"There's lots of options on the table": Snooker chief provides clue to temporary Crucible destination

The 2026 World Snooker Championship is underway, and it feels different to recent years with the uncertainty over the venue's future now resolved.

A cloud had been lurking in the background during the last couple of visits to Sheffield with the Crucible's previous contract to host snooker's annual blue riband event expiring in 2027.

But the World Snooker Tour and Sheffield City Council announced last month that the World Snooker Championship will remain at the Crucible until at least 2045, with an option to extend five years further.

As part of the long-term agreement - that received central government funding - the Crucible Theatre will undergo major upgrades later this decade that will see its arena capacity increase by 50% to seat approximately 1,500 fans per session.

In order to facilitate the improvements, though, the Championship needs to find a temporary home for at least the 2029 edition, and possibly the year after.

"It was realistic" that the World Championship could have moved from Sheffield

Chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association Jason Ferguson - a former top 32 player who qualified for the Crucible three times - has been talking to Irish broadcaster RTE about the Crucible negotiations and its future.

Discussing the multi-year saga, Ferguson admitted that moving the Championship away from its 50-year home was a real possibility.

"It was realistic. One of the pressures is that sport has to keep growing. It has to remain relevant in society, it has to remain relevant as a television sport, and we have to have millions of people playing. To do that you have to provide big events" said Ferguson.

"Now in sport generally, big events are getting bigger and bigger. We're seeing bigger crowds, we're seeing bigger broadcast output, and to do that you need bigger venues sometimes and you need more facilities.

"And of course, with emerging markets like China and the size of some of the events we've done there, Middle East coming on board and other countries, we're operating actually in every continent in the world these days.

"It brings pressure to make sure this event can grow and we're thankful that we've reached the point where we've got the investment we need.”

“Lots of options” on the table for substitute Crucible home

Whilst that Crucible conundrum has been put to bed, another hot topic has taken its place: where the Championship will temporarily be held in 2029.

It's a bizarre situation, with speculation and suggestions rife on social media about where the one-off (although very possibly two editions) tournament could go.

Perhaps it's a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for authorities to do something left field - maybe holding it overseas in Europe or the Far East - but odds point to it staying in the UK.

The biggest indicator for this is the host television broadcaster the BBC, who would surely have a say in where it will be held.

The BBC has a contract to show all three Triple Crown events until at least 2032, and it would likely be a very costly exercise for the national broadcaster to cover the 17-day flagship event overseas.

Ferguson said: “It's a really strange position to be in to say where we're going to put the World Championship one year.”

“I mean there are lots of alternatives. I mean we've got some really big venues like Alexandra Palace where we run the Masters. We've had a great event in Manchester recently.

“The BBC is synonymous with the World Snooker Championship, so it's an important event for the United Kingdom. And I see it remaining in a UK destination. So lots of discussions going on.”

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 World Snooker Championship, visit our tournament information centre here.