We're ready for two days of green-baize entertainment and drama as Mark Selby and Luca Brecel square off in the final of the 2023 World Snooker Championship — the sport's blue-riband event.
Englishman Selby will be aiming for a fifth world championship title, while Belgium's Brecel is appearing in his first final here. He hadn't won a match at the Crucible Theatre in five previous attempts prior to this year.
Both players won their semi-finals on Saturday 17-15, but in very contrasting fashions. Brecel conjured up the biggest comeback in Crucible Theatre history as he sensationally recovered from 14-5 down to stun debutant qualifier Si Jiahui.
WATCH: World Snooker Championship live on DAZN in the United States
The 28-year-old is the first player from mainland Europe to reach the showpiece encounter, and he is hoping to become the fourth non-British world champion in the modern era.
Having been behind early on in the tie himself, Selby resisted a thrilling late-night comeback from opponent Mark Allen, who won five frames in a row to make it 16-15 before Selby got the job done in the 32nd frame.
Mark Selby is into his sixth Crucible final! 👊#CazooWorldChampionship | @CazooUK | @markjesterselby pic.twitter.com/887ALHqnI3
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) April 30, 2023
2023 World Snooker Championship final time, session schedule
The final of the 2023 World Snooker Championship takes place on Sunday, April 30 and Monday, May 1. There are four sessions scheduled in total, with an afternoon and evening one on each day.
| 2023 World Snooker Championship Final Session Times | |
|---|---|
| Session One | Sunday, April 30 from 13:00 BST |
| Session Two | Sunday, April 30 from 19:00 BST |
| Session Three | Monday, May 1 from 13:00 BST |
| Session Four | Monday, May 1 from 19:00 BST |
2023 World Snooker Championship final betting odds
It comes as no surprise that Mark Selby begins the match as a warm favourite with bookmakers.
The 'Jester from Leicester' is priced 2/5 with SkyBet to claim victory at the Crucible Theatre, while outsider Brecel is quoted at 7/4 with the same firm.
Luca Brecel: My story so far 🎥🇧🇪
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 28, 2023
Get to know more about The Belgian Bullet and his journey ✨@WeAreWST | #CazooWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/Xk1E8uvXjn
In terms of their career head-to-head record, they have met 11 times in professional competition. Selby has the upper hand, winning eight of those, including the most recent six.
Their most recent meeting came back in December when Selby defeated Brecel 9-6 in the final of the 2022 English Open.
Brecel's last victory against Selby came in the 2017 Champion of Champions quarter-finals (6-4).
2023 World Snooker Championship final TV channel
| Region | TV Channel | Streaming |
| UK | BBC | BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website |
| USA | - | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Now TV | - |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | - |
| Singapore | Starhub TV | - |
| Canada | - | Matchroom.Live |
| Australia | - | Matchroom.Live |
| New Zealand | - | Matchroom.Live |
