How to watch the World Snooker Championship 2020 live - order of play and TV coverage
The World Snooker Championship is ready to kick off in 2020 and we've got all the times, dates, TV details and more for you to enjoy.
The 2020 World Snooker Championship reaches a climax as the final gets underway at the Crucible in Sheffield this weekend.
The rescheduled tournament has been a big hit with fans who will have been disappointed to see the traditional springtime tradition suffer under lockdown restrictions.
Ronnie O'Sullivan will face Kyren Wilson in the showpiece clash following a pair of breathtaking semi-final clashes.
No.8 seed Wilson was involved in one of the all-time wildest frames in World Championship history against unseeded Anthony McGill.
The pair jostled back and forth with numerous fouls and twists throughout the deciding frame with the scores at 16-16, before a Wilson fluke on the green saw him seize the opportunity to win.
As if that wasn't enough drama for one day, O'Sullivan fought back superbly against Mark Selby from 16-14 down to win the last three frames and reach the final.
It has been a dramatic tournament so far as reigning champion Judd Trump was knocked out of the running by Wilson in the quarters.
Mark Allen crashed out in the first round to Welsh ace Jamie Clarke while Shaun Murphy also fell at the first hurdle.
Check out our comprehensive guide to the 2020 World Snooker Championship including times, TV details and draw details.
When is the World Snooker Championship?
The 2020 World Snooker Championship started on Friday 31st July 2020 after being pushed back from its usual spot in April.
The two-week run culminates in the final this weekend on Sunday 16th August 2020.
How to watch the World Snooker Championship 2020
Coverage of the 2020 World Snooker Championship will be readily available across Eurosport and BBC platforms.
Many Sky Sports customers will have Eurosport included in their package.
Non-Sky Sports customers can sign up from just £4.99 per month or £39.99 for a full year.
You can subscribe to Eurosport Player independently or add it to your Amazon Prime subscription. You can even sign up for free trials for both Eurosport and Amazon Prime so you can enjoy their coverage for a week without paying.
Most of the action will also be broadcast on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer, though occasional matches will be shown on BBC1.
Keep an eye on our schedule below which will be updated throughout the tournament when specific details are released.
World Snooker order of play
We're down to just three matches including a pair of semi-finals and the final itself, but the action is bubbling away nicely in all of them.
You can check out today's order of play here, plus the TV schedule information below to see how you can tune in.
Saturday 15th August
1:30pm – Ronnie O'Sullivan (6) v Kyren Wilson (8) – Session 1
7:30pm – Ronnie O'Sullivan (6) v Kyren Wilson (8) – Session 2
Sunday 16th August
1:30pm – Ronnie O'Sullivan (6) v Kyren Wilson (8) – Session 3
7:30pm – Ronnie O'Sullivan (6) v Kyren Wilson (8) – Session 4
World Snooker Championship schedule
Saturday 15th August
BBC One: from 1:15pm
BBC Two: from 4:30pm and 7:30pm
Eurosport: from 10am, 2:30pm and 7pm
Sunday 16th August
BBC Two: from 1:30pm and 7:30pm
Eurosport: from 10am, 2:30pm and 7pm
World Snooker Championship prize money
There's a hefty prize money pot on offer for the World Snooker Championship. Here's the full round-up, including bonuses for hitting the highest break:
- Winner: £500,000
- Runner-up: £200,000
- Semi-finalists: £100,000
- Quarter-finalists: £50,000
- Last 16: £30,000
- Last 32: £20,000
- Last 48: £15,000
- Last 80: £10,000
- Last 112: £5,000
- Highest break: £15,000
- TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: £2,395,000
Who is the defending champion?
Trump is the reigning king of the Crucible showpiece event after masterful displays in 2019.
He suffered a brief scare in the first round against Thai player Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, but went on to trounce Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire and unseeded surprise package Gary Wilson in his route to the final.
Trump thrashed John Higgins 18-9 in the climactic showdown to secure his first World Snooker Championship.
Will fans be able to watch in the Crucible?
Fans were allowed into the Crucible Theatre on the opening day as part of a government plan to steadily reintroduce crowds to sporting events.
The tournament was selected to host a pilot scheme of returning fans to arenas. Every session of the tournament was intended to be populated by some degree of an audience.
Now that will not be the case, and all preparations for a socially-distanced tournament have been abandoned with players to remain in a bubble and play behind closed doors.
WST chairman Barry Hearn initially welcomed the move to allow crowds inside. He said: "Following extensive discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Nigel Huddleston MP in recent weeks, we are delighted that the World Championship has been picked among the very small number of sports events for this pilot project.
"We will be the only indoor sporting event with a crowd.
"This highlights the Government's confidence in snooker and our ability to safely welcome back fans at one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.
"This is marvellous news for the small number of spectators lucky enough to have kept their tickets for what will be a unique occasion at the Crucible.
"Every single one who chose the option to keep their seat for this year will be given a place. And the limited number of tickets on general sale will be snapped up quickly by fans who now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this world-famous event live."
If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
