World Snooker Championship 2021 live stream: how to watch semi-finals from anywhere

The last four at the 2021 World Snooker Championship may not quite be the line-up we had expected, but we've given up trying to guess what will happen next! You won't want to miss another frame of this tournament, so read on as we explain how to watch a snooker live stream online today from anywhere on Earth - including for free thanks to the BBC and its easy-to-use iPlayer streaming service.

Reigning champ Ronnie O'Sullivan made his exit in round two, followed by heavily tipped Judd Trump and Neil Robertson in the quarters. It's blown the field wide open.

It means that the Jester from Leicester Mark Selby is now the favourite to take home his fourth Crucible title, after he decimated fellow multi-time winner Mark Williams in the last eight. He now faces qualifier - and another former champion - Stuart Bingham in the semi-final stage.

On the other side of the draw, last year's losing finalist Kyren Wilson is back again and looking mighty impressive. Rejuvenated 2005 winner Shaun Murphy stands in his way after his unlikely victory over Trump.

What further wonders will we see at the Crucible this year? Buckle in for two tantalising semi-finals!

Whatever happens, the good news is that it's easy to get a FREE snooker live stream - just follow our guide to watch the 2021 World Snooker Championship online from anywhere.

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FREE 2021 World Snooker Championship live stream: how to watch online in the UK

The BBC goes all out with its coverage of the national treasure that is the World Snooker Championship - and best of all that means you can tune in for FREE. 

You can catch every session of the tournament on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four for live broadcasts - and use the Red Button to watch highlights and action from additional tables.

If you're not in front of a TV, the BBC iPlayer streaming service is the way to tune in. As a national broadcaster, it doesn't cost a penny to stream if you're located in the UK (though you should possess a valid TV license).

If you're already a subscriber, you can also watch the snooker via Eurosport and its Eurosport Player streaming service, which costs £6.99 a month or £39.99 for the year.

Not in the UK for the 2021 World Snooker Championship? No worries - residents of the country can just download and install a VPN to port themselves back home to a UK location, then watch live as usual. 

World Snooker Championship 2021 session times

The BBC's coverage is extensive, and while exact start times may vary, play at the Crucible typically starts at 10am BST, with the afternoon sessions getting underway at 1pm, and the evening sessions beginning at 7pm.

How to live stream snooker if you're not in your country

If you're outside your country of residence and try to stream the World Snooker Championship via your native broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't, as it's location restricted. But there is a way to tune in regardless.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course - specifically its terms and conditions.

Use a VPN to watch snooker from anywhere

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How to watch a World Snooker Championship live stream in Canada

Canada's golden generation is long gone, but you can still watch all of the World Snooker Championship action live from the Great White North via DAZN Canada.

Better still, there's a FREE DAZN Canada trial available to new subscribers, lasting a month - that's easily long enough to watch the 2021 tournament in its entirety. 

If you like what you see, DAZN Canada then costs either $19.99 a month or $150 for the year. 

And don't forget, Canadian residents who are out of the country right now can always follow the VPN route as outlined above to live stream the snooker as they would at home.

How to watch a World Snooker Championship live stream in China

Snooker is huge in China and the nation typically pins its hopes on Ding Junhui, though hopes are also high for the new kid on the block Yan Bingtao.

Viewers in China can watch the 2021 World Snooker Championship on a range of channels and services, including CCTV China, Superstars Online, Youku, Zhibo.tv, and Now TV (Hong Kong).

The morning sessions typically start at 5pm CST each day, with the afternoon sessions beginning at 8pm, and the evening sessions getting underway at 2am.

If there are any internet-related obstacles in your way or if you want to access your preferred feed from outside of China, you can use a VPN to watch the snooker wherever you are.

• Related: all of the best VPNs for China

How to watch the snooker: live stream 2021 World Championship in the US

While there are no US players in the top 16 seeds and the country generally hasn't embraced the sport beyond its own, customized version, DAZN US is broadcasting the World Snooker Championship for American fans who don't mind rooting for people from different countries. 

A subscription costs just $19.99 a month or $99.99 for the year, and DAZN offers plenty to watch other than just snooker - boxing and cricket being two of its bigger draws.

Coverage of the snooker starts at 5am ET / 2am PT most days for the morning session, with the afternoon sessions getting underway at 8am ET / 5am PT, and the evening sessions beginning at 2pm ET / 11am PT.

Don't forget, any Americans away from home right now can still tune in as normal with a VPN.

World Snooker Championship 2021 draw

Semi-finals
Stuart Bingham vs Mark Selby
Kyren Wilson vs Shaun Murphy

Quarter-finals
Anthony McGill vs Stuart Bingham
Mark Williams vs Mark Selby
Neil Robertson vs Kyren Wilson
Shaun Murphy vs Judd Trump

Round 2
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill
Jamie Jones vs Stuart Bingham
Neil Robertson vs Jack Lisowski
Yan Bingtao vs Shaun Murphy
David Gilbert vs Judd Trump
John Higgins vs Mark Williams
Mark Allen vs Mark Selby
Barry Hawkins vs Kyren Wilson

Round 1
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Mark Joyce
Anthony McGill vs Ricky Walden
Ding Junhui vs Stuart Bingham
Jamie Jones vs Stephen Maguire
John Higgins vs Tian Pengfei
Mark Williams vs Sam Craigie
Mark Allen vs Lü Haotian
Mark Selby vs Kurt Maflin
Neil Robertson vs Liang Wenbo
Jack Lisowski vs Allister Carter
Barry Hawkins vs Matthew Selt
Kyren Wilson vs Gary Wilson
Shaun Murphy vs Mark Davis
Yan Bingtao vs Martin Gould
David Gilbert vs Chris Wakelin
Judd Trump vs Liam Highfield

When is the 2021 World Snooker Championship final?

The World Snooker Championship final is set to be played across four sessions on Sunday, May 2, and Monday, May 3. The match will be best-of-35 frames, with the action set to begin at 2pm BST on the Sunday.

Who are the favourites for the 2021 World Snooker Championship?

Reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is the favourite for the 2021 World Snooker Championship, as reflected by his top seeding.

However, there are seven other former world title winners in contention, not least Judd Trump and Neil Robertson, who have only taken home the top prize once each.

Can I watch World Snooker Championships live at the Crucible?

The Snooker World Championship is being used as a test event for the UK government to study before allowing fans to attend other sports event when lockdown restrictions ease in the coming weeks.

Round 1 will be played in front of a 33% capacity crowd at the Crucible Theatre, but that will increase as the tournament progresses, growing to 50% for Round 2, 75% for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and full capacity for the final.

Who has won the most World titles in snooker?

The late, great Joe Davis has more world titles than anyone else, having won each of the tournament’s first 15 editions from 1927 to 1946. His younger brother, Fred Davis, shares second place with John Pulman, with eight wins apiece.

The recently unretired Stephen Hendry, who was knocked out in the qualifying stages for this year’s tournament, is the most successful player of the modern era, with seven world titles to his name.