Sheffield is at the centre of snooker – the famous Crucible Theatre has held the annual World Championships for 47 years.
However, the contract is up in 2027 and Sheffield is not the only one with eyes on hosting the event.
Saudi Arabia expressed its interest in becoming the new host for the event – a possibility which divided the snooker community.
Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has signed a three-year deal with Saudi Arabia to become an official ambassador.
O’Sullivan won the World Masters of Snooker event in Riyadh in March and suggested that the World Championship should also be hosted there.
He stated publicly that it would be a ‘wise’ decision to move the event away from Sheffield,
“Sheffield is great, its got the history… but come on, history is getting rewritten every day”, O’Sullivan said.
Sheffield City Council has been informed that it may lose the championships if it fails to provide a bigger and more appropriate venue.
The Crucible has a capacity of just 980.
The council said in a statement that it was, “Committed to securing the tournament’s long-term future in the city.”
With the competition taking place this weekend, we went down to ask the fans where they see the future of snooker.