World champion Wu Yize already has his first major purchase lined up after ballooning his net worth (Image: Getty)
Newly crowned snooker world champion Wu Yize has propelled his earnings into the stratosphere following Monday’s victory at the Crucible. His final-frame decider over Shaun Murphy became an instant classic, while the 18-17 triumph almost means Wu has more than doubled his previous career earnings during the 2025/26 season.
The Chinese sensation was already certain to celebrate a career-best campaign following his win at the International Championship and several other deep runs. However, the £500,000 main prize win has truly cemented the 22-year-old’s place as arguably the biggest prospect to watch out for in the world of snooker right now. And it may not take Wu that long to run through his winnings after being forced to sacrifice a sizeable portion of his prize before outlining plans for his first significant purchase as a world champion. Express Sport explores all that and more as China celebrates its second consecutive snooker world champion, as well as the true arrival of the sport’s next big thing.
£225,000 sacrifice
Wu had effectively seen his £500,000 prize purse halved before he’d even exited the Crucible. Tax laws in the United Kingdom mean he’ll be forced to fork over £225,000 in income tax to HMRC given he’s lived in Sheffield since he was 16.
It’s understood Wu registered Wu Yize Snooker Ltd as a UK address on Companies House in 2023. And given his prize was awarded in the UK, he’ll be expected to pay the appropriate tax rate of 45 per cent on such a sizeable sum.
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Moreover, he’s also expected to pay around £10,000 more in National Insurance contributions. That will take his total deductions from the World Championship money to £235,000 and leaves him with only 53 per cent or so of his own reward.
It’s a dream come true to be snooker’s latest world champion ????????????
But what does Wu Yize want to spend his prize money on? ???????????? pic.twitter.com/RZrJN0uEqE
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 5, 2026
First purchase
Wu will dedicate a major portion (if not all) of those remaining funds to one purchase in particular. And the youngster is laser-eyed in his focus to improve the living conditions for him and his parents following by far the biggest pay day of his career to date.
Having shared a small room with his father when they first moved to the UK six years ago, Wu is now adamant some form of upgrade is in order. And it may only encourage him to cement an even greater legacy as world champion with a new base of operations near the Crucible.
“I don’t have any plans,” he told BBC Sport following his dramatic single-frame win over Murphy. “I think I will buy a house or an apartment in Sheffield for practice and the World Championship.”
It should serve as a warning to the rest of the snooker field that the prospect’s first thought are about how he can keep improving on the baize. However, he does intend to at least take some time off in light of his greatest feat thus far.
“I felt tired, for one month, fighting every day,” he continued. “I can have a holiday now, go back to China, get some good food and see my friends. My first year [as a] professional, we didn’t have a lot of money, very big pressure.
“They [Wu’s parents] gave me everything. They always support me, no matter [if I] win or lose. When I was young, my dream was to be a World Championship winner. I believed in myself. Never give up. I love snooker, I want to give my all to play.”
Wu has seen his net worth almost double overnight (Image: Getty)
Net worth and earnings
In light of his Sheffield success, Wu is now estimated to boast a net worth of somewhere in the region of £1million. That’s roughly the same amount he’s accumulated in prize money in the 2025/26 season alone, though there are tax deductions that mean that figure won’t represent an accurate take-home total.
Prior to this season, Wu had racked up around £450,000 in earnings on the World Snooker Tour. That brings his rough career tally to around £1.45m – or closer to £800,000 once accounting for an average tax rate of around 45 per cent.
Then there’s any money the up-and-comer will earn from sponsorships and endorsements, a figure that’s likely to balloon significantly in light of his World Championship win. Wu isn’t active on the traditional social media sites but may rethink that decision once he sees the kinds of opportunities he’s liable to be offered as a new face of the sport in the near future.
After earning a career-best sum of £264,000 in the 2024/25 season, Wu has more than tripled that figure with his winnings this term. However, he still only just creeps into snooker’s 50 richest figures after moving onto the scale at No. 47.