All 32 players at the World Snooker Championship ranked by form

The world’s finest players arrive at the Crucible (Picture: Getty Images)

The 2026 World Snooker Championship gets underway this weekend as 32 of the planet’s finest cueists battle it out for the famous old trophy.

Zhao Xintong became China’s first world champion a year ago and he returns as the favourite to conquer the Crucible again.

No one has ever defended their first world title at the Sheffield theatre, with the Crucible curse lingering on, but many fancy Zhao to be the man to break it.

He is taking on a strong field as he tries to do that, with eight other former champions returning to South Yorkshire this year.

There are also...