Paddy Power World Darts Championship: The Centerpiece of the Christmas Sporting Calendar
December signals more than the festive season, it marks the return of the sport’s greatest tradition. The PDC World Championship once again transforms Alexandra Palace into the epicenter of world-class darts, where history is written in steel and nerve. For decades, this tournament has defined champions, inspired generations, and become as synonymous with Christmas as the celebrations themselves. This is the pinnacle. This is Dartsmas.
A record-breaking 128 players take to the oche this year drawn from the PDC and ProTour Orders of Merit, alongside the very best international qualifiers. Each person united by a singular ambition: to lift the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship trophy and claim the unprecedented £1,000,000 winner’s prize. Across every leg, set, and moment of high drama, the road to the next world champion begins here. And so does your complete coverage.
Tournament Format – A Test of Endurance and Excellence
A championship of this magnitude calls for a precise examination of skill and composure, upheld by the traditional set-play structure that defines elite competition.
- Round One – Best of 5 Sets
- Round Two – Best of 5 Sets
- Round Three – Best of 7 Sets
- Round Four – Best of 7 Sets
- Quarter-Finals – Best of 9 Sets
- Semi-Finals – Best of 11 Sets
- Final – Best of 13 Sets
Each set is contested as the best of five legs. A tie-break applies throughout: the deciding set must be won by two clear legs. Should the battle reach 5–5, a single sudden-death leg determines who will win high drama befitting the sport’s most prestigious stage.
Prize Fund – The Richest Championship in Darts History
The 2025/26 World Championship ushers in a landmark moment: a £5,000,000 prize fund, the highest ever seen in the sport. At its summit sits a remarkable £1,000,000 winner’s prize, an amount reserved only for this year’s winner – a reward that reflects the scale of the tournament and the magnitude of becoming a World Champion.
Round One Losers - £15,000
Round Two Losers - £25,000
Round Three Losers - £35,000
Round Four Losers - £60,000
Quarter-Finalists - £100,000
Semi-Finalists - £200,000
Runner-up - £400,000
Winner - £1,000,000
The 128 – The Strongest Field Ever Assembled
This year's World Championship welcomes a field of unparalleled depth: established champions, rising talents, global trailblazers, and the finest representatives from every corner of the PDC system.
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2025 ProTour Rankings – Top 40 Qualifiers |
International and Tier Tour Qualifiers |
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Luke Littler (England) |
Niko Springer (Germany) |
Beau Greaves (England) PDC Development Tour Qualifier |
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Luke Humphries (England) |
William O’Connor (Ireland) |
Charlie Manby (England) PDC Development Tour Qualifier |
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Michael Van Gerwen (Netherlands) |
Niels Zonneveld (Netherlands) |
Jamai van den Herik (Netherlands) PDC Development Tour Qualifier |
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Stephen Bunting (England) |
Kevin Doets (Netherlands) |
Jurjen van der Velde (Netherlands) PDC Development Tour Qualifier |
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Jonny Clayton (Wales) |
Karel Sedlacek (Czechia) |
Stefan Bellmont (Switzerland) PDC Challenge Tour Qualifier |
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Danny Noppert (Netherlands) |
Bradley Brooks (England) |
Ted Evetts (England) PDC Challenge Tour Qualifier |
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James Wade (England) |
Jeffrey de Graaf (Sweden) |
Mervyn King (England) PDC Challenge Tour Qualifier |
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Chris Dobey (England) |
Mickey Mansell (Northern Ireland) |
Lisa Ashton (England) Women’s World Matchplay Champion |
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Gerwyn Price (Wales) |
Mario Vandenbogaerde (Belgium) |
Fallon Sherrock (England) PDC Women’s Series Qualifier |
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Gian Van Veen (Netherlands) |
Callan Rydz (England) |
Noa-Lynn van Leuven (Netherlands) PDC Women’s Series Qualifier |
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Josh Rock (Northern Ireland) |
Cam Crabtree (England) |
Gemma Hayter (England) PDC Women’s Series Qualifier |
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Ross Smith (England) |
Ian White (England) |
Mitsuhiko Tatsunami (Japan) Steel Darts Japan Champion |
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Martin Schindler (Germany) |
Sebastian BIalecki (Poland) |
Xiaochen Zong (China) PDC China Championship Winner |
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Gary Anderson (Scotland) |
Dom Taylor (England) |
Nitin Kumar (India) IDC Indian Qualifier Winner |
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Nathan Aspinall (England) |
Richard Veenstra (Netherlands) |
Lourence Ilagan (Philippines) PDC Asian Championship Winner |
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Damon Heta (Australia) |
Madars Razma (Latvia) |
Alexis Toylo (Philippines) PDC Asian Championship Runner-Up |
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Rob Cross (England) |
Alan Soutar (Scotland) |
Motomu Sakai (Japan) PDC Asian Tour Qualifier |
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Mike De Decker (Belgium) |
Lukas Wenig (Germany) |
Ryusei Azemoto (Japan) PDC Asian Tour Qualifier |
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Jermaine Wattimena (Netherlands) |
Kim Huybrechts (Belgium) |
Paul Lim (Singapore) PDC Asian Tour Qualifier |
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Ryan Searle (England) |
Mensur Suljovic (Austria) |
Man Lok Leung (Hong Kong) PDC Asian Tour Qualifier |
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Dave Chisnall (England) |
Gabriel Clemens (Germany) |
Paolo Nebrida (Philippines) PDC Asian Tour Qualifier |
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Daryl Gurney (Northern Ireland) |
Thibault Tricole (France) |
Andy Baetens (Belgium) Netherlands & Belgium Qualifier |
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Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium) |
Matthew Dennant (England) |
Cristo Reyes (Spain) Mediterranean Qualifier |
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Ryan Joyce (England) |
Darren Beveridge (Scotland) |
Boris Krcmar (Croatia) South-East Europe Qualifier |
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Luke Woodhouse (England) |
Justin Hood (England) |
Adam Gawlas (Czechia) Czechia Qualifier |
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Cameron Menzies (Scotland) |
Wesley Plaisier (Netherlands) |
Krzysztof Kciuk (Poland) PDO Polish Qualifier |
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Ritchie Edhouse (England) |
Steve Lennon (Ireland) |
Arno Merk (Germany) PDC Europe DACH Super League Winner |
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Michael Smith (England) |
Max Hopp (Germany) |
Patrik Kovacs (Hungary) Hungarian Super League Winner |
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Dirk Van Duijvenbode (Belgium) |
Ryan Meikle (England) |
David Davies (Wales) UK & Ireland Tour Card Holder & Associate Member Qualifier |
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Peter Wright (Scotland) |
James Hurrell (England) |
Alex Spellman (USA) CDC Continental Cup Winner |
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Wessel Nijman (Netherlands) |
Nick Kenny (Wales) |
Leonard Gates (USA) CDC Cross-Border Challenge Winner |
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Joe Cullen (England) |
Matt Campbell (Canada) |
Adam Sevada (USA) CDC Top-Ranked American |
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Ricardo Pietreczko (Germany) |
Keane Barry (Ireland) |
David Cameron (Canada) CDC Top-Ranked Canadian |
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Andrew Gilding (England) |
Adam Lipscombe (England) |
Stowe Buntz (USA) CDC Top-Ranked Non-Qualified Player |
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Raymond Van Barneveld (Netherlands) |
Darius Labanauskas (Lithuania) |
Jesus Salate (Argentina) CDLC Qualifier |
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Scott Williams (England) |
Dominik Gruellich (Germany) |
Teemu Harju (Finland) PDC Nordic & Baltic Championship Winner |
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Krzysztof Ratajski (Poland) |
Chris Landman (Netherlands) |
Andreas Harrysson (Sweden) PDCNB ProTour Winner |
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Martin Lukeman (England) |
Owen Bates (England) |
Oskar Lukasiak (Sweden) PDCNB ProTour Runner-Up |
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Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland) |
Cor Dekker (Norway) |
Simon Whitlock (Australia) ANZ Premier League Winner |
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Ricky Evans (England) |
Connor Scutt (England) |
Tim Pusey (Australia) ADA Australian Tour Winner |
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Joe Comito (Australia) DPA ProTour Winner |
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Jonny Tata (New Zealand) DPNZ ProTour Winner |
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David Munyua (Kenya) African Darts Group Qualifier |
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Jose de Sousa (Portugal) PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifiers |
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Haupai Puha (New Zealand) PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifiers |
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Adam Hunt (England) PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifiers |
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Tavis Dudeney (England) PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifiers |
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Stephen Burton (England) PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifiers |
Viewers across the United Kingdom and Ireland can enjoy full live coverage on Sky Sports Darts, with evening sessions also broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event.
Every match will be available to stream on the Sky Sports app, giving fans the flexibility to follow the action live or relive the standout moments that define each round of the competition.
2024/25 Championship Highlights – Moments Etched in History
- Luke Littler became the youngest World Champion in history at the age of 17, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in a gripping final. His extraordinary 140.91 set average against Ryan Meikle set a new all-time World Championship record.
- Peter Wright toppled defending champion Luke Humphries with a commanding 4–1 victory in the Fourth Round, securing his place among the quarter-final elite.
- The previous World Championship featured five Big Fish finishes (170 checkouts), recorded by an elite group of competitors showcasing exceptional precision under pressure: Luke Littler, Chris Dobey, Kevin Doets, Joe Cullen and Nick Kenny each delivered the sport’s highest checkout on the game’s most prestigious stage.
- Rashad ‘Candyman’ Sweeting marked an impressive debut by celebrating a maximum 180 with only 194 remaining, replicating Cole Palmer’s renowned ‘cold’ celebration. The moment captivated the Ally Pally crowd and underscored his composure and character on darts’ premier platform.
Nine-Dart Magic
Two players etched perfection into last year’s championship:
- Christian Kist produced a flawless nine-darter in Round One against Madars Razma. An achievement that transcended the match result and became a defining moment of the tournament.
- Damon Heta delivered the second nine-dart masterpiece against Luke Woodhouse in Round Three. His celebration ignited the arena in a surge of pure sporting theatre - so electrifying that Woodhouse himself raced across the stage in acknowledgement of the moment’s brilliance.
A Tournament of Power – 180s in Abundance
The 2024/25 Championship produced an immense 907 maximums, narrowly short of the all-time record of 914.
Luke Littler alone contributed an astonishing 76, a statement of scoring power rarely witnessed on the world stage.
PDC World Championship Hall of Fame
A lineage of champions who have defined modern darts:
- 2025 – Luke Littler
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2022 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2016 – Gary Anderson
Each champion reflects a definitive moment in the sport, earned on the game’s most iconic stage by the player at the peak of that era.
This tournament has become the definitive Christmas tradition for households around the world. This year promises a bigger prize fund, a larger field, Unrivalled Entertainment – Christmas Simply Doesn’t Get Better Than the World Darts Championship.
For daily score updates, highlights, and every key story as the drama unfolds, we’ll be with you every step of the way.
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