World Snooker Championship 2023 - Crucible info: capacity, history, tickets, quotes on 'home of snooker'

The greatest show in snooker is upon us, with the World Championship getting underway at the Crucible in Sheffield. Snooker is synonymous with the Crucible, which has played host to the World Championship since 1977. Ad How many seats does the Crucible have? World ChampionshipO’Sullivan pounces on Pang errors to take commanding lead in openerAN HOUR AGO There is something special about the intimate nature of the Crucible, which has a maximum capacity of 980 spectators.

The fans sit around three sides of the arena, and during the early stages of the tournament are almost within touching distance of the players. It is not to everyone’s taste, Neil Robertson has spoken about how the small playing area impacts on his game as he is a player who likes to walk into a shot — and that is not always possible. Robertson would have been heartened to hear the comments of snooker chief Barry Hearn who said talks were underway to build a new venue — with the ability to host 3,000 spectators — and would be linked to the existing venue by a connecting bridge.

New or old, the Crucible would remain as Hearn said: “The Crucible name is synonymous with snooker globally… so the name has to remain.” The Crucible's rich history Although an innovator, Hearn knows the value of history — and the Crucible is steeped in it. When John Spencer beat Cliff Thorburn in the final in 1977, few would have dared to imagine the drama that would follow down the years. Thorburn wrote himself into the history books in 1983 when making the first 147 at the World Championship.