World Snooker Championship 2026 recap – Updates, results and streaming details as Mark Selby holds dominant lead over Jak Jones, Chris Wakelin wins
Updated 22/04/2026 at 14:17 GMT+1
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World Snooker Championship 2026 live comments and streaming details. TNT Sports brings you frame-by-frame updates as Mark Selby looks for a fast start against Jak Jones on Wednesday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The day's play begins at 10:00am UK time, with further sessions at 14:30 and 19:00.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Selby dominant in opening session against Jones
Mark Selby’s bid for a fifth World Championship crown is off to a solid start as he leads Jak Jones 7-2 in their first-round clash at The Crucible.
The world No. 7 opened with a break of 67 and then edged a patchy second frame with a best run of 48.
Both players had their chance to seal the third with Selby’s 46 countered by Jones’ 54. However, a face-off on the green and then the brown saw the Jester from Leicester come up trumps once more before a break of 50 laid the foundations for 4-0 lead at the interval.
Jones, a runner-up here in 2024, continued to struggle with both his pot-success rate and safety, allowing another half century and a 41 to pave the way for Selby to move six up.
The four-time champion finally came up shy in a pivotal moment, allowing Jones to clear up to the black and belatedly get on the board, but he restored his six-frame cushion with a splendid break of 78.
Jones had been way below par but gave himself a slither of hope ahead of the evening session, clocking a break of 90 to finish what was otherwise a chastening morning for the Welshman.
Elsewhere, Chris Wakelin completed victory over world number 86 Liam Pullen by a 10-6 scoreline.
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Mark Selby
Image credit: Getty Images
World Snooker Championship 2026 live comments
End of session one - Selby 7-2 Jones
Jack is first to show and ensures his run develops into double figures courtesy of a delicious cut up to a tricky black to the right corner.
The Welshman is in need of some respite and produces some of his best snooker yet, gliding a tough old red up to middle left from a difficult angle.
It paves the path to the half century and he finally gets some luck with a ridiculous fluke when he misses a simple red to middle but sees it fly up the table and into the green pocket.
That fortune sails him to frame ball and he will be wondering where this snooker was in this one-sided session as he bags a break of 90 to stay alive heading into the evening session.
Selby 7-1 Jones
Another intelligent safety from Mark leaves the cue ball tight behind the brown on its spot.
The pack is scattered and Jones is trying to avoid leaving a pot on. He fouls on the first attempt by sliding into the pink but catches one south off the colour on his second attempt.
Mark leans in with the rest to cut a tight red to the right corner. He gets a nice bit of fortune with his position too, landing plum on the brown to drill it down to middle left.
It’s all about a run of red-black combos from there and if Selby can remain focused.
A bullet red to the right takes him to the blue and he comes off two cushions via the pot to middle right to land on a red down the right rail courtesy of the rest.
It steers him neatly back on to the black and another sequence of red-black-red sees him conjure up the half century.
A red to middle right and a pink to the left corner keeps him ticking along nicely and when he lands the blue to middle left, it leaves Jak needing a snooker.
Indeed, this is the best possible response to losing that last frame and a plant off another red earns him some deserved applause.
A century looks on but he suddenly loses position and can’t pull off the double. It doesn’t matter as a break of 78 keeps him on the path towards victory.
Selby 6-1 Jones (1-0)
Jones has a weight of his shoulders but makes an early safety error to allow Selby to zap down the first red of Frame 8.
The Jester can’t develop anything beyond that and plays safe off the green in baulk.
Selby 6-1 Jones
Jones has been way off top gear but he produces a tricky pot down to a red on the bottom rail and into the right corner.
The Welshman jabs in the final red to the right corner via the extension and cuts the black to the opposite corner to move up for the yellow.
He takes care of business on the yellow and green and ends up behind the brown, which is tight on the right cushion, but he jabs it down via the rest.
The blue is then despatched to middle left and he’s on the pink to the right corner.
There’s no lapse this time as he sends it down with a break of 34 enough to get him on the board without needing the black.
Selby 6-0 Jones (48-31)
‘Nothing will go the way of Jak Jones this morning,’ laments Dominic Dale on TNT Sports comms.
He’s not wrong.
Jones digs his way out of a snooker but sees a red cannon into the black and sit over the left corner while the cue ball also deflects into mid-table to allow Selby to slam it down with ease.
Mark doesn’t take full advantage, losing position on a pot on the black to the left corner and then failing to resuscitate the situation with an overcut on a red to the right corner.
Selby 6-0 Jones (34-31)
‘Goodness me,’ exclaims Dominic Dale on TNT Sports comms as he remarks on Mark’s great fortune when a positional shot goes wrong, but he’s left with a pot through a gap between pink and red to the left corner.
It keeps him on course to move beyond Jones on the board but he continues to struggle with position.
A tough cut on a red via an extension on the rest means he’s not got much to play for in terms of colours and he plays safe to the right of baulk after a run of 26.
Selby 6-0 Jones (8-31)
Jak looks to take advantage and a steady run develops further when he splits the pack off the blue and rolls in a red.
A cut on a pink down to the right corner then goes astray and hopes of a Jones revival end there, for now…
Selby 6-0 Jones (8-0)
Selby may be in total control at present, but he is having lapses.
A stonking long red puts him in right away in the seventh frame but he miscues on a red up to the yellow pocket to give Jones a chance.
Selby 6-0 Jones
Mark continues to lay traps in the face-off on yellow and a delicious trap in-behind the black sees him sit the cue ball on the edge of the pocket.
The foul leaves Jak with little hope and Selby hammers in the long yellow to make it six of the best!
Three frames to go and it’s all to do for the out-of-sorts Welshman.
Selby 5-0 Jones (64-39)
The face-off on the yellow sees Jak go close with attempts from distance but he’s not playing with the confidence to handle Mark’s safety over a prolonged period of time.
Another snooker behind the black deep in the left corner leads Jones to foul and miss twice in quick succession.
His third effort sees the Welshman clip the yellow but the cue ball makes a beeline for the middle left pocket and disappears!
Result from Table 2
Wakelin 10-6 Pullen
Selby 5-0 Jones (52-39)
Jones slips the red to the right corner but then somehow contrives to blow the black to the opposite bag.
Worse still, he’s moved the cue ball up to baulk with an angle on the yellow...
Interstingly, Selby refuses the chance of the pot and plays the yellow down the table.
Selby 5-0 Jones (52-38)
Selby gets a large slice of luck when the red rolls behind the blue tight to the right cushion.
The final red is close to the black, but Jak can’t see it and his rescue attempt ends in a miss and a free ball for Mark.
The Jester clips a brown to the green pocket via the rest and brings the cue ball down for the final red. He takes the pink first but somehow fails to fire it down!
Selby 5-0 Jones (47-38)
Jones take on a speculative red from right to left and is unlucky to see it jiggle with the jaws and stay out.
It runs safe and the face-off continues.
Selby 5-0 Jones (47-38)
The real Jak Jones has just turned up!
The Silent Assassin eats into Selby’s lead, working his way to the final red just north of the middle-left pocket.
It’s not an easy pot and he opts to send it up and down the table and pop the cue ball beneath the black on its spot.
Selby 5-0 Jones (47-1)
Selby looks like rubbing salt in the wounds but makes a real mess of a routine pink to the left corner to bring a shuddering halt to his run of 41.
Latest from Table 2
Wakelin 9-6 Pullen
Selby 5-0 Jones (6-1)
On TNT Sports comms, Dominic Dale throws in a spellbinding piece of vocab, suggesting he knows all too well what it’s like to be ”spiflicated” at The Crucible.
He goes on to explain it means ‘destroyed’ for those reaching for the dictionary… (I’ve put mine back on the shelf).
It’s in reference to the tough day at the office Jones is currently having as the Welshman leaves a red over the left-corner pocket just moments after Selby had managed a measly six.
Selby 5-0 Jones
Mark gobbles up the penultimate red and nudges in a blue to end up on the left rail facing down for the final red.
He can’t send it home but his 12 is enough as Jak concedes.
Selby 4-0 Jones (52-11)
Jak reels away in dismay as he fails to send a black to the left corner along the bottom rail.
It halts his recovery attempt at 11 and it’s surely Selby’s from here.
Selby 4-0 Jones (52-0)
Jak somehow escapes the clever snooker behind the pink but leaves the door ajar.
Selby knocks in another red but then fails to ease a routine pink along baulk to the green pocket.
Lifeline for Jones!
Selby 4-0 Jones (51-0)
Jak looks forlorn as he takes his seat after fouling into the pink trying to nudge into the pack.
Selby glides in a red and then sends the black to the right bag. The Jester happily gobbles up red-black combos south of the pack to stretch into an easy lead.
A smart nudge off a nearby red allows him to hold for the pink up to middle left and a red down to the right corner keeps him ticking along nicely.
The half century almost evades him, however, as a pot on blue to middle left does split the pack, but leaves him without much on. The world number seven spies a red up to middle left and arrows it to the pocket.
Another blue to middle sees him cannon into a nearby red and the half century is achieved, but he again needs something special to keep it going.
A sublime red cut to the left corner moves him up to baulk and he decides to nudge into the pink on the yellow spot and halt his run there.
Latest from Table 2
Wakelin 9-5 Pullen
Selby 4-0 Jones (1-0)
Jones returns from a much-needed 15-minute reset, but it’s same old story at first as long red to the yellow bag refuses the invitation.
Selby duly knocks it in from distance and then plays safe off the yellow in baulk.
Selby 4-0 Jones
Jones takes on a long red to the yellow pocket and is unfortunate to see it jostle with the jaws and pop out.
Selby steps in and sends it down from distance before rolling in the yellow to the green pocket.
A fine cut via the rest on the final red up to the grteen pocket puts the frame firmly beyond doubt and Mark clears up to the blue to head into the interval four up.
Latest from Table 2
Wakelin 8-5 Pullen
Selby 3-0 Jones (51-12)
Mark sends a red to the left corner and a black to the opposite bag but is perhaps fortunate to land on a red to that same pocket, having played for one he ran too close to.
The world number seven despatches a brown up in baulk and then needs a superb recovery pot by gliding the pink to the left corner on his next colour.
It’s the pattern throughout as he works hard just to stay at the table, sending a red to the bottom right via the rest and some devilish side spin allows him to cannon down the pink to come to one of the three remaining reds along the bottom deck.
It’s déjà vu as pink leads to the penultimate red being rolled across the lower rail. Another pink up to middle right takes him to the half century, but he misses the final red along the bottom cushion to the right corner.
Selby 3-0 Jones (1-12)
Wow, that is bold!
Jones attacks a plant with a shot up into the pack from the left corner that sends a red flying into the opposite corner.
He splits the reds and opens up what looked like being an attritional frame.
The Welshman then fluffs his lines with a miss on the pink to the right corner and opens the door for Mark.
Selby 3-0 Jones (1-11)
With eight minutes on the clock and just one ball potted, Jones ends the stalemate with an explosive mid-table red to the corner.
A yellow to its home pocket brings him down to attack a red to the bottom left and a pink to the middle takes him to double figures.
That didn’t look so likely a moment ago and the audience are no doubt thankful to see some positive action.
However, the Welshman is unfortunate to see the pink run safe. He ponders his next shot and turns down an easy safety to bring the back into play, but he takes on a very tough yellow and is fortunate not to cannon back into the pack and leave it on for his opponent.
Selby 3-0 Jones (1-0)
Mark is given a half chance with a long red right from baulk to the right corner and he controls it beautifully.
There’s no chance of a colour, however, and he decides to move the black away from the pack to the right flank.
It’s a decision that bemuses Dominic Dale on TNT Sports comms as it’s ultra defensive.
Latest from Table 2
Wakelin 7-5 Pullen
Selby 3-0 Jones
It becomes a face-off on the brown and Jak is guilty of a massive howler when he tries to clip a slither of the brown in baulk and completely misses it.
He offers up the foul but then leaves the brown hovering over the right corner pocket on his second attempt.
The Jester slams it down and brings the cue ball back up on to the blue.
The four-time champion rolls the blue down and it comes down to the pink. He’s 10 ahead but not over the line yet… but he is now!
A wonderful cut on the pink to the left corner seals the deal and the applause ringing in his ears tell him he’s 3-0 up!
Selby 2-0 Jones (49-54)
Selby escapes the snooker and a face-off on the green ensues.
It’s Jak that blinks first with a nick off the blue that leaves a long, risky green on to its home pocket.
Mark makes it look easy with a sublime long pot but he doesn’t land neatly on the brown and pots to play safe and send the cue ball on the retreat to the bottom deck.
Selby 2-0 Jones (46-54)
Jones looks to take advantage of that lapse from his opponent but loses position two shots in.
The Welshman responds with a stonking red down the left rail that earns him deserved applause.
It becomes the pattern as the world number 19 battles for position but continues to retrieve it with some excellent cue work.
With three reds left, his hard graft looks like paying off, particularly with the colours on their spots.
Jak plays off the black to take care of two but needs another great recovery pot on the colour to the right corner to give him a chance on the final red down the right flank.
It’s another excellent pot that is appreciated by the crowd and he hits the front on the board as well as the half century.
Jones comes off baulk via the rest off a pot on the yellow but catches the green and this time there’s no escape.
The green is simply not on for the pot and he’s forced to play a safety in-behind the brown and send the green down the table.
Selby 2-0 Jones (46-0)
Ouch.
Jones is struggling with his safety and once again opens the door for Mark.
The Jester steps in with a red to middle right and knocks down a green to suggest he’s in the groove.
A sharp mid-range red to the right corner gets him topside of blue and he’s soon down below the pack, mopping up stray reds around the black off its spot.
On TNT Sports comms, Dominic Dale points out how players often like to leave a lone red below the deck when they screw into the pack off the black. It’s a ‘fail-safe’ if the split doesn’t offer up anything routine.
That’s exactly what happens here but Selby’s march towards a half century suddenly turns sour with a shock miss on a red up to middle right.
Selby 2-0 Jones
Mark arrows a long red to the left corner and it’s disappearance is greeted by thunderous applause.
That’s all he needs as Jones finally concedes.
Table 2 update
Wakelin 6-5 Pullen
Selby 1-0 Jones (68-11)
Selby opens the door with a foul and a miss but still somehow manages to snare the next opportunity.
The world number seven showcases great cueing to land a long red off the baulk cushion to the bottom right bag.
This is his third opportunity and he looks intent on making it count.
A feather touch on a pink to the left corner is followed by a mid-range red to the opposite flank.
The majority of the remaining reds are close to the bottom deck and Selby does a decent job drilling in a red to the right bag and ricocheting into the group to open things up.
Black-red-pink-red follows to put Mark firmly in the driving seat before a pink to middle right and a red to the right corner leave Jones with a familiar sinking feeling.
Selby glides a pink from mid-table to the left corner to bag frame ball and take his break to 48.
It’s all going for Mark now as a touching ball next to a red on the bottom rail allows him to pay safe up behind the green in baulk.
There are three reds remaining and Jak needs a snooker.
The Welshman's rescue-act goes awry and a miss leaves him needing TWO snookers...
Selby 1-0 Jones (16-7)
This time it’s Selby who comes up shy in the safety face-off, catching a red too thick and leaving the cue ball close to the pack.
Jones can’t take advantage with a routine red to the left corner that he fails to land. The Welshman looks a bit surprised by the miss, but he was perhaps too focused on position on the next shot.
Mark steps in and rattles down a red and the green to its home pocket. However, the cue ball doesn’t play fair as it jumps off the cushion and lands tight to the pink at the top of the pack.
On TNT Sports comms, Dominic Dale doesn’t feel it is an error on Selby’s part, but more the way the cue ball flew off the right deck.
It forces the Jester to play safe and this patchy spell continues.
Selby 1-0 Jones (12-7)
There’s a gasp from the audience as Jak guns a red to the right corner and probably feels his heart skip a beat as it rattles with the jaws before eventually dropping.
The world number 19 knocks in a blue but then opts to play safe to baulk.
The opening frame was a bit of a procession for Mark, but this one is already becoming a touch scrappy.
Selby 1-0 Jones (12-1)
Jones makes a mess of his next safety with the rest and leaves the cue baulk just north of a split pack.
Selby’s eyes light up as he shunts a red to the right corner with the rest and pops away a blue to middle to tee up a stray red in baulk to the green pocket.
Another blue to middle brings the Jester from Leicester back down to the pack where he makes ‘an unexpected mistake’ on a routine red to the left bag, according to Dominc Dale on TNT Sports comms.
Selby 1-0 Jones (0-1)
Jak belatedly gets off the mark with a nerve-settling bullet of a long red to the left corner.
The Welshman immediately plays safe to baulk via the yellow, but it was a scorcher of a pot nonetheless.
Selby 1-0 Jones
Selby ends a lacklustre spell of safety with a long red to the corner down the left rail.
It’s routine enough after sloppy work from Jones in his attempt to cover the reds to that flank.
A brown across baulk to the green pocket brings Mark down the table via a screw back off the left cushion, which allows him to zap down a red to the left corner again.
A green up to its home pocket leaves him with work to do positionally but he leans across from right to left to despatch another red to that familiar left corner.
The Jester rolls a simple black to the left bag and is now down at the business end of the table and in with a real chance of putting this framer out of sight.
A succession of routine reds via blacks off the spot allow the four-tie champion to bounce off the bottom deck and into the remainder of the pack.
It’s good enough to keep him in charge and he splits it further courtesy of ricochet when rolling the pink to middle right.
Red and blue to middle left take him past the half century and he begins to make use of the blue off its spot, beautifully gliding the cue ball down to the trio of reds still acting as a mini pack.
It’s wide open now as he nails a tricky mid-range red to the left corner, and while he ensures Jones doesn’t return, he can’t land on a red and makes do with a break of 67 to take the opener.
Head-to-Head
Selby leads the match-up 6-1 (including shoot-out and Champions League)
Mark Selby
Image credit: Getty Images
Show time!
Four-time world champion Mark Selby will headline this morning's session against Jak 'The silent Assassin' Jones, who was runner-up back in 2024.
Elsewhere, Chris Wakelin resumes his R1 clash with Liam Pullen and currently leads 5-4.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/03/12/image-e71587a1-a836-4621-8fad-d0d82c0a8b70.jpeg)
Mark Selby
Image credit: Getty Images
Can Mark Selby win his first World Snooker Championship since 2021?
The Jester from Leicester faces a tough opening-round clash against Jak Jones.
This live blog covers frame-by-frame action from the Selby match, with full scores across all matches available on the TNT Sports scores page.
HBO Max is the streaming home of TNT Sports - watch the match below.
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Trump offers crucial advice to 'amazing talent' Moody - 'I was screaming at the TV'
Video credit: TNT Sports
How to watch and stream the World Championship
You can watch every day of the 2026 Halo World Snooker Championship live on TNT Sports.
It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max.
For the latest information on which snooker events are on TNT Sports, click here.
Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide.
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