The 2025 Snooker World Championship gets underway on April 19th at The Crucible in Sheffield.
Pre-tournament snooker betting markets price Judd Trump as the favourite just ahead of Mark Selby and 2024 champion Kyren Wilson.
Once the field is confirmed, William Hill will provide a diverse range of sports betting markets for the fortnight in the steel city.
Should Trump be Favoured?
It’s six years since Trump was world champion. He lost the Players Championship final to Wilson in a tense deciding frame earlier this year and fell to Barry Hawkins in the last eight of the Tour Championship in his last outing on the tour.
Since his lone triumph at the Crucible, Trump has finished as runner-up on one occasion and had three quarter-final exits. He’s been in exceptional form this season with a pair of ranking titles and three final appearances, but does his track record at the World Championship inspire confidence from bettors?
These odds could well lengthen before the first round of the tournament starts. Look for bettors to put their money elsewhere and bank on Trump to fall short in the latter rounds once again.
Selby’s Solid Form
Like Trump, Selby has been playing good snooker of late. He has a recent win in the form of the Welsh Open and has avoided any shockers.
At the Tour Championship, the Jester from Leicester made light work of Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui before losing the final to John Higgins across 18 entertaining frames.
Wildly experienced at the Crucible and with good form behind him, we think Selby could be a good option in the betting markets as he aims for his fifth world title. He’s had some notable slip ups in this event in recent years, but we think he can put those behind him and go on a deep run this time around.
Other Contenders
The defending champion and top seed, Wilson can feel a little hard done by that he’s not the favourite for this year’s World Championships.
Wilson has three ranking titles to his name this year, including the Players Championship. The draw could have been kinder, however, with a run to the final that potentially features Jak Jones, Robertson, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Selby.
O’Sullivan, as ever, is a threat. He could turn it on at the Crucible and cruise through the seemingly harder half of the draw, but we would look to the bottom half for the superior betting value.
That takes us to John Higgins. Seeded third and among the most experienced players in the world, Higgins just beat Selby and Barry Hawkins at the Tour Championship. He won the World Open earlier this year and has consistently played at a high level in 2025.
Don’t be put off by Higgins only reaching one semi-final in his last five World Championships appearances. This draw has really broken in his favour, with a favourable path to the semis.
World Snooker Championship Winner Odds:
- Judd Trump – 7/2
- Mark Selby – 11/2
- Kyren Wilson – 7/1
- Ronnie O’Sullivan – 8/1
- Neil Robertson – 12/1
- John Higgins – 12/1
- Mark Allen – 16/1
- Shaun Murphy – 16/1
- Zhao Xintong – 18/1
- Barry Hawkins – 20/1
- Ding Junhui – 20/1
- Mark Williams – 33/1
- Luca Brecel – 33/1
- Si Jiahui – 33/1
- Jack Lisowski – 40/1
You can bet on the World Snooker Championship with William Hill here.
Recent World Snooker Champions:
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2021 – Mark Selby
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2018 – Mark Williams
- 2017 – Mark Selby
- 2016 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2011 – John Higgins
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
Most World Snooker Championship Titles:
- Stephen Hendry – 7
- Ronnie O’Sullivan – 7
- Steve Davis – 6
- Ray Reardon – 6
- John Higgins – 4
- Mark Selby – 4
- Mark Williams – 3
*Odds subject to change – prices correct at the time of writing*
