World Championship LIVE – on table two
Si Jiahui 3-10 Hossein Vafaei
The first seed goes, the firtst qualifier makes round two, and there, Hossein will meet Judd Trump.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 4-0 Guodong
Shaun polishes off the frame, his narrow escape and brilliant response firing him with confidence, and when he feels that way, there are few better. We’ll be back in 15.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 3-0 Guodong
Shaun overcuts a delicate pink, so Xiao returns to the table needing three snookers. Good luck with that, old mate.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 3-0 Guodong (54-2)
We associate Shaun with flourishes, but this mini-sesh has been defined by his ability to manufacture pots and stick in breaks. As I type, he opens what remains of the bunch, and again, he’s making what looks likely to be a frame-winning contribution from a situation that initially looked uninviting.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 3-0 Guodong (25-2)
Xiao manages a red and no more, then lands another and does what Shaun did, snookering himself on everything. So he plays off the side and on to the pink, the only option he had, leaving a scoring opportunity.
World Championship LIVE – on table two
Si Jiahui 3-9 Hossein Vafaei
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 3-0 Guodong
That is a fantastic break from Shaun, a 103 following Sven straight fouls. Xiao will have to play seriously well to beat him in this nick.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong (75-28)
A fine cut-back to middle keeps the run going, then Shaun breaks that cluster, and this’ll be another to him – well earned too, he’s had to work really hard for this on an unfriendly table. Might he fight his way to a ton?
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong (44-28)
Shaun works his way on to the red that’s next to the black, sinks a tricky one nicely, and those could be the shots which settle the frame. There’s still work to do, a cluster of five needing breaking, but you’d back him to get there eventually.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong (12-28)
Xiao hits first go, but in so doing reminds us why Shaun took such pains to play the shot he eventually did, leaving an opener; he’ll be relieved pink and black are out of commission.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong (5-28)
We’re now on miss seven – he’s close, really close – then lands it on the eighth attempt, bowing and psoing for the crowd thereafter like he’s Eric Cantona – for avoidance of doubt, he is not – and now it’s Xiao in a predicament.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong (5-12)
There are reds near right corner that all look on but good safety from each prevents the other from attacking one. Eventually, though, with most of them cleared away, Shaun goes at one, pots it well … and snookers himself on every colour. So he nominates brown, gets really close to tucking in behind … but not close enough, so Xiao puts him back and he misses twice more.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong (4-0)
Xiao can hear John Williams’ Jaws score: Shaun strokes him an opener … but then gets too heavily into the white, the baize giving him more reaction than he expected, so it’s end of break and back to baulk. Relief for his opponent.
World Championship LIVE – on table two
Si Jiahui 3-7 Hossein Vafaei
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 2-0 Guodong
There are few players who experience flow as intensely as Shaun, so Xiao needs to intervene and soon.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 1-0 Guodong (71-0)
Shaun makes the frame safe; Xiao needs to get himself going.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 1-0 Guodong (34-0)
The last thing Xiao wants is Shaun on a roll but, flush following what he called the break of his life to beat Fan Zhengyi in round one, he’s carrying on where that match left off.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 1-0 Guodong (11-0)
Confidently, Shaun opens the pack, backing himself to get a good white, win the safety exchange, then pot balls. And he does, sort of forced into playing a pot by Xiao and sneaking the cue-ball through a narrow gap; immediately, Dom announces a good chance.
World Championship LIVE – on table two
Si Jiahui 3-7 Hossein Vafaei
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 1-0 Guodong
Yup, a 36 followed by a 38 and Shaun has the lead; Xiao has yet to settle.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 0-0 Guodong (56-7)
Xiao snicks in a red, misses a mid-ragne brown to the green bag, and that will surely mean the frame.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 0-0 Guodong (42-6)
Tight-lipped, Shaun runs out of position and plays safe, leaving the white a fair way shy of the bottom rail. His lead is decent, but given the whereabouts of the balls, the next chance, should go to Xiao, might well render it irrelevant.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 0-0 Guodong (23-6)
But it’s Xiao who makes the first error, leaving a starter – not something you want to do against such glorious a potter as Shaun. He quickly nudges more reds loose, developing a chance to score into a chance to score heavily.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy 0-0 Guodong (6-6)
A freshly shorn Shaun misses, seeking to land on the pack and ceding six, then clips in a starter, only to soon run out of position. It’s circumspect stuff so far.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy v Guodong
Here come our players…
How to watch and stream the World Championship
You can watch every day of the 2026 World Championship live on TNT Sports.
It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max. For the latest information on which snooker events are on TNT Sports, click here.Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide.
World Championship LIVE – Murphy v Guodong
Welcome to round two! Though its predecessor isn’t quite over and done with, we’ll be focusing this afternoon on Shaun Murphy’s battle with Xiao Guodong.
Shaun is, quite simply, one of the most natural potters we’ve ever seen, winning the 2005 edition of this competition as an unseeded lesser-known, and since then, he’s completed the triple crown while oozing style.
Xiao, though, is a different thing, a player who discovered his best self relatively late in life, but is now an all-round brute comfortable in all facets of the game. Though I haven’t a clue who’ll win this, I’m certain finding out is going to be a lot of fun.
Shaun Murphy meets Xiao Guodong in the last 16 of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Murphy, the 2005 winner, saw off Fan Zhengyi in the first round, while Xiao got the better of Zhou Yuelong.
Meanwhile, Hossein Vafaei leads his Chinese opponent Si Jiahui 6-3 after a classy showing in which he won five frames in a row, and will look to finish the job.
Later, 2024 champion Kyren Wilson meets Mark Allen.
This live blog covers frame-by-frame action from Thursday’s action, with full scores across all matches available on the TNT Sports scores page.HBO Max is the streaming home of TNT Sports – watch the match below.
O’Sullivan turns down 147, hits dazzling century to put match ‘beyond any doubt’
Video credit: TNT Sports
World Snooker Championship 2026 live comments
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How to watch and stream the World Championship
You can watch every day of the 2026 Halo World Snooker Championship live on TNT Sports.
It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max. For the latest information on which snooker events are on TNT Sports, click here.Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide.
