament.And he is expected to once again stake his claim to be the king of the Crucible.Where is the World Championship being played and when does it begin?The World Snooker Championship will emanate from its spiritual home at the Crucible in Sheffield – and is set to do so for another two decades.The 17-day event gets underway on April 18 and will run until May 4. The qualifying rounds will take place between April 6 and 15.Where can fans catch the action?Snooker fans can watch all the drama of the World Championships unfold on BBC Sport.The broadcaster will provide comprehensive coverage across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four.There will be uninterrupted streaming on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.The action will also be broadcast live on TNT Sports and on HBO Max.How is the tournament structured?The first matches will be competed in best-of-19 frames with the second, third and fourth round clashes played over best-of-25.The semi-finals will test the players’ endurance with a best-of-33 format while the final will be played over two days with a best-of-35 over four sessions.Who are the previous World Championship winners?Zhao beat Mark Williams to claim a maiden world title last yearGettyPrior to Zhao’s victory 12 months ago, Belgian potter Luca Brecel carried the tagline of world champion.Brecel saw off English man Mark Selby in the 2024 final, winning 18-15. On his way to winning the grand prize, Brecel overcame Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-final.His victory in the final also saw him deny Selby the chance of winning another Triple Crown.The legendary Joe Davis claimed an incredible 15 titles in succession from the tournament’s inception.However, in the modern era (post 1969) Hendry and O’Sullivan lead the way with seven world titles apiece.Prior to Brecel’s heroics, the last time the tournament produced a winner from outside of Britain was when Australian Neil Robertson lifted the trophy in 2010 beating Graeme Dott in the final.O’Sullivan has won a joint-record seven World Championship titlesGettyRobertson will be hoping for another championship this year but knows the competition will be tough.Brecel, O’Sullivan, Selby, Mark Williams, Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham, Shaun Murphy and John Higgins will all be looking to dethrone Zhao in May.But all eyes will be on O’Sullivan as he bids to win his eight world title in what will be a record-extending 34th straight appearance for The Rocket.The 50-year-old recently reflected on his experiences at the Crucible and admitted he has surpassed his childhood dreams.“When I was younger, I just wanted to get there and experience it on one occasion, but to go there year after year has been quite something,” O’Sullivan said.“Obviously, the Crucible delivers drama. You know it can turn your year around and your career around.”