2025 World Snooker Championship: Predictions & Tips

The season's biggest tournament will start on April 19, bringing more than two weeks of excellence and drama to all snooker geeks. The draw for the Crucible just took place, and it's time for MightyTips experts to predict how the first round matches will unfold and give some tips for long-term betting. We took the odds from our old-established partner, bet365. Please check our list of the other best snooker betting sites.

Kyren Wilson (1st seed) vs Lei Peifan - 1.11 / 6.50

The defending champion starts his campaign against one of three debutants in Peifan, the 2024 Scottish Open champion. While the Chinese player should be in good form, as all the other qualifiers who played at least two best-of-19 matches, it’s hard to see Wilson get knocked out at the very first stage. The Crucible Curse, under which not a single first-time champion has retained the title since 1977, will probably stay for another year though.
Prediction: Wilson to win 10-5

Jak Jones (16) vs Zhao Xintong - 3.00 / 1.40

This pair features the only amateur in Xintong, yet he is also the only qualifier to be the favourite in his first round match. He already won a 2-year tour card from the 2025-26 season through Q Tour and took qualifying stages by storm, winning four games and making 12 centuries in the process. Jones, the finalist in 2024, has a mount to climb, and his poor form in the current season suggests the same.
Prediction: Xintong to win 10-5

Neil Robertson (9) vs Chris Wakelin - 1.25 / 4.00

While Robertson wasn't stable during the season, he still won two ranking events, notably whitewashing Stuart Bingham 10-0 in the World Grand Prix final. With all the pedigree and outstanding break-building skills, the Australian shouldn't have many problems in the match against Wakelin.
Prediction: Robertson to win 10-4

Mark Allen (8) vs Fan Zhengyi - 1.20 / 4.50

It is another pair with a heavy favourite, but MightyTips pundits believe this match should be much closer than the odds suggest. A handicap bet on Zhengyi looks decent, even though Allen defeated him 10-5 at the World Championships two years ago. An upset is possible, but we predict Allen will win in the deciding frame.
Prediction: Allen to win 10-9

It’s Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ali Carter in the first round of the World Championship!#snooker #ilovesnooker
pic.twitter.com/KuflYzSQPC

— I ❤️ Snooker (@ILoveSnooker_) April 17, 2025

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) vs Ali Carter - 1.25 / 4.00

This is, without a doubt, the tie of the first round. The two definitely don't like each other, and we all remember the Shoulder Incident at the Crucible. It was a bit of a surprise that Ronnie didn't pull out of the tournament, just like he did almost always during this season. We don't doubt his genius, but practice and determination should be decisive here. Our bold prediction is that Carter will go through here.
Prediction: Carter to win 10-6

Zhang Anda (12) vs Pang Junxu - 1.66 / 2.20

It's a tough call in the battle between two Chinese players, as they are very evenly matched. This is a classic Dog or Pass situation, so if we had to bet on this game, Junxu would be our pick. Once again, he played two best-of-19 matches recently, confidently defeating a very good player in Jamie Jones.
Prediction: Junxu to win 10-8

Si Jiahui (13) vs David Gilbert - 1.61 / 2.30

While Jiahui is seeded and reached the semis here two years ago, this match is our third underdog pick in a row. The Chinese was far from convincing this season, and while Gilbert didn’t show excellent results either, his experience, home crowd, and two decent wins in qualifying should bring him over the line.

Prediction: Gilbert to win 10-7

Mark Selby (4) vs Ben Woollaston 1.11 / 6.50

The last pair of the top half features the four-time champion Selby, who always shows his best snooker at the Crucible. We don't see any intrigue here, as the Jester from Leicester has a relatively easy passage to the second round. With all due respect, we'll eat our hats if Woollaston somehow goes through here.
Prediction: Selby to win 10-5

John Higgins (3) vs Joe O’Connor - 1.36 / 3.20

Higgins, another four-time champion, looked unbeatable when he won the Tour Championship this Spring. While age is slowly playing its part, the Scotsman is one of the hardest players to battle against with iron nerves and a never-quit attitude. O'Connor is a good player with a bright future, but here we have to go for experience.
Prediction: Higgins to win 10-6

Xiao Guodong (14) vs Matthew Selt - 1.33 / 3.40

Guodong is playing the best snooker of his career recently, and MightyTips experts think he will have a relatively easy victory in the first round. Selt's temperament is going against him way too often, and we'll predict that this is the first round match that will be won by the most significant margin.
Prediction: Guodong to win 10-3

Barry Hawkins (11) vs Hossein Vafaei - 1.44 / 2.75

This match should be very close, as Vafaei played well in qualifying, making seven centuries in two games. The Iranian is a tough nut to crack, but Hawkins should outplay him in this one. However, betting him at 1.44 looks risky, so we'd suggest skipping this one in terms of gambling.
Prediction: Hawkins to win 10-8

UNBELIEVABLE FLUKE! 😲

Mark Williams escapes from a snooker by potting the green without even looking! #ilovesnooker pic.twitter.com/eyZshpcHhK

— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) April 24, 2018

Mark Williams (6) vs Wu Yize - 1.66 / 2.20

The three-time champion and crowd favourite goes up against a promising Chinese player who already has two ranking finals. While we all love Williams, he doesn't spend much time practising these days, which could decide the outcome. This is another underdog prediction, as we believe Yize will defeat Willo in a very close one.
Prediction: Yize to win 10-8

Luca Brecel (7) vs Ryan Day - 1.44 / 2.75

Here, we have a former world champion who seems to not care about snooker anymore against one of the most talented but volatile players. This looks like a toss of the coin, and we advise always avoiding betting in such cases. If we have to pick the winner, it'll be Day.

Prediction: Day to win 10-8

Ding Junhui (10) vs Zak Surety - 1.22 / 4.33

Surety, another Crucible debutant, made serious progress recently, yet it’s hard to see how he can win here. His opponent was tipped to become the first Chinese champion a long time ago, but he reached the final just once, losing 10-6 to Selby in 2016. Can 2025 finally be the year for Ding Junhui?
Prediction: Junhui to win 10-5

Shaun Murphy (15) vs Daniel Wells - 1.14 / 5.50

MightyTips experts respect Wells, who is about to make his Crucible debut, but Murphy is just too strong for the Welshman. The 2005 world champion has reached just two finals since, but he is still a very dangerous opponent for anyone. In fact, we believe Murphy is one of the dark horses this year.
Prediction: Murphy to win 10-5

Judd Trump (2) vs Zhou Yuelong - 1.11 / 6.50

Trump is the favourite of the tournament this year at 4.50. While it remains to be seen whether he can make another run deep into the event, we expect his starting match to be much harder than the odds suggest. A handicap bet on Yuelong looks promising, although Trump should go through in the end.
Prediction: Trump to win 10-8

Long-term thoughts

MightyTips experts believe it's worth betting on John Higgins to win his quarter at 3.00, beating Joe O'Connor and, probably, Xiao Guodong. If we talk about the tournament winner, Zhao Xintong at 15.00 is a pretty good bet, given his excellent form. Finally, you might want to bet on the nationality of the winner. There are no odds for this market currently, but China might be an excellent bet on high odds, as there are 10 Chinese players in the draw.