First held in 1927, the World Snooker Championship the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker, with a current prize fund of £2,395,000, of which the winner receives a hefty £500,000.
In the early days of the competition Joe Davis was all-conquering, winning the first 15 tournaments before retiring undefeated.
English players Fred Davis (Joe’s brother) and Joh Pulman then dominated, with eight wins apiece.
The ‘modern’ era is considered to have begun in 1969 when the game became significantly more competitive.
Since then only 28 players have lifted the trophy, and only nine of those more than once.
Here are all the multiple world champions to date - could a tenth be crowned this year?
5. John Higgins - 4
Wizard of Wishaw John Higgins will fancy his chances of winning a fifth title this year, after a successful start to 2025 saw him win two ranking tournaments. He won the biggest title in snooker in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011. He's also a four-time runner-up. | AFP via Getty Images
6. Mark Selby - 4
Joining Higgins on four titles is English player Mark Selby, who lifted the famous trophy in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021. | AFP via Getty Images
7. Mark Williams - 3
Welsh player Mark Williams is hard to beat in a final - he's turned four appearances into three wins - in 2000, 2003 and 2018. His one loss came against an unstoppable Stephen Hendry in 1999. | Getty Images
8. John Spencer - 3
English potter John Spencer was Ray Reardon's only real competition in the 1970s, winning three titles in 1969, 1971 and 1977. His debut win was the first of the open era. | Getty Images