World Snooker Championship to stay at Crucible until at least 2045 with redevelopment
Traditionalists had feared the global showpiece could vacate the Sheffield venue, with China and Saudi Arabia suggested as possible alternatives
Sheffield’s Crucible will remain home to the World Snooker Championship until at least 2045, ending fears that the sport’s flagship event would quit the celebrated venue.
An agreement between the World Snooker Tour (WST) and Sheffield City Council means the event will be held at the theatre for the next two decades, with an option to extend to 2050.
A planned £45 million (US$60 million) redevelopment will provide the potential to add an additional 500 seats, but means the event must temporarily relocate in 2029, and possibly 2030, while work is in progress.
Traditionalists had feared the global showpiece could vacate the Sheffield venue, which has staged every world championship since 1977, and possibly even Britain itself, once its lease expired in 2027.
WST chief Barry Hearn previously described the sport’s long-term home, which has a capacity of 980, as “no longer fit for purpose”.
China and Saudi Arabia were suggested as possible alternatives to stage the tournament.
