Who takes half? What’s the format? Can I watch it on tv? And the way a lot do you get for successful? Our match information explains all.
The World Darts Championship is the head occasion in skilled darts, showcasing the very best gamers within the sport and drawing followers from across the globe.
Organised by the Skilled Darts Company (PDC), the World Darts Championship is a spotlight of the darts calendar. It takes place on the iconic Alexandra Palace in London and spans the festive interval of December and January.
The World Darts Championship is the highest-profile match on the PDC circuit, and was based in 1994 following the World Darts Council’s cut up from the BDO (British Darts Organisation).
With a considerable prize fund and the possibility to assert the celebrated Sid Waddell Trophy, each darts participant goals of successful the World Championship and inserting their identify among the many greats of the game. On this information, we clarify how the match works, its format and schedule for this 12 months’s occasion and the place you may watch it.
What’s the World Darts Championship?
The World Darts Championship is the largest match on this planet {of professional} darts. It captivates followers and showcases the game at its highest stage, with the largest stakes.
This PDC’s flagship occasion includes a distinctive mix of expertise from throughout the globe. A area of 128 gamers compete in a knock-out format that yearly produces main shocks and a superb commonplace of play.
Held on the historic Alexandra Palace, the setting is as iconic because the match itself. The venue gives a festive environment that provides to the championship’s attract as followers pack the London venue over the Christmas and New 12 months interval, and darts betting has change into extraordinarily fashionable for a lot of followers tuning into the motion at ‘Ally Pally’.
Historical past and Status of the World Darts Championship
The World Darts Championship boasts a wealthy historical past that dates again to its creation in 1994. The PDC was shaped of the world’s 16 greatest gamers in 1992 and broke away from the British Darts Organisation, taking part in its first world championship between December 1993 and January 1994 on the Circus Tavern in Essex. The primary ever PDC World Darts Championship featured 24 gamers and was gained by Dennis Priestley.
The inaugural PDC World Darts Championship was comprised principally of gamers from the UK and Eire together with seven from the US. Now, the match is a really cosmopolitan occasion that includes gamers from everywhere in the world.
Lots of the world’s greatest gamers have constructed their legacies on the World Championships. Phil Taylor is by far probably the most profitable participant within the match’s historical past, with 14 titles and one other 5 appearances within the last. Taylor misplaced within the first ever PDC World Darts Championship last and went on to win the following eight in a row, and 11 of the following 12.
Michael van Gerwen is the second-most profitable participant ever, with three wins, whereas Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis, John Half and Peter Wright have all gained the title twice.
The place and When is the World Darts Championship Held?
The PDC World Darts Championship has been held on the iconic Alexandra Palace in London since 2008. Ally Pally has change into a much-loved venue, identified for producing a raucous environment all through the match.
The match often begins in mid-December and concludes in early January. It has change into a key spotlight of the winter sports activities calendar.
The 2026 World Darts Championship begins on 11 December 2025, with the ultimate going down on 3 January 2026.
How Do Gamers Qualify for the World Darts Championship?
Extra gamers than ever will participate within the 2026 World Darts Championship, as the sector has been elevated to 128 for the primary time.
There are numerous ways in which gamers can qualify for the World Darts Championship. The highest 40 gamers within the PDC Order of Advantage qualify robotically. These are the gamers who’ve earned probably the most prize cash over a two-year interval, and often embrace the massive names like Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen.
The following 40 gamers are taken from the ProTour Order of Advantage, which counts the cash gained in Gamers Championship and European Tour occasions over a interval of 1 12 months. The highest 40 gamers on the ProTour Order – excluding those that have already certified by way of the PDC Order of Advantage – are added to the World Championship area.
The remaining 48 locations within the match are handed to gamers from varied excursions and qualifiers. Right here’s how these locations are damaged down:
-
Prime 5 gamers from the PDC Asian Tour and a pair of Asian Championship finalists
-
Prime 5 gamers from the Championship Darts Company of North America
-
Prime 2 PDC Nordic & Baltic ProTour gamers and winner of the Championship
-
Winners of DartPlayers Australia, DartPlayers NZ, ADA Australian Tour and PDC ANZ Premier League
-
3 gamers from the Improvement Tour
-
3 gamers from the Problem Tour
-
4+ Girls’s Qualifiers
-
Different regional qualifiers to make sure participation from gamers from over 30 international locations
Match Construction and Format
In contrast to earlier years the place the highest seeds obtained a first-round bye, all 128 gamers will start the 2026 World Darts Championship in Spherical One.
There are 32 seeded gamers in whole, taken from the highest 32 within the PDC Order of Advantage. Seeding ensures the highest gamers can not meet one another within the early rounds of the match and spreads them throughout all the draw.
After the seeds are distributed all through the match bracket, the remaining gamers are drawn.
The PDC World Championship makes use of a knock-out format the place a participant should win their match to progress to the following spherical. Lose, and the participant is eradicated.
There are seven rounds in whole, starting with the primary spherical on 11 December and culminating within the last on 3 January.
All matches within the PDC World Darts Championship are video games of 501, the place gamers should begin on 501 and get their rating right down to zero, ending on a double or bullseye to win the leg. Every set is performed in a best-of-5 format, though gamers should win by two clear legs in deciding units.
The variety of units required to win a recreation is dependent upon the spherical of the match. The primary and second rounds are beft-of-5, the third and fourth rounds are best-of-7, the quarter finals are best-of-9, the semi-finals are best-of-11 and the ultimate is a best-of-13 match.
Prize Cash and Trophy
The World Darts Championship presents substantial prize cash, which helps to make sure the very best gamers on this planet participate.
Right here is how prize cash is damaged down on the PDC World Darts Championship:
|
Ending place |
Prize cash |
|
Winner |
£1,000,000 |
|
Runner-up |
£400,000 |
|
Semi-finalists |
£200,000 |
|
Quarter-finalists |
£100,000 |
|
Fourth spherical losers |
£60,000 |
|
Third spherical losers |
£35,000 |
|
Second spherical losers |
£25,000 |
|
First spherical losers |
£15,000 |
There may be additionally a prize for a nine-dart end of £60,000.
On the match’s climax, the winner claims the celebrated Sid Waddell Trophy. Named after the enduring darts commentator, this trophy symbolizes excellence and triumph within the sport.
Betting on the World Darts Championship
You possibly can guess on each match of the PDC World Darts Championship with Betway. Many followers get pleasure from a guess on the darts in the course of the match and we’ve acquired you lined with outright markets, match betting, specials and rather more.
We have now a variety of darts odds out there so you may tailor your darts betting expertise, whether or not you wish to guess on Luke Littler to win the match, or if in case you have picked out an outsider who may cause a shock within the first spherical.
Keep tuned to the Betway sportsbook to maintain on high of the WDC World Darts Championship favourites and examine the Betway Insider darts ideas web page to learn our betting ideas all through the match.