Bookies place Saudi Arabia as odds on favourite to take snooker from Sheffield for 2028

A bookmaker is taking odds-on bets that the 2028 World Snooker Championship will leave Sheffield for Saudi Arabia

William Hill is offering odds of 5/6 that the 2028 tournament will be staged in Saudi, with the current deal at The Crucible currently running until 2027,

But the odds of it remaining in Sheffield make South Yorkshire not far behind.

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The 2028 tournament is 6/4 to still be staged at The Crucible, whether in its current guise or after refurbishment, while it’s 6/1 that China will host the tournament and 8/1 that it will move to another venue in the UK.

A different venue is Sheffield was rated at 9/1.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “With the World Snooker Championship underway, the Crucible Theatre has divided opinion as to whether it’s still a suitable venue to host the tournament. We think the World Championship may be prised away from its historic home, as we’re 5/6 that the 2028 tournament will be played in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s possible that The Crucible could be refurbished and, whether that happens or not, it’s still fairly short odds at 6/4 that it remains the home of the World Championship in four years’ time.

“China (6/1) and elsewhere in the UK (8/1) are other possibilities should the World Snooker Association choose a move away from Sheffield.”

Fans in Sheffield have spoken of the magic of The Crucible, and said moving it would be like moving the FA Cup Final away from Wembley Stadium.

Several players have expressed their love for the Crucible

But big name star Ronnie O’Sullivan was quoted over the weekend as telling The Sun newspaper it would be a ‘wise decision’ to move the event away from Sheffield, and he controversially suggested staging it in Saudi Arabia instead. “It’s a massive circus and you need a massive space to accommodate it,” he said.

William Hill – Snooker:

Where will the 2028 Snooker World Championship be held?

Saudi Arabia 5/6

Crucible Theatre Sheffield (inc. refurbished) 6/4

China 6/1

Anywhere else in the UK 8/1

New venue in Sheffield 9/1