The World Snooker Championship will stay in Sheffield till 2045.
It was confirmed earlier this week that the biggest tournament snooker has to offer will remain at the sport’s most iconic venue.
The new deal means the World Championships will be in Sheffield until 2045, with an option to extend to 2050.
However, the 2029 edition of the competition will be staged at a different venue, as part of the new deal that will see the Crucible undergo a refurbishment to the arena with an £45 million investment, adding 500 new seats and improving the concourse area.
Picture from WST
The announcement came as a surprise, with many expecting the announcement on the future of the competition to be made at the World Snooker Championship, which begins on April 18th.
The Crucible is the pilgrimage for Snooker fans and for English sport, and having it move away from the Crucible would have massively affected sport in the North of England and Snooker in the country.
England was the birthplace of the sport; there is a cultural heritage as well, having been the host nation of the tournament since the inaugural competition in 1927, and the Crucbile hosting event since 1977.
Having the competition move away from England meant there was a possibility of a decrease in the popularity of the sport in the country and losing the source of ambition for young players.
Where could the competition have moved to?
Saudi Arabia was the main competition to host the competition, not only with the potential money it could offer, but also in terms of value for prize money.
Saudi Arabia, over the past few years, has made a foundation for snooker with the Saudi Arabia masters being held as the “fourth major”, yet attendance for the early rounds in the events has been poor, unlike in the crucible where, from the 1st round, without the big-name matchups, still sell out.
We are only 3 weeks away from the event, with Ronnie O Sullivan looking for a record-breaking eighth world title and last year’s world champion, Zhao Xintong, looking to avoid the Crucible curse and then go on to retain his crown.
The top 12 on the one-year list will have a chance to find some form and prepare for the marathon event that is the world championship, with the Tour Championship starting on Monday, which sees all matches played as the best of 10 frames.
