Who is Liam Highfield? Where is he from, how old is he, world ranking & previous Crucible appearances

As snooker players go, Liam Highfield may not be one that the masses are too familiar with.

But the Stoke-born star is undertaking his fourth World Championship campaign after coming through four arduous rounds of qualifying to set-up a glamorous first round clash with reigning title-holder Zhao Xintong.

Whilst the 35-year-old may be one of the more unfamiliar players taking to the hallowed green baize in Sheffield, it's fair to say that he has enjoyed plenty of success in the game securing the high-profile scalps of players such as Mark Selby, Mark Williams and Judd Trump in the past.

Now however the former Indian Open and Snooker Shootout quarter-finalist faces the daunting challenge of trying to derail Xintong's bid to become the first player to make a successful first defence of their world title in modern day history.

Where is Liam Highfield from?

Liam Highfield heralds from Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands and still lives and practises in the area to this day.

How old is Liam Highfield?

Liam Highfield is 35 years of age and celebrates his 36th birthday later this year, on December 1.

What is Liam Highfield's world ranking?

Liam Highfield is the current world number 92 although his ranking is skewed somewhat as a consequence of him only regaining his tour card at the start of the year.

The Stoke potter has reached a career-high 39 in the world, but plummeted down the rankings and eventually fell off the tour for the first time in over a decade after his 2023/24 campaign was hit by a serious wrist injury.

With the 35-year-old defending no prize money from the 2024/25 campaign, it's likely that he will continue to climb the rankings over the next 12 months and stabalise well inside the top 64.

Liam Highfield previous Crucible results

• Lost 10-5 to Mark Allen (R1 - 2018)
• Lost 10-4 to Judd Trump (R1 - 2021)
• Lost 10-7 to Anthony McGill (R1 - 2022)

This will be Liam Highfield's fourth appearance in the televised stages of the World Snooker Championships, having come through qualification to secure a spot in the last 32 on three previous occasions.

Whilst he has yet to record his maiden victory at the iconic Crucible Theatre, he has shown flashes of his quality in defeats against Mark Allen, Judd Trump and Anthony McGill.

Who did Liam Highfield beat to qualify for the Crucible?

• Round 4 - Oliver Lines (10-2)
• Round 3 - Stephen Maguire (10-5)
• Round 2 - Wang Yuchen (10-4)
• Round 1 - Oliver Brown (10-4)

With only the top 16 in the world guaranteeing themselves a spot at the World Snooker Championship, Liam Highfield had to come through qualification to seal his return to Sheffield.

Highfield was handed a tough looking draw at the English Institute of Sport, but managed to defy his outsider price of 8/1 to come through his section of the draw.

Routine 10-4 victories over Oliver Brown and Wang Yuchen set the tone for a seriously impressive 10-5 triumph over two-time Crucible semi-finalist and seven-time ranking event winner Stephen Maguire in the third round.

He then followed that up with a demolition victory over Oliver Lines, whom he comprehensively beat 10-2 on Judgement Day just three days before his showdown with Zhao Xintong.

Liam Highfield's walk out song at the Crucible

Liam Highfield is a self-confessed Oasis and Richard Ashcroft lover, and opted for Oasis' classic 'Acquiesce' hit as his chosen walk-out song for his Crucible return in 2026.

How did Liam Highfield get Ronnie O'Sullivan's snooker table?

"I've made a few big changes this year, both on and off the table, one of the biggest being that I have upgraded my practise table to one which now replicates those that we play on in the tour," Liam Highfield told bet365 earlier this month.

"I was still using one of the older branded tables and have been on the lookout for one of the new ones for a year or two - they are from china so are very difficult to get hold of.

"But I have known Ronnie [O'Sullivan] for a long time now and I was speaking to a friend in common last year and mentioned I was still trying to get my hands on one, and he just said 'Ronnie will give you his'.

"At the time, he was moving out to the Middle East and he allowed us to go down to his house and take it out of the back room in his garden, which was really generous of him.

"He's always been really good with me, offered words of advice and encouragement, and of course, I am really thankful to him that he has given me his snooker table."

Liam Highfield's titles and accolades

Liam Highfield was billed as a future star of the sport when he arrived on the professional tour as a teenager at the same time as fellow former amatuer stars Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson and Jack Lisowski.

However, health issues have significantly affected his career on the tour, with the Staffordshire star suffering from Chron's disease.

Still, he has managed to reach the latter stages of a number of events since turning professional, most notably advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2017 Indian Open and 2023 Snooker Shootout.

He has secured plenty of silverware as an amateur, beating the likes of Wilson, Trump and Lisowski en-route to International Open Series events between 2008 and 2010, as well as capturing the EBSA European Snooker Championship title last year, with his 5-0 whitewash victory over Michał Szubarczyk securing him an immediate return to the pro tour.