PDC World Darts Championship 2026

11 December 2025 – 3 January 2026 · Alexandra Palace, London

The 33rd PDC World Darts Championship took place from 11 December 2025 to 3 January 2026 at Alexandra Palace in London and, with 128 participants and £5,000,000 in prize money, was the biggest in history. Luke Littler defended his title with a 7-1 win in the final over Gian van Veen.

The 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, staged as the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the World Darts Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held from 11 December 2025 to 3 January 2026 at Alexandra Palace in London for the 19th time – for the last time in the West Hall, as from the following edition the tournament moves to the building's larger Great Hall, where it is set to stay until at least 2031. For the first time 128 players from 34 nations took part, up from 96 previously. This also brought a new qualification structure: the top 40 of the PDC World Rankings, the 40 best players not yet qualified from the Pro Tour Rankings and 48 international qualifiers made up the field. The top 32 of the Order of Merit were seeded, but like everyone else they entered in the first round. Total prize money was doubled compared with the previous year to £5,000,000; the £1,000,000 for the winner was the highest sum ever paid out in professional darts. Defending champion Luke Littler reached his third final in a row, where he met Gian van Veen, who after Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen became the third Dutchman to reach a PDC World Championship final. Littler won 7-1 in sets to take his second world title, losing only four sets across seven matches. After Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson he was only the fourth player to defend the PDC title, and the first since Anderson in 2016. With 73 visits of 180 points he also secured the „Ballon d'Art". On the sidelines, numerous debutants made headlines: 28 players made their World Championship debut, the most successful of them Justin Hood, who got through to the quarter-finals. At 71, Paul Lim became the oldest match winner in the tournament's history with his first-round win over Jeffrey de Graaf, while Nitin Kumar, Stefan Bellmont and David Munyua were the first Indian, Swiss and Kenyan players to win a match at a PDC World Championship. A total of 1127 180s were thrown, and the highest Average of the tournament was achieved by Gian van Veen with 108.28 points.

At a glance

  • Edition: 33rd PDC World Championship
  • Venue: Alexandra Palace, London (19th edition there, last time in the West Hall)
  • Participants: 128 players from 34 nations
  • Match days: 20
  • Total prize money: £5,000,000
  • Winner's prize: £1,000,000
  • World champion: Luke Littler (England), 7-1 in the final against Gian van Veen
  • Semi-finalists: Ryan Searle and Gary Anderson
  • Quarter-finalists: Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton, Krzysztof Ratajski and Justin Hood
  • Trophy: Sid Waddell Trophy (awarded since the 2013 World Championship, weight approx. 25 kg, value approx. €20,000)
  • Sponsor: Paddy Power (contract extended until 2031)
  • Total 180s: 1127
  • Highest average: 108.28 points by Gian van Veen (2nd round against Alan Soutar)
  • Highest finish: 170 points – three times by Gian van Veen, twice each by Nathan Aspinall and Luke Littler as well as once each by Rob Cross, Gabriel Clemens, Brendan Dolan, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Krzysztof Ratajski, Joe Cullen, James Wade, Luke Humphries, Ryan Searle and Gary Anderson
  • Ballon d'Art: Luke Littler (73 180s)
  • German participants: Eight German players in the World Championship field for the first time: Martin Schindler, Ricardo Pietreczko, Niko Springer, Lukas Wenig, Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp, Dominik Grüllich and Arno Merk
  • Walkover: Jonny Clayton received a bye in the second round, as Dom Taylor was suspended with immediate effect after a positive doping test on the day of his first-round match
  • Nine-Darter: No Nine-Darter was thrown during the tournament

Related rankings

FAQ

When and where did the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 take place?

The tournament was held from 11 December 2025 to 3 January 2026 at Alexandra Palace in London. It was the 33rd edition of the PDC World Championship and the 19th at the “Ally Pally” – for the last time in the West Hall; from the following edition onwards play moves to the larger Great Hall.

Who won the 2026 World Darts Championship?

Luke Littler won the final of the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 on 3 January 2026, beating the Dutchman Gian van Veen 7-1 in Sets. He thus defended his title and, after Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson, became only the fourth player to successfully defend the title at the PDC World Championship.

How much prize money was on offer at the 2026 World Darts Championship?

The total prize money at the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 was £5,000,000, double the previous year's figure. World champion Luke Littler received £1,000,000 – the highest payout ever in professional darts – the runner-up £400,000, the semi-finalists £200,000 each and the first-round losers £15,000 each.

How many players took part in the 2025/26 World Darts Championship?

For the first time 128 players from 34 nations took part, up from 96 before. At the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 all players entered in the first round, including the 32 seeded players from the PDC Order of Merit.

What format was played at the 2026 PDC World Championship?

Play was in Set format with Double-Out; a Set went to three Legs won. The first and second rounds were played over the Best of 5 Sets, the third and fourth rounds over the Best of 7, the quarter-finals over the Best of 9, the semi-finals over the Best of 11 and the final over the Best of 13 Sets. In the deciding Set the two-clear-Legs rule applied from 2-2 in Legs, and at 5-5 a sudden-death Leg decided it – for the first time as early as the first round.

Who reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship 2026?

In the semi-finals Luke Littler beat Ryan Searle 6-1 and Gian van Veen beat Gary Anderson 6-3. The other quarter-finalists at the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 were Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton, Krzysztof Ratajski and debutant Justin Hood.

Where was the 2026 World Darts Championship shown on TV and stream?

In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy DAZN showed the matches, and in Germany Sport1 also broadcast them. In the UK and Ireland the tournament was on Sky Sports, in the Netherlands and Scandinavia on Viaplay; outside the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland it was also available via PDCTV.

How could you qualify for the 2026 World Darts Championship?

The field for the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 was made up of the top 40 from the PDC World Rankings compiled over two years, the 40 best players from the Pro Tour Rankings not yet qualified and 48 international qualifiers. Five of the international places were awarded on 24 November 2025 at the Tour Card Holder Qualifier; the PDC did not hand out any wildcards.

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