2026 World Snooker Championship day two: John Higgins vs Ali Carter predictions

World Snooker Championship dates, start time & TV info 

Dates Saturday, April 18 to Monday, May 4
Starts 10am Saturday
Venue Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
TV BBC, TNT Sports & Discovery+

There are a couple of first-round starters for punters to get stuck into on day two of the World Snooker Championship and both matches could be high-class affairs.

The morning action sees Ding Junhui, who only just scraped into the top 16 seeds this year, taking on Dave Gilbert and in the afternoon four-time champion John Higgins is pitted against dual Crucible Theatre finalist Ali Carter.

Best bets for day two of the World Snooker Championship

Ding Junhui to beat David Gilbert
1pt 8-13 general

Over 16.5 frames in John Higgins vs Ali Carter
1pt Evs Betfair, Paddy Power

'The game comes so easily to Zhao that he is well placed to retain his Sheffield crown' – click here to check out Adrian Humphries' outright tips for the World Championship

World Snooker Championship day two predictions

Ding Junhui vs David Gilbert predictions

Starts time: 10am

Dave Gilbert has won five of his seven meetings with Ding Junhui 5-2 so some punters may justifiably think twice before siding with the former Chinese and world number one to narrow the gap on the Midlands potter.

But there is the feeling that this year's World Championship is a bit of a clean slate for Ding, who reached the final at the Crucible Theatre ten years ago only to emerge from the auditorium second-best against Mark Selby.

It could also be the case that some of the pressure has been taken off Ding's after with his country nailed its first world title 12 months ago. Not that Ding has been liberated in any way by Zhao Xintong's triumph – the 39-year-old has struggled to handle the pressure in umpteen matches in what is still a hugely impressive career.

But punters should remember how deserving of his final berth the immensely talented Ding was. And he managed the occasion and the 18-14 defeat brilliantly, so much so that he looked sure to kick on from that experience.

Neither Ding nor Gilbert has made a final of note this season but Gilbert's game looked in good order in qualifying for the Crucible - he made six century breaks in the course of seeing off Irish pair Leone Crowley and Aaron Hill.

That could stand him in good stead against Ding. But this pair's last meeting was back in 2019 and the favourite remains quite capable of taking control of any match, which may happen on this occasion.

John Higgins vs Ali Carter predictions

Start time: 2.30pm

John Higgins has enjoyed another fine and consistent campaign, reaching finals at the International Championship, Masters and Players Championship.

He remains a major force in snooker, although he hasn't always been a reliable betting proposition at the Crucible down the years.

It is 15 years since he lifted the last of his four world titles, although he had a run of three final appearances between 2017 and 2019.

But the length of the 17-day tournament has seemed to taken its toll on 50-year-old Higgins' energy stores in recent times and, unlike his fellow Class of 92 legends Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams, navigating a path to the final has been more difficult for the Scot.

That said, Higgins remains perfectly capable of going deep in Sheffield this year, although he opens with a potentially tough test against Ali Carter, a qualifier who found O'Sullivan far too good in world finals in 2008 and 2012.

Higgins leads their head-to-head series 23-14 - one match was drawn – but Carter looked in good touch in the qualifiers, defeating Julian Leclercq 10-5 and Anthony McGill 10-7, and the 46-year-old could help to stretch his Crucible opener to at least 17 frames.

World Snooker Championship first-round draw

Here is the draw for the first round of the 2026 World Snooker Championship.

(1) Zhao Xintong v Liam Highfield
(16) Ding Junhui v David Gilbert
(9) Xiao Guodong v Zhou Yuelong
(8) Shaun Murphy v Fan Zhengyi

(5) John Higgins v Ali Carter
(12) Ronnie O'Sullivan v He Guoqiang
(13) Chris Wakelin v Liam Pullen
(4) Neil Robertson v Pang Junxu

(3) Kyren Wilson v Stan Moody
(14) Mark Allen v Zhang Anda
(11) Barry Hawkins v Matthew Stevens
(6) Mark Williams v Antoni Kowalski

(7) Mark Selby v Jak Jones
(10) Wu Yize v Lei Peifan
(15) Si Jiahui v Hossein Vafaei
(2) Judd Trump v Gary Wilson

Seedings in brackets. First round matches are best-of-19-frames and will be played from Saturday, April 18 to Thursday, April 23.

World Snooker Championship betting odds

Here are the latest odds for the 2026 World Snooker Championship, which begins at Sheffield's iconic Crucible Theatre on Saturday, April 18.

Odds correct at time of publishing

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FAQs

Where is the 2026 World Snooker Championship taking place?

For the 50th year in succession, the 2026 World Snooker Championship will be held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.

When is the 2026 World Snooker Championship?

The 2026 World Snooker Championship starts on Saturday, April 18 and runs until Monday, May 4.

Where can I watch the 2026 World Snooker Championship?

Every frame of the 2026 World Snooker Championship will be shown live on the BBC, TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Who are the favourites to win the 2026 World Snooker Championship?

Defending champion Zhao Xintong is the general 2-1 favourite to win a second world title in Sheffield, with 2019 winner Judd Trump and snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is attempting to win a record eighth world title, rated among the Chinese ace's biggest threats.

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