Could the famous Crucible Curse finally come to an end this year. No first-time champion has ever returned to the venue and successfully defended the World Snooker Championship. Kyren Wilson will be hoping to put that curse to bed in May.
The 2025 World Snooker Championship begins on April 19 with the final beginning on May 5 and the champion crowned the following day. It is an event that is hugely popular with gamblers around the world, particularly the UK and China. A look at the current betting market shows that this is one of the most open tournaments in years.
Judd Trump is currently world number one and he is the favorite at around 10/3 to lift the trophy. He has had a hugely successful season with over £1 million won in prize money. Up to the end of March, he had won three major titles in Shanghai, Saudi Arabia and the UK Championship.
Only once has he become world champion though. That was in 2019 and only once since then (in 2022) has he reached the final. Last year saw him go out at the quarter-final stage. He will have a lot to play for in Sheffield. There is also the chance of him earning a huge bonus if he can complete 100 century breaks for the season.
The reigning world champion is Kyren Wilson from Kettering in Northamptonshire. The Englishman won the title last year in what was a very surprising world championship. No top ten seeded player reached the semi-finals and he beat unseeded Jak Jones to lift the title.
He has managed to build on that success though with four major title wins, including the Northern Ireland Open and in 2025, the German Masters and Players Championship. Wilson was also the runner-up at the Crucible in 2020 and a semi-finalist a year later. That shows he has good form over the longer number of frames that are played in this tournament. He’s the current third favorite at 6/1 and the days of that Crucible Curse might just be numbered.
It is not often you see Ronnie O’Sullivan available at odds of around 9/2 to win a tournament, according to UK bookmakers as per Offersbet.co.uk. Could the Rocket win an eighth world title in May? You have to be ‘in it to win it’ and no one can be certain that Ronnie will make his way to the Crucible in April. Even if he does, will he stay there for a fortnight?
O’Sullivan has pulled out of a string of tournaments this year. His last appearance was in a Championship League event in January. That saw him withdraw during the tournament and reportedly chucked his cue into a bin.
Mental health and relationship problems have hit him this season and he’s outside the top 30 in terms of points earned. Could his first final of the season be at the Crucible itself? He has missed a season and then won the world title in the past but at 49, it would be a massive achievement if he was to win the 2025 title.
Also hoping for success like some recent Isle of Wight rowers have achieved will be Mark Selby. He won the most recent of his four world titles three years ago and was the losing finalist in 2023. Three titles have been won this season and he’s hard to beat over the longer number of frames. At 13/2 he has to be on the shortlist.
Just like Selby, John Higgins is chasing a fifth world title. If he was to win, then the Scottish player would have won the title in four different decades as he first became world champion in 1998. Higgins has reached at least the last four in each of his last three visits to the Crucible. With a recent World Open triumph, odds of 14/1 look tasty.
Neil Robertson (8/1) has had a successful season but it’s 15 years since his only title at the Crucible and he didn’t even qualify last year. This year is the 20th anniversary of Shaun Murphy (11/1) becoming world champion. He is consistent and won the Masters earlier this year. However, he’s more likely to be commentating on the final than winning it and hasn’t made it past round two in the last three years.
Mark Allen is 12/1 but has never reached a final at the Crucible with several early exits. Ding Junhui (20/1) has lost in the first round for the past four years. Chinese players have had success this year and players such as Si Jiahu, Xiao Guodong and Lei Peifan may go well.
Outsiders include former champion Stuart Bingham, Barry Hawkins and if he could rediscover his form, Luca Brecel. It promises to be a fascinating tournament.
