1996 World Snooker Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 April – 6 May 1996 |
| Venue | Crucible Theatre |
| City | Sheffield |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | WPBSA |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £1,200,000 |
| Winner's share | £200,000 |
| Highest break |  Peter Ebdon (ENG) (144) Tony Drago (MLT) (144) |
| Final | |
| Champion | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
| Runner-up | Peter Ebdon (ENG) |
| Score | 18–12 |
← 1995 1997 → | |
The 1996 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 1996 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 20 April and 6 May 1996 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, the 20th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was staged at the venue. Sponsored by cigarette brand Embassy, the tournament was the tenth and final ranking event of the 1995–96 season. The winner received £200,000 from a total prize fund of £1,200,000.
The top 16 players from the snooker world rankings were seeded through to the main stage at the Crucible. They were joined by the 16 successful players from ten qualifying rounds. There were five Crucible debutants at the tournament: Jimmy Michie, Jamie Burnett, Nick Terry, Euan Henderson and Anthony Hamilton.
Stephen Hendry was the defending champion, having defeated Nigel Bond 18–9 in the 1995 final to win his fifth world title. He retained the title by beating Peter Ebdon 18–12. It was Hendry's fifth consecutive title and his sixth in total, equalling Ray Reardon's and Steve Davis's record in the modern era. The main stage of the tournament produced 47 century breaks, of which the highest were breaks of 144 by Ebdon and Tony Drago.