Kyren Wilson is aiming to defend his crown, while Ronnie O’Sullivan is hoping to win his eighth world title
Defending champion Kyren Wilson will play Lei Peifan with Ronnie O’Sullivan set to face Ali Carter in the first round of the World Championship as he bids for a record eighth title in the modern era.
O’Sullivan, 49, who is yet to confirm if he will participate, has not played competitively since snapping his cue at the Championship League in January.
His prospective meeting with Carter is a repeat of the 2008 and 2012 finals, which were both won by ‘The Rocket’.
World number one Judd Trump will take on Zhou Yuelong, while Masters winner Shaun Murphy will play Daniel Wells.
The tournament begins on Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, with live coverage across the BBC.
First-round draw
Kyren Wilson v Lei Peifan
Jak Jones v Zhao Xintong
Neil Robertson v Chris Wakelin
Mark Allen v Fan Zhengyi
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter
Zhang Anda v Pang Junxu
Si Jiahui v David Gilbert
Mark Selby v Ben Woollaston
John Higgins v Joe O’Connor
Xiao Guodong v Matthew Selt
Barry Hawkins v Hossein Vafaei
Mark Williams v Wu Yize
Luca Brecel v Ryan Day
Ding Junhui v Zak Surety
Shaun Murphy v Daniel Wells
Judd Trump v Zhou Yuelong
