1976 World Snooker Championship

1976 Embassy World Snooker Championship

Tournament information
Dates	7–23 April 1976 (1976-04-07 – 1976-04-23)
Venue	Middlesbrough Town Hall Wythenshawe Forum
City	Middlesbrough Manchester
Country	England
Organisation	WPBSA
Format	Ranking event
Total prize fund	£15,300
Winner's share	£6,000
Highest break	John Spencer (ENG) (138)
Final
Champion	Ray Reardon (WAL)
Runner-up	Alex Higgins (NIR)
Score	27–16
← 1975 1977 →

The 1976 World Snooker Championship (officially known as the 1976 Embassy World Snooker Championship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place at two venues, Middlesbrough Town Hall, and Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester, from 7 to 23 April 1976. Qualifying matches were played at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Southport, and at the Park House Hotel, Blackpool from 29 March to 2 April. The tournament was promoted by Maurice Hayes's company Q Promotions on behalf of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. The winner received £6,000 from a total prize fund of £15,300.

The winner of the title was Ray Reardon, who defeated Alex Higgins 27–16 in the final at Wythenshawe Forum, to claim his fifth World Championship. Reardon was the defending champion, having won 31–30 against Eddie Charlton in the 1975 final. During the 1976 final, Reardon made several complaints about the environment, which was adjusted to accommodate him. Charlton had complained earlier about a table, which was found to be non-standard, invalidating his break of 137.

There were seven century breaks in the championship, the highest of which was 138 by John Spencer. It was the last World Championship before the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield became the regular venue. For the first time, the tournament was sponsored by the cigarette company Embassy; the relationship endured for 30 years.