Snooker’s World Championship could be temporarily moved to China whilst the Crucible undergoes a £45million facelift.The iconic Sheffield venue has played host to the showpiece event since 1977, however there were suggestions that it may be moved to a new location.The Crucible will undergo a £45m refurbishment after the 2028 World ChampionshipAFPBut that speculation was put to bed earlier this week when a deal was struck for the World Championship to remain at the Crucible until 2045.It was also revealed that the arena would undergo refurbishment after the 2028 edition with the addition of 500 seats, taking the capacity to over 10,000.The work is expected to take up to two years to complete meaning the event will need to find another home for one or possibly two years.China in line to host the World ChampionshipSpeaking on talkSPORT Drive on Thursday, president of Matchroom Sport, Barry Hearn said the World Championships could relocate to China when work commences on the Crucible.Asked if it was inconceivable that the event could take place outside of the UK, Heard said: “No, it’s not inconceivable at all.“We haven’t made a decision yet. The Board of World Snooker is considering a number of options and I would be surprised if it took very long to find out where we’re going.“For the moment we’re just celebrating the fact that we’ve kept our iconic home.”Pressed on whether he thinks it would happen, the sports promoter added: “I’m not much of a gambler but I would say we’re slightly odds-on staying in the UK, but it’s very slight.“There’s lots of talks going on. Obviously, there’s people disappointed they didn’t get the World Championships.”Probed further on whether a likely new destination would be in Asia, Hearn replied: “Yes, China.Barry Hearn believes the World Snooker Championship could emanate from China in 2029talksport“We’re flying in China, we’ve got a Chinese world champion [Zhao Xintong]. In the Welsh Open we had four Chinese players in the semi-finals.“The game is absolutely on fire in China. The numbers that are coming out are incredible and I want them to do more for us.“I want bigger prize money and better facilities.”Hearn also spoke of his delight in securing the Crucible for another 20 years with the support of the council and admitted he was torn between tradition and money when negotiating the deal.“We’ve managed to come to a deal with Sheffield City Council. I couldn’t be happier. It’s difficult negotiating when your heart is in one place and your wallet is in another,” he said.“We managed to get the deal done and all credit to Sheffield City Council, they were unbelievably supportive.Chinese star Zhao Xintong is the reigning snooker world championGetty“Money is an integral part of sport but there does come a time when history has to be factored in.”Bigger financial rewardsAnd Hearn is hoping snooker follows the lead of darts with prize money reaching an all-time high.The 2026 World Championship saw winner Luke Littler take home a record £1million in prize money, something Hearn hopes to replicate in snooker.He remarked: “The problem I’ve got across all sports at the moment is we live in the real world and prize money has to go up and up.“We need to get the prize money up to that big £1million cheque for the winner and we need to do it quickly.“So that’s my main priority at the moment. Maximising commercial value so we can say ‘boys you’ve done well and you can get paid what you deserve.’”