"It shouldn't stay in one place" Neil Robertson supports Hong Kong to host a World Snooker Championship

Former World Champion Robertson - who has recently obtained residency status for himself and his family in Hong Kong - made his feelings clear about the tournament moving around on an alternating basis when talking to the South China Morning Post this week.

The Australian gave his backing for a change saying: "I'd love to see it [World Championship] move around; it shouldn't stay in one place.

"Fans in Asia have every right to support a World Championship, so I would be right behind it [coming to Hong Kong] for sure."

Robertson's comments will continue to fuel the speculation surrounding the ongoing World Championship-Crucible Theatre saga that has been raging on for a few years now.

The famous 980-seat venue in Sheffield has hosted the World Snooker Championship every year since 1977, but its latest contract to hold the event ends next season in 2027. Whilst figureheads from the sport have said that talks with the Sheffield City Council are ongoing and have been positive, there is still no concrete news as to what the outcome will be - and time is running out.

It is over 15 years ago now that Robertson scaled the mountain and achieved his dream of being World Champion, but his record in the competition since then has been very ordinary for a player of his supreme class.

From his 15 subsequent World Championship campaigns since lifting the trophy in 2010, Robertson has not made a final, and 'only' reached the semi-finals once (2014). In his four most recent outings, the 43-year-old has not been past the last 16 - failing to qualify for the Crucible in 2024.

However, Robertson enjoyed a rejuvenating 2024/25 season during which he won two world ranking event titles and got himself firmly back inside the world’s elite top 16 rankings.

The second of those ranking crowns came in Hong Kong when he defeated Stuart Bingham 10-0 in the final to win the 2025 World Grand Prix.

It's clear that Robertson relishes playing in the city; in 2017 he denied Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 in the final to claim the invitational Hong Kong Masters.

Robertson isn't the only top player who believes that Hong Kong would make a great setting for a World Championship; world number one Judd Trump - who is also a HK resident - thinks so too. Trump was reported as saying on the prospect: "It would be a great place to have it. It's so glamorous and has the make-up to stage that kind of event."

Whilst Robertson and Trump's comments hold weight for a global sport that wants to expand, in reality, it is very unlikely that the World Snooker Championship will move outside of the UK in the near future.

That's because the BBC - host television broadcaster for the event - signed a new five-year deal with the World Snooker Tour earlier this year, extending their long-lasting partnership to at least 2032.

That contract means the BBC will continue to show snooker's three Triple Crown events - the UK Championship, the Masters, and the World Championship.

It seems highly probable that the BBC would have wanted assurances that the World Championship will be staying in the UK during that timeframe. If the event went 'overseas', costs for a 17-day-plus production may be prohibitive for the Corporation.

However, that doesn't rule out another location within the UK staging the tournament.