Ok, here we go! The players are just being introduced to the crowd by human Energizer bunny, MC Rob Walker.

Wu Yize is first up. A great reception for the Chinese star, who Rob describes as a “lean, mean potting machine”. The chants of “Wuuuuuuuuu” go up from the crowd.

Shaun Murphy is then introduced - roars from the crowd as he strolls down the steps looking relaxed.

The 2026 World Snooker Championship final is about to get underway.

So, how will this final work? We’re in for a treat, with a best-of-35 contest lined up over the next two days - 18 frames is the target for victory.

Here’s the session times:

Sunday 3 May

1pm: Session one - 8 frames

7pm: Session two - 9 frames

Monday 4 May

1pm: Session three - 8 frames

7pm: Session four - 9 frames

In a semi-final that looked set to be remembered for the farcical scenes that led to the longest frame in Crucible history, Mark Allen produced a defining moment so heartbreaking that the 100-minute marathon became a mere footnote.

Allen had one foot and four-and-a-half toes in the World Snooker Championship final when he potted a spectacular long pink while leading Wu Yize 16-15 and landed perfectly on the final black. Black on its spot, cue ball perfectly positioned – it’s a simple pot that Allen makes 100 times out of 100. Except on this one, most important occasion.

Read Luke Baker’s full report from a semi-final of high drama:

What a final we have in store here. Shaun Murphy is already a world champion, having won the title in 2005 but, 21 years on, he’s desperate to join an elite club by becoming a multiple world champion.

He’s lost three finals since that 2005 triumph, so will it be fourth time lucky for the 43-year-old Englishman.

Standing in his way is 22-year-old Chinese wonderkid Wu Yize. A potting machine, Wu is trying to become just the second Chinese world champion, 12 months after Zhao Xintong made history as the first.

He’ll be fearless, especially after coming back from the brink to beat Mark Allen in the semi-finals, and given both men’s propensity for attacking snooker, this one should be a high-scoring thriller.

Shaun Murphy has revealed that a pair of lucky underpants helped him win his first World Snooker Championship title, yet it wasn’t him who was wearing them.

Murphy begins the final of the 2026 tournament against 22-year-old Wu Yize this afternoon but his first world title came back in 2005, when he was a relatively unknown 22-year-old himself.

Having come through qualifying to reach the Crucible, Murphy blitzed the field with his attacking snooker, seeing off Chris Small, John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon before beating Matthew Stevens 18-16 in the final.

Twenty-one years later, the now 43-year-old has revealed the victory may have been down to his nephew Joshua, who was just a child at the time and ensured that his uncle kept winning by wearing the same underwear each day he was at the Crucible.

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the 2026 World Snooker Championship final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize.

After a hugely dramatic day of semi-final action, can the final live up to the same standard?

Stick with us to find out