This month sees the return of the World Snooker Championship to the Crucible in Sheffield, a tournament that only one Irishman has ever won. With the qualification beginning on the 6th of April, there is an opportunity for three Irish players to compete at the main event. The format allows the top 16 players in the world to go straight into the first round of the championship, whereas 127 other players will battle it out for the other 16 slots.
If the three Irishmen survive all four rounds of qualification, then they will get the chance to compete against the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson. Mark Allen, the Antrim native, will also be sent straight to Sheffield, as he ranks in at 14th in the world.
Get ready, as we highlight the three Irish stars gearing up to battle for glory at the iconic Crucible!
Aaron Hill – #40
Hailing from County Cork, Aaron Hill entered the professional snooker world in 2020, coming off the back of a very impressive youth career. Out of the five amateur finals that Hill progressed to, he won three of them. He came runner-up in the Under-16 World Championship Final in 2018, but came back stronger than ever in 2019, winning the Under-18 European Championship. Before receiving his two-year tour card at the back end of 2020, he finished out his youth career by winning the Under-18 and Under-21 European Championships in the same year.
Hill rocked the snooker world in only his second professional tournament, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round of the European Masters. Hill lost his tour card after his second year but instantly won it back through Q-School, and since then, he’s made his name as a giant killer. In the Northern Irish Open in 2022, Hill defeated the current world number one, Judd Trump, to make his way into the last 32, and in the Welsh Open only two years later, he knocked Mark Selby out in the same round.
The Cork native had an outstanding 2025, narrowly missing out on the World Championship after losing 10-9 to current number 26 David Gilbert. He didn’t let that defeat slow him down, making his first professional 147 in the English Open against Yao Pengcheng, and adding his second maximum break only 23 days later against Huang Jiahao.
His monumental 2025 season shows that he has what it takes to compete against the best, and with a high ranking, it means he jumps straight to round four of the qualifiers.
Ken Doherty – #102
The ‘Darling of Dublin’ didn’t just win the World Championship in 1997—he made history, and to this day, no other Irishman has matched his feat. Since winning his first ranking title in 1993 at the Welsh Open, Doherty has made a significant name for himself across the globe, through his 17 ranking titles, and his broadcasting work for the snooker world.
His title in 1997 proved to mean more than just a win, with over 250,000 Irish fans welcoming him home to Dublin, crowding the streets after hours of a tense snooker battle with Stephen Hendry. This statement performance from Doherty made him the first player to win the world title at junior, amateur and professional level. Doherty then went on for years, maintaining his form and class, and finally making his first official 147 in 2012.
At 56, Doherty also competes on the World Senior Tour, coming runner-up on two occasions in the World Seniors and winning the Senior UK Championship in 2018. In 2014, Doherty won the World Series Snooker 900, beating Tony Drago in a blue ball shootout – this is his latest accolade. Ken crashed out of the qualifiers in the second round last year, losing 10-2 to David Lilley, and he plays the Englishman Patrick Whelan on the opening day this year. Almost 30 years on from his dramatic win, Doherty looks to add another Silver Lady to his cabinet this May.
Leone Crowley – #118
Crowley is the youngest of the Irish competing this year at only 19 years old, having only received his two-year tour card in 2025. Between 2016 and 2025, the Cork man played at the top level of amateur snooker across Ireland and the rest of the world. His county, provincial and national titles stand to him, with 2021 being his standout year at home, winning the Under-16 and Under-18 Irish Championships and coming runner-up at the Under-21 (he was only 16).
2024 saw Crowley win the Under-21 UK Open Championship, as well as the Irish Under-18 Championship, setting him up for a major 2025 season. Crowley’s persistence as a top amateur helped him become the first Irish person to win the World Snooker Junior Championship last year, securing his tour card following the victory.
His debut at the professional level came in June 2025 at the Wuhan Open, and Crowley had the privilege to play against former World Champion Neil Robertson, but unfortunately lost 5-0. Later that month, he notched his first professional win by beating Hatem Yassen 4–0 in qualifying for the 2025 British Open.
Crowley will be entering his first professional World Championship qualifiers next week with an opening match against Huang Jiahao, as he looks to take his next big step in his promising career.
Ireland hasn’t had a winner at the Crucible since 1997, and with so much talent in the field, we have plenty of hope for the lads to make us proud at the world stage. The qualifiers will take place from the 6th to the 15th of April, with the final stage of the Championship starting on the 18th.
