Ronnie O’Sullivan made surprise World Championship suggestion before defeat at Northern Ireland Open

Ronnie O'Sullivan has backed two potential venues, including Belfast's Waterfront Hall, to host the World Snooker Championship in 2029 as rumours continue to swirl over where the event will take place.

For the first time since 1977, the World Championship will move away from Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 2029 because of planned refurbishment work. In total, 500 seats will be added to take the capacity up to about 1,500.

Several venues have emerged as possible options, including the Alexandra Palace in London. Barry Hearn, who is the president of Matchroom Sport, recently said that he expects the 2029 edition to remain in the United Kingdom.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan throws support behind Waterfront Hall and Venue Cymru

As speculation continues around the tournament's home in 2029, seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has publicly supported both Belfast and Llandudno as possible hosts.

Speaking before his 4-3 defeat to Ka Wai Cheung at the Northern Ireland Open, he told TNT Sports: "I think [Belfast] is a good location, I think it's great. There are so many good venues. They could have picked maybe seven or eight venues."

"There's other venues that I really like too," added O'Sullivan. "I would have been happy with Llandudno. I think that's an amazing snooker venue. To play snooker in, I think it's one of the best."

O'Sullivan has won the World Snooker Championship seven times. Image credit: Getty

"I love the place. It’s incredible..."

O'Sullivan isn't the only player to throw his support behind Belfast's Waterfront Hall. Northern Ireland's Jordan Brown believes it would be the "perfect venue" to host the World Championship.

"I’m not being biased because it’s obviously my home tournament and venue, but I’ve said it loads of times in the past that the Waterfront would be a perfect venue to hold the World Championship," he told Metro.

"Anywhere you sit in the crowd is good, with the way it’s set up with balconies overlooking the arena. I think it’s the absolute perfect venue, why not have it there?

"It’s not too far away from where it’s held in Sheffield, a 40-minute flight. I think it would be great for Belfast, with the fans, you’d get a great turnout for it, that’s guaranteed."

Jack Lisowski, who beat Judd Trump in last year's Northern Ireland Open final, agreed with the sentiment, adding: "It’s a cool idea. It gets my vote. I love the place. It’s incredible."