The World Snooker Championship will remain at the Crucible until 2045 under a long-term contract extension signed earlier this year. However, a planned redevelopment of the Sheffield theatre in 2029 will force the event to relocate temporarily, with Belfast's Waterfront Hall emerging as a favoured option among players.
Redevelopment plans for 2029
The historic venue has hosted the World Championship since 1977. As part of the new agreement, a renovation will add 500 seats at an estimated cost of £45million. The work means the event must move in 2029 and possibly 2030.
The replacement venue has not yet been announced. Alexandra Palace in London, the Barbican in York, and Manchester Central have all been suggested as potential hosts.
Players back Belfast option
Waterfront Hall in Belfast, which stages the Northern Ireland Open, has also been mooted. It has a capacity of around 1,400, more than the Crucible holds.
Northern Irish potter Jordan Brown believes it would be an ideal choice. He told Metro: "I'm not being biased because it's obviously my home tournament and venue, but I've said it loads of times in the past that the Waterfront would be a perfect venue to hold the World Championship.
"Anywhere you sit in the crowd is good, with the way it's set up with balconies overlooking the arena. I think it's the absolute perfect venue. Why not have it there?"
Brown added: "It's not too far away from where it's held in Sheffield, a 40-minute fight. I think it would be great for Belfast, with the fans, you'd get a great turnout for it, that's guaranteed."
Lisowski gives his vote
Jack Lisowski also thinks Waterfront Hall would be a solid temporary replacement. "It's a cool idea," he said. "It gets my vote. I love the place. It's incredible. I've been going there for years."
Lisowski recalled: "One year I lost early and I stayed for another five or six days because Judd was in it. I was just going out in Belfast drinking and he was still in it. He played Ronnie in the final, it was amazing."
He added: "Luckily I was playing well enough to deal with it because it was getting quite rowdy, at the end especially, it was rammed. That was my dream when I started playing snooker, playing in somewhere like that, so it made it extra special. It couldn't have happened in a better place."
