Neil Robertson and Mark Williams among players to support World Championship remaining at Crucible in Sheffield - 'Amazing news'
By Will Conroy
Published 25/03/2026 at 09:27 GMT
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Mark Williams and Neil Robertson are among the game's top players who have supported the decision for the World Snooker Championship to remain at the Crucible until 2045. Three-time champion Williams described Tuesday's news as "perfect", saying the tournament "should never leave" Sheffield, while 2010 champion Robertson said it is "amazing" and that "all the players" wanted it to stay.
Wilson would 'rather have half the prize money' in order to remain at Crucible
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mark Williams said it is ”perfect” that the World Snooker Championship will remain at the Crucible until 2045, while Neil Robertson believes ”all the players” wanted it to stay at the Sheffield venue.
The new long-term deal at the theatre was confirmed on Tuesday and includes an option to extend it for a further five years until 2050.
The theatre has a capacity of 980, and following the 2028 tournament, it will undergo redevelopment to add up to 500 extra seats.
The news brings to an end ongoing uncertainty over the future location of the championship and talks of taking it to Saudi Arabia, and it appears to have gone down well among the players.
Three-time world champion Williams said on X: ”Perfect, should never leave there. It’s totally [different] to anything else.”
Williams admitted in an interview with William Hill in 2024 that he "was the one for saying that it probably should move", but that he had changed his mind over the years, and if it was to move to Saudi Arabia, it would not "generate the atmosphere that the Crucible does".
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Meanwhile, 2010 champion Robertson, who has arguably underperformed at the venue since his maiden title, said: ”Wow, amazing news!”
Robertson has reached the one-table set-up, which takes place in the semi-finals and final, just once since lifting the trophy 16 years ago, failing to do so in his 11 attempts.
Many believe that the Australian struggles to deal with the limited space between the table and the crowd during the two-table set-up, given his pre-shot routine tends to start further back than many players.
But the world No. 3 played this down on social media, saying these complaints are ”just silly excuses”, and that he remains a firm supporter of the tournament staying in Sheffield, particularly given the expansion in 2028.
”Not ideal in some spots,” Robertson replied to one user when asked about the proximity of the crowd to the table.
”But didn’t stop me making 104, 146, 80, 146 in 4 frames against Wu (Yize). It doesn’t stop me playing well, just silly excuses.
”100% wanted it to stay like all the players. But the venue needed to expand, and that’s what we are getting.”
He added: ”Expanding the venue is exactly what is needed. Behind the scenes for corporate will be much better, as well as playing wise too.”
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Other players showed their support for the decision on social media, with 2005 champion Shaun Murphy reposting the news to his Instagram story, captioning the post with clapping emojis.
Kyren Wilson, the 2024 champion, and Stuart Bingham, who lifted the trophy nine years earlier, also reposted the news to their stories.
Speaking in October, Wilson told TNT Sports that he would "rather have half the prize money" to keep the tournament at the Crucible.
However, there had been support from some players for a move away, including from Ronnie O’Sullivan, who backed the idea of taking the tournament to Saudi Arabia.
In 2024, the seven-time champion told The Sun: ”I don’t like the Crucible. I don’t think you can get in and out of it. I think it’s definitely a wise decision to take it away from Sheffield.”
He added: ”It’s a massive circus, and you need a massive space to accommodate it. I think Saudi Arabia would be great. They’ve got the resources and would do it great.”
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After reaching the World Open final last week, O’Sullivan said he will "probably" play in this year’s tournament, revealing he had planned not to compete for an eighth world title, lacking confidence in his game.
”I wasn’t even going to play in the World Championship 10 days ago because I was too scared,” he said.
”I felt like I would embarrass myself. But now I feel I probably will go, because I feel like I might pot a few balls.”
The World Championship begins on April 18, and will last for 17 days before its conclusion on May 4.
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the World Championship, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
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