At the 2026 World Snooker Championship, Wu made his third appearance at the main stage of the tournament, having lost in the first round in 2023 and 2025. He defeated Mark Allen 17–16 in the semi-finals and Shaun Murphy 18–17 in the final to win his second ranking title and first world title. He became the second World Champion from Asia, following his compatriot Zhao Xintong the previous year, and the second-youngest winner in professional snooker history, after Stephen Hendry in 1990. Following his World Championship victory, he reached a career high of fourth in the world rankings.