Ronnie O'Sullivan will begin his bid to win a sixth world snooker title against Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
The world number 20 from Bangkok is regarded as the fastest player in the sport with an average shot time of around 17 seconds.
Defending champion Judd Trump will start on Friday morning against world number 26 Tom Ford, who beat Stuart Carrington in the final round of qualifying on Tuesday night.
Third seed and three-time champion Mark Williams will start against Alan McManus, who is the oldest player in the tournament since Steve Davis reached the quarter-finals at the age of 52 in 2010.
John Higgins will take on Welshman Matthew Stevens, a two-time losing finalist who successfully came through qualifying.
Anthony Hamilton, who has expressed grave concerns about safety after the decision to allow in a limited number of fans to attend, will start his match against eighth seed Kyren Wilson on Friday.
Full first round draw
- Judd Trump (1) v Tom Ford
- Yan Bingtao (16) v Elliot Slessor
- Stephen Maguire (9) v Martin Gould
- Kyren Wilson (8) v Anthony Hamilton
- John Higgins (5) v Matthew Stevens
- David Gilbert (12) v Kurf Maflin
- Jack Lisowski (13) v Anthony McGill
- Mark Allen (4) v Jamie Clarke
- Mark Williams (3) v Alan McManus
- Stuart Bingham (14) v Ashley Carty
- Ding Junhui (11) v Mark King
- Ronnie O’Sullivan (6) v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- Mark Selby (7) v Jordan Brown
- Shaun Murphy (10) v Noppon Saengkham
- Barry Hawkins (15) v Alexander Ursenbacher
- Neil Robertson (2) v Liang Wenbo
More World Championship content
- Richard Mann's story of the season
- Sporting Life exclusive: Neil Robertson interview
- Nick Metcalfe on a decade of World Championship finals
- World Championship memories: White always a People's Champion
- World Championship memories: O'Sullivan's finest hour
- World Championship memories: Higgins prevails but Trump grows
- World Championship memories: Joe Johnson: The biggest shock
- World Championship memories: 1984 World Championship stands out
- Crucible champions: Part one
- Crucible champions: Part two
- Crucible champions: Part three
- Betfred World Championship guide
