How to watch the 2025 World Snooker Championship for free
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You can watch the full coverage of the World Snooker Championship for Free on BBC iPayer in the UK or on WST official snooker streaming service outside the countries that have exclusive rights.
The 2025 Halo World Snooker Championship runs from April 19 to May 5, 2025, live from the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Over 17 days, the world's top 32 players will compete in a knockout format at the legendary Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. With millions of fans around the world tuning in, this is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in professional snooker.
The tournament has reached its apex: the best-of-35-frames final between China’s Zhao Xintong and five-time champion Mark Williams. Following the opening session on Sunday, May 4, Zhao holds a commanding 7–1 lead over Williams as they head into the remaining three sessions on May 4 and 5.
Here are the slots on BBC Two on May 5, 2025 when snooker content is scheduled:
- 13:00 (BST) – Snooker: World Championship 2025 (Day 17, Afternoon Session)
- 19:00 (BST) – Snooker: World Championship 2025 (Day 17, Evening Session)
Where to watch the 2025 World Snooker Championship
There are multiple official broadcasters for the tournament, depending on your region:
- United Kingdom: BBC will air live coverage across BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Four. Online streaming is available via BBC iPlayer, which is free but geo-restricted to the UK.
- Europe: Eurosport and Discovery+ hold exclusive rights and require a paid subscription.
- China: Matches are broadcast on CCTV-5 and streamed via Migu and Huya.
- Other regions: In countries without exclusive broadcasting rights, the official WST Play platform offers free live streams with registration. However, free streams on WST are not available in the UK, Europe, or China.
Step-by-step guide to watch 2025 World Snooker Championship for free
- Get a VPN with reliable UK servers (NordVPN is a solid choice)
- Install the VPN app and connect to a UK server
- Visit www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
- Register for a free account (you’ll need a UK postcode you can type any random UK postcode it will work)
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Start watching the championship live in HD
Who has qualified for the Snooker world championship
Here’s a table summarizing the qualification details for the 2025 World Snooker Championship:
| Category | Players / Notes |
| Top 16 seeds | Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan (TBC), Zhang Anda, and others up to seed 16 |
| Confirmed qualifiers | Zhao Xintong, Zak Surety, Daniel Wells, Zhou Yuelong, Yuan Sijun, Ricky Walden, Ross Muir, Ben Woollaston, Elliot Slessor, Ryan Day, Sunny Akani, Martin O'Donnell, Chris Wakelin, David Gilbert, Aaron Hill |
| Notable absences | Jimmy White (eliminated in 2nd round of qualifying) |
| Recent retirements | Joe Perry and Dominic Dale (retired after qualifying defeats) |
Final thoughts
The World Snooker Championship isn’t just another tournament – it’s the biggest stage in cue sports. And thankfully, watching it doesn’t have to cost a dime. Whether you're cheering for a seasoned champion or a rising underdog, a VPN unlocks access to free streams like BBC iPlayer, no matter where you are.
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