The final was played as a best-of-35 frames match held over four sessions between Steve Davis and Joe Johnson on 3 and 4 May 1987. It was the first time that the same two players had met in the final at the Crucible for the second year in a row. The last time that two players had met in consecutive finals at the World Championship was when Fred Davis and Walter Donaldson had both reached the final from 1947 to 1951, five years in a row. The next time it would happen was when Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White met in three consecutive finals between 1992 and 1994. This is also the only time that the final has been contested by the top two seeds of the tournament. The final was refereed by Len Ganley.