By Raz Mirza, Sports Journalist
Last Updated: 24/03/26 5:41pm
Four-time world champion Mark Selby says he would like the World Snooker Championship to remain in the UK when the Crucible Theatre is refurbished in 2029 — and possibly in 2030 — despite assurances from the World Snooker Tour that alternative plans are being considered. Selby, who has taken time away from the game recently on health grounds, noted Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn has “a variety of ideas” and would like to move the event around.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer helped secure the tournament’s future in Sheffield with an agreement keeping the World Championship at the Crucible until 2045, with an option to extend to 2050. The historic venue has staged iconic moments such as the 1985 black-ball final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s rapid 147. Critics have called the Crucible cramped and outdated, and seven-time champion O’Sullivan has argued for a move away from the theatre, which has hosted the event since 1977.
The planned £45m refurbishment will add up to 500 seats to the current 980 capacity and improve spectator facilities. The sport’s global growth, particularly in China where an estimated 60 million people play and where current world champion Zhao Xintong is from, has increased calls to stage major events outside the UK. Saudi Arabia has also expanded into snooker, staging the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Jeddah last year with a prize pot of £2.3m, one of the sport’s biggest events.
World Snooker Tour officials hope the tournament will only be away from Sheffield for one year, though no alternative venue has been confirmed. Possible UK hosts include Alexandra Palace in London, which stages the World Darts Championship, or Manchester Central, which hosts the Tour Championship.
“For me, I’d like to keep it in the UK,” Selby said. “I know Barry Hearn, sometimes he’s got a variety of ideas. He’d like 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 it stands. So, I mean, it’s not like they’ve not got a big tournament. They’ve still got a big tournament. When it does move, then I’d rather it still be in the UK, wherever that will be.”
Selby, who won the Crucible title in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021, suffered a surprise first-round loss to Ben Woollaston last year but recovered to capture his third UK Championship title — his 10th Triple Crown event — at the York Barbican in December. He expects this year’s World Championship to be highly competitive.
“I think there’s probably 16 to 20 players that you could probably pick who’s probably capable of winning it,” Selby said. “You’ve got Robertson, who is top of the money list. There’s also Kieran Wilson, not had the best of seasons, but he’s been there and won it before. Murphy has been playing well this season and Mark Allen’s playing well. It’ll be hard to predict this year. What I will guarantee, I’m sure it’ll be a great standard of snooker at Sheffield over the two weeks when it starts. I think that just goes to show how strong the game is in depth now.”
Selby also praised Ronnie O’Sullivan after the seven-time champion made the highest-ever break in professional play — a 153 in the first frame of his 5-0 win over Ryan Day at the World Open in China — and reached a ranking final for the first time since winning the World Grand Prix more than two years ago, where he lost to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. “Ronnie’s 153 was an amazing feat to do,” Selby said. “It had to be him, didn’t it? If somebody was going to do it, it had to be him. It was probably the only record he’s not got. Ronnie is the greatest player of all time, and anything he does, it doesn’t really surprise you. He’s just an absolute genius and a credit to our game.”
This year’s World Snooker Championship begins on April 18 and runs until May 4.