O'Sullivan to Face Debutant He Guoqiang at 2026 Crucible

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been drawn against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang as he chases a record eighth World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

He, ranked 47th, earned his place by beating Jack Lisowski in qualifying and will make his maiden Crucible appearance against seven-time champion O'Sullivan on Tuesday afternoon. The 25-year-old has won two of their three previous meetings and is one of 11 Chinese players in this year's field.

Defending champion Zhao Xintong, who became China's first world champion last year, will begin his title defence against Liam Highfield in the tournament's opening match. The championship starts this weekend, with the final scheduled for Sunday, May 3.

Other notable first-round ties include four-time winner John Higgins versus two-time runner-up Ali Carter — if both advance they would meet O'Sullivan in round two. Mark Selby, a four-time champion, faces 2024 finalist Jak Jones. Judd Trump has been drawn against Gary Wilson, while three-time champion Mark Williams takes on Antoni Kowalski, the first Polish player to qualify for the Crucible.

A high-profile debut belongs to 19-year-old Stan Moody, who will make his Crucible bow against 2024 champion Kyren Wilson.

O'Sullivan is set to make a record 34th consecutive Crucible appearance. He was the last first-time world champion to reach the semi-finals, doing so in 2002 when he lost 17-13 to Stephen Hendry.

Since the first round was expanded to 32 players in 1982, no staging of the event has seen all 16 top seeds progress to the second round. Zhao will attempt to overcome the so-called "Crucible Curse" and become the first first-time winner to successfully defend the title; since 1980, 21 first-time champions have failed in their title defences.

2024 Kyren Wilson bt Jak Jones 18-14

2025 Zhao Xintong bt Mark Williams 18-12