Staged at the Crucible Theatre, the World Championship features the top 16 players from the snooker world rankings along with a further 16 players that have earned the right to compete for the top prize through success in the qualifying rounds.
Zhao Xintong will be the defending champion heading into this year’s tournament. He pocketed £500,000 last year by beating Mark Williams and recently thrashed world number one Judd Trump 10-3 to claim his first Tour Championship title in Manchester - becoming just the third player in history to win in excess of £1m in a single season, after Ronnie O'Sullivan and Trump.
Xintong will be confident of adding to his incredible earnings at this year’s tournament in Sheffield, and based on his current form is among one of the hot favourites for success in the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
But who is the richest snooker player competing at this year’s World Championship and what is their estimated net worth? Here, based on information from The Scotsman, we take a look at the top 10 richest players at this year’s highly-anticipated tournament, starting from least wealthy going through to the highest net worth individual.
9. 2nd - John Higgins - £10,756,719
Nicknamed the The Wizard of Wishaw, Scotsman John Higgins has enjoyed an excellent career at the highest level, winning the World Championship on four occasions. | Getty Images
10. 1st - Ronnie O'Sullivan - £15,060,317
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport and widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history. Unsurprisingly he's also earned a significant amount in the process. | AFP via Getty Images