Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize go head to head in a fascinating 2026 World Snooker Championship final after a day of high semi-final drama set up a mouthwatering clash. Murphy stopped 50-year-old John Higgins from becoming the oldest finalist in Crucible history as he battled back from 15-13 down to snatch a 17-15 win in a classic semi-final, only for Wu and Mark Allen to overshadow that brilliance with their own late-night drama.
Historic Semi-Final Drama
History had already been made in that match when they played out the longest frame in Crucible history on Friday afternoon – a 100-minute farce that was described as an embarrassment by six-time world champion Steve Davis – but Allen looked set to reach his first final as he lined up the simplest of blacks to seal a 17-15 win. Instead, the Northern Irishman somehow missed, Wu clinched the frame and then won the decider to leave his opponent heartbroken and set up a showdown with Murphy, 12 months after Zhao Xintong became the first-ever Chinese world champion.
What to Expect in the Final
It promises to be an enthralling encounter over the next two days, with both men playing a hugely attacking brand of snooker. Murphy will try to claim a second world title – 21 years after his first – as Wu looks to become just the second Chinese player to lift the famous trophy. Follow all the action from the World Championship final at the Crucible below.
Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize
What a final we have in store here. Shaun Murphy is already a world champion, having won the title in 2005 but, 21 years on, he is desperate to join an elite club by becoming a multiple world champion. He has lost three finals since that 2005 triumph, so will it be fourth time lucky for the 43-year-old Englishman?
Standing in his way is 22-year-old Chinese wonderkid Wu Yize. A potting machine, Wu is trying to become just the second Chinese world champion, 12 months after Zhao Xintong made history as the first. He will be fearless, especially after coming back from the brink to beat Mark Allen in the semi-finals, and given both men's propensity for attacking snooker, this one should be a high-scoring thriller.
The Lucky Underpants Story
Shaun Murphy has revealed that a pair of lucky underpants helped him win his first World Snooker Championship title, yet it was not him who was wearing them. Murphy begins the final of the 2026 tournament against 22-year-old Wu Yize this afternoon but his first world title came back in 2005, when he was a relatively unknown 22-year-old himself.
Having come through qualifying to reach the Crucible, Murphy blitzed the field with his attacking snooker, seeing off Chris Small, John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon before beating Matthew Stevens 18-16 in the final. Twenty-one years later, the now 43-year-old has revealed the victory may have been down to his nephew Joshua, who was just a child at the time and ensured that his uncle kept winning by wearing the same underwear each day he was at the Crucible.
Welcome to Live Coverage
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the 2026 World Snooker Championship final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize. After a hugely dramatic day of semi-final action, can the final live up to the same standard? Stick with us to find out.
