WDF World Darts Championship 2026: FAQ

FAQ

When and where is the 2026 WDF World Championship taking place?

The WDF World Darts Championship 2026 runs from 27 November to 6 December 2026 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green in the county of Surrey. It kicks off on Friday evening with the 1st round of the Open category; the four finals take place on 6 December in the final session.

Who is the defending champion at the 2026 WDF World Darts Championship?

The defending champion in the Open competition is Jimmy van Schie, who won the 2025 final 6-3 against the then 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie. He cannot defend the title, because as the holder of a PDC Tour Card he is not allowed to take part. The other defending champions are Deta Hedman (Women), Mitchell Lawrie (Youth) and Zehra Gemi (Girls).

How much prize money is on offer at the Lakeside World Championship 2026?

The World Darts Federation is paying out a total of £223,500. The Open category offers £146,000 with £50,000 for the world champion, the Women's £63,000 with £25,000 for the winner; according to the WDF it remains the highest prize money outside the PDC.

What format is played at the WDF World Championship 2026?

The tournament is played in set format. In the Open category the first three rounds are best of 5 sets, the quarter-finals best of 7, the semi-finals best of 9 and the final best of 11 sets. In the Women's event the first two rounds are played over best of 3 sets, the quarter-finals and semi-finals over best of 5 and the final over best of 7 sets.

Where can you watch the WDF Darts World Championship 2026 on TV and stream?

The tournament is shown in full on the WDF's YouTube channel. For German-speaking countries, Sport1 has bought the TV rights and shows the last three days of the tournament live on linear television.

How do you qualify for the WDF World Championship 2026?

The spots are allocated via the WDF Main Ranking Table (as of 31 October 2026), wins at Platinum and Gold tournaments and the regional rankings; in the Open the top 16 are seeded, in the Women's the top 8. On top of that came two qualifying tournaments: in July in Las Vegas during World Masters week and on 1 November at the Lakeside, where the last six spots were awarded.

Who is taking part in the WDF World Championship 2026?

In the Open category 48 players take part, in the Women's 24, in the Open Youth twelve and in the Girls' six. Top seeds are Mitchell Lawrie (Open and Youth), Deta Hedman (Women) and Paige Pauling (Girls). From Germany, Paul Krohne, Carsten Hoffmann, Liam Maendl-Lawrance, Irina Armstrong, Mika Donnevert and Benjamin Dopfer are in the field, from Austria Franko Giuliani and Celina Glaser.

When will the draw and schedule for the 2026 Lakeside World Championship be announced?

The draw for the WDF World Darts Championship 2026 is scheduled for Tuesday 3 November 2026 and will be streamed on the WDF's official YouTube channel; it will be conducted by WDF general secretary Nick Rolls, presenter Sioned Dafydd and former Lakeside world champion Scott Mitchell. The final schedule is due to be published by Monday 9 November 2026 at the latest.