What is the Crucible curse in snooker?

KYREN WILSON will be attempting to do what NO OTHER snooker player has managed since 1977.

The 33-year-old reigning world champion heads to the Steel City later this month and has his eyes set on defending his title.

Kyren Wilson will be attempting to break the Crucible curse this year

He is in excellent form too, having picked up almost £1million in prize money already this season.

The world No 2 has won four ranking titles since his Crucible triumph in 2024, and doesn’t just have the £500,000 prize money motivating him this year.

Wilson also has the potential to make history and be the first player to break the infamous Crucible curse.

Even legends like Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry could not escape its grip, and its got nothing to do with black cats, broken mirrors or walking under ladders.

What is the Crucible Curse in snooker?

The Crucible curse is the quip given to the fact that no first-time world champion has ever retained their crown the following year.

Since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977 it has cursed 19 players in a row with every debut champion crumbling under the pressure of snooker‘s grandest stage.

Some have come close though – Joe Johnson and Ken Doherty both made it to the final the year after their maiden victories – but most don’t get anywhere near that far.

As recently as 2023, Luca Brecel was doomed by the curse, losing in the first round of the 2024 tournament after winning the title the year before.

Brecel is not on his own though – seven champions have gone on to lose their first match the following year.

Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby have all managed to win consecutive titles at the Crucible, but they had won the championship previously.

Wilson returns to South Yorkshire as the reigning champion and is determined to lift the curse and posted a hilarious video to social media in an effort to exorcise the demons.

In the video, Wilson jokingly completed some of the superstitions people believe to bring us bad luck, including smashing a mirror and holding his World Championship trophy next to a black cat.

List of all-time Snooker World Champions

BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.

The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.

The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.

Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.

Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.

1969 – John Spencer
1970 – Ray Reardon
1971 – John Spencer
1972 – Alex Higgins
1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
1977 – John Spencer (2)
1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
1979 – Terry Griffiths
1980 – Cliff Thorburn
1981 – Steve Davis
1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
1983 – Steve Davis (2)
1984 – Steve Davis (3)
1985 – Dennis Taylor
1986 – Joe Johnson
1987 – Steve Davis (4)
1988 – Steve Davis (5)
1989 – Steve Davis (6)
1990 – Stephen Hendry
1991 – John Parrott
1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
1997 – Ken Doherty
1998 – John Higgins
1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
2000 – Mark Williams
2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2002 – Peter Ebdon
2003 – Mark Williams (2)
2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
2005 – Shaun Murphy
2006 – Graeme Dott
2007 – John Higgins (2)
2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
2009 – John Higgins (3)
2010 – Neil Robertson
2011 – John Higgins (4)
2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
2014 – Mark Selby
2015 – Stuart Bingham
2016 – Mark Selby (2)
2017 – Mark Selby (3)
2018 – Mark Williams (3)
2019 – Judd Trump
2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
2021 – Mark Selby (4)
2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
2023 – Luca Brecel
2024 – Kyren Wilson