Mark Selby and Luca Brecel will face each other for snooker’s greatest prize when they contest the final of the 2023 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
Following 15 days of entertainment and drama in Sheffield, 32 players have been whittled down to just two: four-time champion Selby, and maiden-finalist Brecel.
The showpiece match will be played across two days and four sessions, with the first player to 18 frames winning the title, trophy and £500,000.
Englishman Selby will be looking to make it five world titles in just 10 years, while Belgian Brecel —who prior to this year had never won a match at the Crucible in five attempts — is the first player from mainland Europe to appear in the final. Should he win it, he would be the fourth non-British champion in the modern era.
What happened on day one of the 2023 World Snooker Championship Final?
The opening day of the final was a memorable one for so many reasons.
With his brand of free-flowing and attacking snooker, 28-year-old Brecel produced several expertly crafted breaks as he led Selby throughout the day – holding an advantage of four frames on four occasions.
However – so typical of the matchplay genius that he is – Selby held in there and ended the day just one behind. He claimed the final three frames of the day, a run which included a piece of history in frame 16 when he constructed the first-ever 147 maximum break in a world championship final.
WATCH: World Snooker Championship final live on DAZN in the United States
2023 World Snooker Championship final score
| Frames (first to 18 wins) | |
| Mark Selby | 8 |
| Luca Brecel | 9 |
2023 World Snooker Championship final frame-by-frame updates
1.13pm: Mark Selby breaks off and the third session of the 2023 World Snooker Championship final is underway!
12.30pm, 30 mins to go: Welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the second and last day of the 2023 World Snooker Championship final between Mark Selby and Luca Brecel!
We are just half an hour away from the start of the third session — what drama are we in for today?
2023 World Snooker Championship final betting odds
It comes as no surprise that Mark Selby began the match as the favourite with bookmakers. The ‘Jester from Leicester’ was priced 4/9 with SkyBet to claim victory at the Crucible before a ball was struck, but going into the second day a frame behind, his odds have lengthened slightly to 8/15, with Brecel at 11/8.
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 previous six.
Luca Brecel: My story so far 🎥🇧🇪
Get to know more about The Belgian Bullet and his journey ✨@WeAreWST | #CazooWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/Xk1E8uvXjn
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 28, 2023
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).
| Winner Odds (via SkyBet) | |
| Mark Selby | 8/15 |
| Luca Brecel | 11/8 |
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 |