World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan will be looking to win a record eighth title when the World Championships open at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield.
Former champions Judd Trump and Mark Williams are also among the favorites.
The championship will be held from April 20th to May 6th and will be broadcast live on the BBC.
How to watch BBC live
Watch live on BBC TV and follow continuous coverage of selected matches on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.
A highlight program will also be broadcast on BBC Two in the evening.
The BBC Sport website and mobile app will feature live text coverage of selected matches, as well as reports and the latest scores. We'll also keep you up to date with BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
When is the World Championship draw?
The draw will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and streamed on the BBC Sport website at approximately 8.45am BST on Thursday 18 April.
The top 16 seeds will be randomly drawn with the 16 players who made it through the qualifying tournament.
Former champions Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham are among the players hoping to qualify for the Crucible. World No. 17 Jack Lisowowski, Ryan Day and Hossein Bafai also need to qualify.
Five women began qualifying, but none made it past the first of four rounds.
Qualifying at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield ends on Wednesday 17th April.
Who are the Crucible Seeds?
1. Luca Bressel, 2. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 3. Judd Trump, 4. Mark Allen, 5. Mark Selby, 6. Mark Williams, 7. Ding Junhui, 8. Sean Murphy
9. Ali Carter, 10. Gary Wilson, 11. Zhang Anda, 12. Kylen Wilson, 13. John Higgins, 14. Tom Ford, 15. Barry Hawkins, 16. Robert Milkins
When does Ronnie O'Sullivan play?
World champion Bressel will begin his title defense on Saturday 20th April at 10am BST.
Mr Trump will also begin his challenge on the first day, while Mr O'Sullivan, a seven-time champion, will begin his campaign on Wednesday 24 April.
If the games go in seeding order, O'Sullivan could face Hawkins in the second round, Ding in the quarterfinals and Trump in the semifinals.
Bressel and Allen are seeded and will meet in the semifinals on opposite sides of the draw.
How much is the prize?
- The winner will receive £500,000.
- The runner-up will receive a consolation prize of £200,000.
- Semi-finalists will receive £100,000 and quarter-finalists will receive £50,000.
- Players eliminated in the first round will receive £20,000, while those eliminated in the last 16 will receive £30,000.
Crucible Maximum number of breaks 147
Players with the highest break of 147 in the Crucible will win £40,000, while the highest televised break will receive £15,000.
The best record at the World Championships is only 14 times.
Last year marked 40 years since Cliff Thorburn first made 147, with Kyren Wilson hitting 147 in the opening round and Mark Selby becoming the first player to hit 147 in the world finals.
O'Sullivan and Hendry have achieved three 147s, with only Jimmy White, Mark Williams, Ali Carter, John Higgins and Neil Robertson achieving this feat.
What is the tournament format?
- Round 1 – Best of 19 frames played over two sessions
- Round 2 and Quarterfinals – Best of 25 frames over 3 sessions
- Semi-finals – Best of 33 frames over 4 sessions.
- Finals – Best of 35 frames in 4 sessions on May 5th and 6th.
Match schedule and BBC coverage times
It's broadcast uninterrupted every day on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app, plus some coverage on Red Button.
All times are BST. Coverage may be rescheduled at a later date, so details may differ from this page.
Saturday, April 20th
Match schedules announced so far
Match 1: Luca Brecel vs Qualifier
Match 11: Jang Anda vs Preliminary
Match 9: Judd Trump vs Qualifier
Match 3: Ali Carter vs Qualifier
Match 1: Luca Brecel vs Qualifier
Match 10: Tom Ford vs Qualifier
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Sunday, April 21st
Match schedules announced so far
Match 5: Mark Selby v Qualifiers
Match 11: Jang Anda vs Preliminary
Match 9: Judd Trump vs Qualifier
Match 4: Sean Murphy v Qualifier
Match 3: Ali Carter vs Qualifier
Match 10: Tom Ford vs Qualifier
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Monday, April 22nd
Match schedules announced so far
Match 14: Gary Wilson vs Qualifier
Match 4: Sean Murphy v Qualifier
Match 12: Mark Williams v Qualifier
Match 2: Robert Milkins v Qualifier
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Tuesday, April 23rd
Match schedules announced so far
Match 6: Kyren Wilson vs Qualifier
Match 13: Ding Junhui v Qualifying
Match 12: Mark Williams v Qualifier
Match 8: Mark Allen v Qualifier
Match 15: Barry Hawkins v Qualifier
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Wednesday, April 24th
Match schedules announced so far
Match 8: Mark Allen v Qualifier
Match 16: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Qualifier
Match 7: John Higgins v Qualifier
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
01:05-03:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Thursday, April 25th
Rounds 1 and 2 (Rounds 19 and 25)
Match schedules announced so far
Match 16: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Qualifier
13:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
23:15-00:05 – BBC Two (starts at 00:15 in Northern Ireland)
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two (Starts 01:05 in Northern Ireland)
Friday, April 26th
2nd round (best 25)
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Saturday, April 27th
2nd round (best 25)
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Sunday, April 28th
2nd round (best 25)
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Monday, April 29th
2nd round (best 25)
13:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Tuesday, April 30th
Quarterfinals (best 25)
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Wednesday, May 1st
Quarterfinals (best 25)
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
23:15-00:05 – Highlights – BBC Two
00:05-02:05 – World Championship Extra – BBC Two
Thursday, May 2nd
13:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
Friday, May 3rd
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
Saturday, May 4th
10:00-23:00 – Uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app
Sunday, May 5th
You can also watch our coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport mobile app
Monday, May 6th
You can also watch our coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport mobile app
