World Snooker has announced a massive change regarding the sale of tickets for next year’s World Championship.

Snooker bosses have implemented a new policy which will see tickets for next year’s showcase sold in person ONLY during the first day of sale.

World Championship tickets for the 2019 event will go on sale on Sunday, May 6 – the day this year’s grand final starts – at the Crucible Theatre Box Office in Sheffield but they WON’T be available to buy online or on telephone until Monday, May 7.

This is likely to mean huge queues will form at the Crucible Theatre on the morning of Sunday, May 6 when a limited number of tickets will go on sale from 9am.

Fans will be able to buy a maximum of four tickets per person per session. The actual tickets will not be sent out until a month before the 2019 tournament though anyone buying will receive a confirmation slip.

From Monday May 7, tickets can be booked at www.cruciblesnooker.com or by calling the box office on 0844 65 65 147.

World Snooker say this approach is being introduced to limit the ability of secondary ticketing providers (or ‘touts’) from purchasing tickets and preventing real fans from accessing them at the advertised price and to give the people of Sheffield and genuine snooker fans first dibs.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We want to reward snooker supporters who have made the trip to Sheffield, or those who live in the city, by giving them the first opportunity to buy tickets for what is one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

“Sheffield is the home of the World Championship, we have a fantastic relationship with our partners there, we love the support we receive from the city and we look forward to going back for many years to come.

“No doubt there will be many eager fans queuing in Tudor Square to get their hands on a 2019 ticket – because they will be like gold dust. There is nothing to match the unique experience of watching the World Championship live at the Crucible.

“The Crucible is a relatively small venue with less than 1,000 seats. It’s such a wonderful place that we have committed to staying there until at least 2027. We can’t make the venue bigger, but we can create a fairer system for selling tickets which gives all real fans an equal opportunity.”