Home / Sports / Can This Champ Break Snooker's 'Crucible Curse'?
Can This Champ Break Snooker's 'Crucible Curse'?
16 Apr
Summary
- No first-time champion has retained the World Snooker title since 1977.
- 20 winners have failed to defend their crown; only two reached the final.
- Zhao Xintong aims to break the 'Crucible curse' at the 2026 championship.
Since its move to Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1977, the World Snooker Championship has seen a peculiar trend: no first-time winner has ever successfully retained their title the following year. This phenomenon, dubbed the 'Crucible curse,' has seen 20 champions attempt and fail to defend their crown.
Only two players, Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998, managed to reach the final while trying to break the curse, but both ultimately fell short of victory. The recent history of the tournament highlights this continued pattern.
In 2024, defending champion Luca Brecel was defeated in his first-round match by qualifier David Gilbert. Similarly, Kyren Wilson, the 2024 champion, experienced a first-round exit in 2025 at the hands of debutant Lei Peifan.
All eyes are now on Zhao Xintong, who claimed his maiden World Snooker Championship title in 2025. He faces the significant challenge of attempting to break the notorious 'Crucible curse' at the 2026 championship, looking to make history by becoming the first to defend his title.
