World Snooker Championship 2026: Pressure Intensifies At The Crucible

The quarter-finals of the 2026 Snooker World Championships begin on April 28 and William Hill News preview all four matches at The Crucible.

There were several high-profile casualties in the last 16 stage, with Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, and Mark Selby among the players eliminated.

World Snooker Championship Tips – Quarter Finals:

• Zhao Xintong -2.5 frames vs Shaun Murphy (8/11)
• John Higgins to win vs Neil Robertson (8/11)
• Barry Hawkins to win vs Mark Allen (Evens)
• Wu Yize -1.5 frames vs Hossein Vafaei (4/6)

Here are our snooker betting tips for the last eight.

Shaun Murphy vs Zhao Xintong

Zhao Xintong has won his last two matches against Shaun Murphy, including a 6-3 victory at the Players Championship. Murphy is in strong form, though, after a 13-3 win over Xiao Guodong.

Zhao is the world’s form player. He’s won the Tour Championship, Players Championship, and World Grand Prix in recent memory.

Murphy has made a couple of appearances in the latter stages of competitions over the last few months, but it’s hard to see the Scot stopping Zhao in this form.

John Higgins vs Neil Robertson

John Higgins was pushed the distance by O’Sullivan in the last round. Higgins used all 25 frames to see off the Rocket. Neil Robertson had a more routine victory, beating Chris Wakelin 13-7.

Robertson has a slight advantage historically, but there’s been little to choose between the players over the last year or two. Zhao has often been the man to derail Higgins’ hopes this term, with the Chinese star beating the Scot three times since the start of February.

The form book narrowly leans in Higgins’ favour. That’s enough to back the veteran for a win here.

Mark Allen vs Barry Hawkins

Perhaps the most surprising matchup of the quarter finals, Mark Allen and Barry Hawkins both had four-frame wins over higher-seeded opponents in the last 16. This marks their first meeting since 2024, when Hawkins saw off Allen to reach the UK Championship final.

Their last two Crucible matchups were in 2011 and 2015. Both were tightly contested.

Allen has been less consistent than Hawkins of late. Hawkins won at the Welsh Open and recent tournament success stands him in good stead here.

Wu Yize vs Hossein Vafaei

Like Allen and Hawkins, Wu Yize and Hossein Vafaei staged upsets in the last round, defeating Selby and Trump, respectively. This marks both players’ deepest World Championship runs.

Both players have been playing the best snooker of their careers. They reached the latter rounds at the World Open. Wu won his first ranking event earlier this season and Vafaei beat Mark Williams en route to a quarter-final appearance at the World Open.

The outcome of this might come down to who deals with the pressure best. Wu has far more experience at the latter stages of tournaments.

*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*