The Betfred World Snooker Championship has been rescheduled, subject to government policy, to begin on July 31st and run through to August 16th at the Crucible Theatre.

Originally, the event was going to take place on April 18th, however, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, officials had to postpone the event.

Not only is it scheduled to run for the standard 17 days but it will also be broadcast in full on BBC and online to allow everyone to experience the event.

The top 16 players have automatically earned a place at the event and they will play against 16 other players who will fight for their place in the qualifying rounds, which are yet to be confirmed.

If it is not possible to stage the event with a full crowd inside the Crucible Theatre, World Snooker will consider “playing the event with a reduced crowd, playing the event behind closed doors or postponing the event to a later date again.”

The Crucible Theatre behind closed doors.

WST Charmain Barry Hearn commented that he was pleased to confirm the new dates for snooker’s biggest tournament and how live sport could boost people’s morale during these difficult times.

“We are delighted to confirm new dates for this huge global sporting event which has an international television audience of 500 million people. The world is going through a very challenging period but live sport can be a massive inspiration for the public and can boost morale. This gives fans of top class sport something on their calendar to look ahead to and enjoy for 17 days.

“It is crucial for our 128 tour players to know that we are doing everything we can to get our circuit going again as soon as it is considered safe to do so by the government. The players are self-employed and they need opportunities to earn, while we keep the health and safety of everyone involved in an event of this scale as a priority.”

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