Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan are going head-to-head at the Crucible Theatre for the World Snooker Championship, the biggest prize in the sport.
While Trump is bidding to win the trophy for the second time, O’Sullivan is attempting to equal the record of seven world titles, set by Stephen Hendry back in 1999.
Whether or not he makes history in 2022 by matching Hendry’s tally, O’Sullivan is already considered by many to be the greatest player of all time — not least because of the number of ranking titles he has collected during his storied 30-year career.
Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles?
Stephen Hendry holds the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. There are three players who have won the tournament six times, including Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is Joe Davis, who won 15 consecutive titles from 1927 to 1946. However, given the varying format changes in the tournament’s early life, most records in the sport are now taken from the period beginning 1969, when the knockout format at the world championship was reintroduced. This is generally known as the start of the ‘modern era’.
Most World Snooker Championship titles
| Player | No. of titles won | Years won |
| Stephen Hendry | 7 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| Steve Davis | 6 | 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| Ronnie O’Sullivan | 6 | 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 |
| Ray Reardon | 6 | 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 |
| John Higgins | 4 | 1998, 2007, 2009, 2011 |
| Mark Selby | 4 | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021 |
| Mark Williams | 3 | 2000, 2003, 2018 |
| John Spencer | 3 | 1969, 1971, 1977 |
| Walter Donaldson | 2 | 1947, 1950 |
| Alex Higgins | 2 | 1972, 1982 |
Who has won the most ranking titles in snooker?
Ronnie O’Sullivan has won more ranking titles in snooker than any other player, just ahead of Stephen Hendry.
A ranking tournament is one that counts towards snooker’s world rankings, which were introduced in the 1976-77 season. Until 1982, only the world championship counted as a ranking event; two others — the International Open and the Professional Players Tournament — were then added, as was the UK Championship in 1984.
There have been as many as 20 rankings tournament in a single season in recent years.
Most snooker rankings titles
| Player | No. of rankings titles won | Year of first title | Year of last title |
| Ronnie O’Sullivan* | 38 | 1993 | 2021 |
| Stephen Hendry** | 36 | 1987 | 2005 |
| John Higgins* | 31 | 1994 | 2021 |
| Steve Davis | 28 | 1981 | 1995 |
| Mark Williams* | 24 | 1994 | 2021 |
| Judd Trump* | 23 | 2011 | 2022 |
| Neil Robertson* | 23 | 2006 | 2022 |
| Mark Selby* | 20 | 2008 | 2021 |
| Ding Junhui* | 14 | 2005 | 2019 |
*Active player
**Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear
Who has won the most titles in snooker overall?
Considering all categories of tournament, including ranking, non-ranking and invitational, Steve Davis has won the most titles in snooker.
Most overall titles won in snooker
| Player | No. of titles |
| Steve Davis | 81 |
| Ronnie O’Sullivan* | 72 |
| Stephen Hendry** | 70 |
| John Higgins* | 48 |
| Judd Trump* | 34 |
| Neil Robertson* | 33 |
| Mark Williams* | 33 |
| Mark Selby* | 32 |
*Active player
**Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear
Who has been world number one in snooker for longest?
In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list.
The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97.
Longest time spent as snooker world number one
| Player | Weeks at No.1 |
| Stephen Hendry** | 471 |
| Steve Davis | 365 |
| Ray Reardon | 362 |
| Mark Selby* | 350 |
| Ronnie O’Sullivan* | 284 |
| John Higgins* | 197 |
| Mark Williams* | 176 |
| Judd Trump* | 120 |
*Active player
**Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear