Youngest snooker player to qualify for the WPBSA World Championship

Luca Brecel (Belgium, b. 8 March 1995) was 17 years 38 days old when he qualified for the 2012 World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, UK. Brecel broke the record of Stephen Hendry, who was almost two months older when he qualified for his Crucible debut in 1986.

Brecel defeated Ian McCulloch, Barry Pinches, Michael Holt and Mark King (on 15 April 2012) in the qualifying rounds but lost in the first round (10 frames to five) to Stephen Maguire on 22-23 April 2012.

Brecel was the fifth 17-year-old to qualify for the World Championship, after Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Liu Chuang. In April 2009, Brecel became the youngest ever winner of the European Under-19 Championship at the age of 14.