Four-time winner Mark Selby wants to see the World Snooker Championship stay in Britain when the Crucible is being refurbished, despite assurances from the World Snooker Tour; ‘The Jester from Leicester’ knows all too well Matchroom Sport boss Barry Hearn ‘wants to move it around’
Last updated: 24/03/26 17:41
Mark Selby wants to see the World Snooker Championship stay in Britain when the Crucible is refurbished
Mark Selby says he would like to see the World Snooker Championship stay in Britain when the Crucible is refurbished in 2029 – and possibly 2030 – but is aware Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn has a “lot of ideas”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has helped secure the future of the tournament in Sheffield amid fears it could have moved to China or Saudi Arabia with an agreement that it must remain in the city until 2045with the possibility of continuing until 2050.
The historic venue hosted the famous black ball final in 1985 between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, and in 1997 fans saw Ronnie O’Sullivan score a maximum of 147 in just five minutes and eight seconds.
But seven-time champion O’Sullivan has advocated a move away from the Crucible, which has hosted the tournament since 1977, with critics saying the venue is cramped and outdated.
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President of Matchroom Sport Barry Hearn said the Crucible Theater is ‘not fit for purpose’ but he wanted the World Cup to stay at the venue if renewed – he now has his wish!
The £45m refurbishment will add up to 500 seats to the current capacity of 980 and improve spectator facilities.
The game has exploded in popularity in China, with a reported 60 million active players, and current world champion Zhao Xintong is Chinese.
Meanwhile, the Saudis have sought to use the sport as a driver of economic growth, expanding into golf, boxing and soccer.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, held in Jeddah, boasted a prize pool of £2.3m last year. and is one of the sport’s four major tournaments.
The World Snooker Tour hopes they will only have to be away from Sheffield for one of these years with an alternative venue yet to be decided.
Artist’s impression of the ‘new’ Crucible – an ‘in the round’ design with up to 500 new seats!
Selby, a four-time world champion, hopes the event will not go overseas, despite assurances from the WST.
“For me, I want to keep it in the UK,” said Selby, who has taken time away from the game in recent weeks for health reasons. “I know Barry Hearn, sometimes he has a number of ideas. He wants to move it around, but we play a lot of tournaments in China now. We have a lot of big tournaments in China.
“We have a big ranking event out in Saudi, which is the same prize money as the world championships as they look. So I mean, it’s not like they don’t have a big tournament. They still have a big tournament.
“When it does move, I’d rather it still be in the UK, wherever that will be.”
Possible destinations include Alexandra Palace in London – where the World Darts Championship is held – or Manchester Central, where the Tour Championship is held.
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Selby expects ‘competitive’ worlds
Zhao Xintong won the event in 2025, beating Mark Williams 18–12 in the final
Selby, a winner at the Crucible in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021, suffered a shock first-round defeat to Ben Woollaston last year but bounced back to capture his third British Championship title and his 10th Triple Crown event at the York Barbican in December.
With the likes of O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Wu Yize, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and defending champion Zhao Xintong all in the mix to win the coveted title this year, Selby believes it will be “very competitive”.
The 42-year-old said: “I think there are probably 16 to 20 players that you can probably pick who are probably capable of winning it.
“You’ve got Robertson who’s top of the money list. There’s also Kieran Wilson who hasn’t had the best season but he’s been there and won it before. Murphy’s been playing well this season and Mark Allen’s playing well.
“It’s going to be hard to predict this year. What I will guarantee, I’m sure it will be a good standard of snooker in Sheffield over the two weeks it starts.
“I think it just shows how strong the game is in depth now.”
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David Beckham talks about hitting the snooker halls with his teammates after Manchester United training and feels Ronnie O’Sullivan could become the greatest snooker player of all time.
‘Ronnie is the best player ever’
Can O’Sullivan win a record eighth world title in Sheffield?
O’Sullivan made history when he made the highest ever breakthrough in the history of the professional game with a score of 153 in the first frame of his 5-0 win over Ryan Day at the World Open in China.
The seven-time world champion advanced to a ranking final for the first time since winning the World Grand Prix over two years ago, losing to Thai star Un-Nooh, who hit a maximum break of 147 en route to a 10-7 win.
“Ronnie’s 153 was a great feat to do,” Selby said. “It had to be him, right? If anybody was going to do it, it had to be him. It was probably the only record he doesn’t have.
“Ronnie is the greatest player ever and anything he does doesn’t really surprise you. He’s just an absolute genius and a credit to our game.”
This year’s tournament begins on April 18 and runs until May 4.