The draw for the qualifying rounds of the 2018 Betfred World Championship has been made.

Click here for the draw

Click here for the format

The qualifying event runs from April 11 to 18 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Only the top 16 seeds* have earned a an automatic place in the final stages at the Crucible, which start on April 21. All other players must win three best-of-19 frame matches to secure a coveted spot at snooker’s Theatre of Dreams.

Matches to look out for in the first round this week include:

Five-time ranking event winner Stephen Maguire v Allan Taylor

Snooker legend Jimmy White v Sam Craigie

11-time women’s World Champion Reanne Evans v Dominic Dale

Current women’s world number one Ng On Yee v Matthew Selt

Up and coming Chinese ace Yan Bingtao v Jackson Page

Ryan Day v Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo

Former World Champion Peter Ebdon v Thai ace James Wattana

Tickets for the qualifying rounds are still available and offer a fantastic chance to see many of snooker’s best players battling for a place in the final stages of the sport’s biggest tournament. They cost just £10 per day (or £20 for any three days) – for details click here

And you can watch the qualifiers on the Eurosport Player, with live coverage of two tables throughout the eight days. To sign up to the Eurosport Player and enjoy live coverage of many of the biggest tournaments throughout the year, click here.

During the final round on Tuesday April 17 and Wednesday April 18, we will also have extensive coverage on our Facebook Live channel. With commentary from Rob Walker and Neal Foulds, we’ll be following the action on Judgement Day as players compete for places at the Crucible. All you have to do is go to our Facebook page and watch for free.

The draw for the first round at the Crucible will take place at 10am on Thursday April 19 and this will also be live on our Facebook Live channel as well as Betfred TV.

*The top 16 seeds at the Crucible are below.

Click here for the final stages draw. The format for the final stages will be released soon.

1. Mark Selby

2. Ronnie O’Sullivan

3. Ding Junhui

4. Judd Trump

5. John Higgins

6. Barry Hawkins

7. Mark Williams

8. Shaun Murphy

9. Kyren Wilson

10. Neil Robertson

11. Marco Fu

12. Stuart Bingham

13. Luca Brecel

14. Anthony McGill

15. Ali Carter

16. Mark Allen