Si Jiahui vs Hossein Vafaei Preview & Prediction | 2026 World Snooker Championship | First Round

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Si Jiahui, who often raises his game on the biggest stage of them all, takes on talented Iranian Hossein Vafaei in the first round.

Kick-off date/time:

How to watch on TV: UK – BBC & TNT Sports / USA – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & HBO Max / USA – Cannot be streamed

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Si Jiahui vs Hossein Vafaei prediction

A semi-finalist on his World Championship debut in 2023, it feels like Si Jiahui has been around for a while now, but the 23-year-old is still very much finding his feet on tour.

Also reaching the quarter-finals in Sheffield last year, the Crucible is clearly a venue that the Chinese star enjoys playing in, and he comes into this year's event having reached a semi-final and two quarter-finals on the circuit in 2025-26.

Returning to the Crucible for the fifth year in succession, Hossein Vafaei has become a familiar name to snooker fans, not just for his talent but also for his brash confidence.

The Iranian hasn't enjoyed his finest year, but he did reach the quarter-finals of the World Open in March, and dropped just six frames across his two World Championship qualifying matches.

As the 15th seed, Si Jiahui is the marginal favourite with the bookies but Vafaei is bound to be feeling good about his game after winning nine straight frames in his final qualifying match. In what promises to be a close encounter, we think over 16.5 frames is worth a look.

Si Jiahui vs Hossein Vafaei tip: Over 16.5 frames