Overview
Everything you need to know ahead of the 33rd PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London, running from Thursday 11 December 2025 to Saturday 3 January 2026. There is play every day at the venue except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve.
When and where
– Dates: 11 December 2025 – 3 January 2026
– Venue: Alexandra Palace, London (tournament home since 2008)
– Session times: afternoon sessions 12:30pm and evening sessions 7:00pm through to the quarter-finals. Coverage opens on 11 December at 7pm. Semi-finals: Friday 2 January (7:30pm). Final: Saturday 3 January (8pm).
How to watch
All matches are on Sky Sports Darts (Sky Sports F1 becomes Sky Sports Darts on channel 407 from 10 December). Key matches also appear on Sky Sports Main Event. Streaming available via NOW/NowTV and the Sky Sports app.
Format
– Field: 128 players, all entering at round one (no byes for seeds).
– Match format: sets; each set is first to three legs.
– Deciding sets must be won by two clear legs. If a deciding set reaches 5-5, a sudden-death leg is played (throw order continues; no bull throw-off).
Match lengths
– Rounds 1 & 2: Best of 5 sets (first to 3)
– Rounds 3 & 4: Best of 7 sets (first to 4)
– Quarter-finals: Best of 9 sets (first to 5)
– Semi-finals: Best of 11 sets (first to 6)
– Final: Best of 13 sets (first to 7)
Defending champion and favourites
Luke Littler arrives as reigning champion and world No.1 after beating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in 2025. He is the pre-tournament favourite following a dominant season that included wins at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals.
Key challengers
– Luke Humphries: two-time world champion (2024), closest rival; can reclaim world No.1 with a title.
– Michael van Gerwen: three-time champion and No.3 seed; has recent wins over Littler on the World Series Finals stage.
– Gian van Veen: European Champion and strong on TV.
– Nathan Aspinall, James Wade, Jonny Clayton: all reached TV major finals this season.
– Stephen Bunting (No.4 seed) and former champion Gerwyn Price: experienced threats.
– Beau Greaves: top of the women’s contingent, holds a PDC ProTour card and has beaten Littler en route to recent big-stage finals.
Field and qualification
128-player field made up of:
– Top 40 from the PDC’s Werner Rankings Ladder
– Top 40 from the one-year ProTour Ranking
– 48 international qualifiers from PDC secondary/affiliate tours and qualifiers
Seeding/draw: the top 32 on the Werner Rankings are seeded. Players ranked 33–64 are placed on the left side of the draw and players 65–128 on the right.
PDC Werner Rankings Ladder: Top 32
1. Luke Littler (England)
2. Luke Humphries (England)
3. Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
4. Stephen Bunting (England)
5. Jonny Clayton (Wales)
6. Danny Noppert (Netherlands)
7. James Wade (England)
8. Chris Dobey (England)
9. Gerwyn Price (Wales)
10. Gian van Veen (Netherlands)
11. Josh Rock (Northern Ireland)
12. Ross Smith (England)
13. Martin Schindler (Germany)
14. Gary Anderson (Scotland)
15. Nathan Aspinall (England)
16. Damon Heta (Australia)
17. Rob Cross (England)
18. Mike De Decker (Belgium)
19. Jermaine Wattimena (Netherlands)
20. Ryan Searle (England)
21. Dave Chisnall (England)
22. Daryl Gurney (Northern Ireland)
23. Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium)
24. Ryan Joyce (England)
25. Luke Woodhouse (England)
26. Cameron Menzies (Scotland)
27. Ritchie Edhouse (England)
28. Michael Smith (England)
29. Dirk van Duijvenbode (Netherlands)
30. Peter Wright (Scotland)
31. Wessel Nijman (Netherlands)
32. Joe Cullen (England)
Prize money
Total fund: £5,000,000
– Winner: £1,000,000
– Runner-up: £400,000
– Semi-finalists: £200,000
– Quarter-finalists: £100,000
– Round Four losers: £60,000
– Round Three losers: £35,000
– Round Two losers: £25,000
– Round One losers: £15,000
Ballon d’Art (Most 180s)
The Ballon d’Art goes to the player who hits the most 180s across the tournament. Littler won it in 2025 with 76 maximums; Luke Humphries took it in 2024 with 73. With the expanded field and high scoring in recent years, another big total of maximums is expected.
Nine-darters at the World Championship
There have been 16 nine-darters in PDC World Championship history. Notable moments include:
– First PDC World Championship nine-darter: Raymond van Barneveld (2009)
– Adrian Lewis produced the first nine-darter in a final (2011)
– Other standout perfect legs: Dean Winstanley, Michael van Gerwen (2013), Gary Anderson (2016), and Michael Smith’s memorable nine-darter in the 2023 final.
– Two nine-darters were recorded at the 2025 event (Christian Kist v Madars Razma; Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse).
Past champions (1994–2025)
1994 Dennis Priestley
1995–2003 Phil Taylor / John Part (2003)
2004–2006 Phil Taylor
2007 Raymond van Barneveld
2008 John Part
2009–2013 Phil Taylor / Adrian Lewis (2011, 2012)
2014 Michael van Gerwen
2015–2016 Gary Anderson
2017 Michael van Gerwen
2018 Rob Cross
2019 Michael van Gerwen
2020 Peter Wright
2021 Gerwyn Price
2022 Peter Wright
2023 Michael Smith
2024 Luke Humphries
2025 Luke Littler
Music
The break track played between sets is “Chase the Sun” by Planet Funk.
Schedule highlights (Alexandra Palace)
– Round One: 11–18 December (multiple sessions daily)
– Round Two: 20–23 December
– Round Three: 27–29 December
– Round Four: 29–30 December
– Quarter-finals: Thursday 1 January (afternoon & evening)
– Semi-finals: Friday 2 January (7:30pm)
– Final: Saturday 3 January (8:00pm)
Final note
Watch every match live from 11 December to 3 January on Sky Sports Darts (channel 407 from 10 December) and stream via NOW/NowTV or the Sky Sports app. Expect high scoring, potential nine-darters, and a serious challenge to Luke Littler’s title from a stacked field.