World Darts Championship: Start date, venue, format, prize money breakdown, history & more

The PDC's annual showpiece takes place over the festive period with the world’s best arrowsmiths competing for the Sid Waddell trophy, and we've got everything you need to know about the great sporting spectacle.

World Darts Championship - Start date & final

When does the 2026 World Darts Championship start?

Dates for the 2026 staging of the competition are still to be confirmed, but is expected to begin on Sunday 14th December 2025.

The opening two rounds of action typically fill up the calendar until the Christmas break, with the remaining rounds, up until the final, commencing following the three-day interval.

World Darts Championship Christmas break

Is there a break at the World Darts Championship?

Following the conclusion of the final second-round matches, the tournament will undertake its three-day break over Christmas, with the action getting back underway after Boxing Day.

World Darts Championship - Prize Money

Winner (1):	£500,000
Runner-Up (1):	£200,000
Semi-Final losers (2):	£100,000
Quarter-Final losers (4):	£50,000
Fourth Round losers (8):	£35,000
Third Round losers (16):	£25,000
Second Round losers (32):	£15,000
First Round losers (32):	£7,500

Prize money for the 2026 World Darts Championship is expected to remain at £2,500,000 - the same as in each of the past five years.

However, the PDC has continued to increase prize money, as the sport has grown, and it’s possible that 2026’s numbers will top those of the previous year. 

World Darts Championship - Venue & Location

London’s Alexandra Palace has played host to the competition for the past 16 years, with the 2026 edition being the 18th staging of the competition at the iconic venue.

Prior to 2008, the World Darts Championship was held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, with the venue then being deemed too small given the growing popularity and booming commercial aspects of the tournament. 

World Darts Championship - Format

How many players are in the 2025 World Darts Championship?

There are 96 players set to compete in the 2026 World Darts Championship with the 32 highest ranked players on the PDC Order of Merit (the PDC world rankings) automatically earning a place in the second round of the competition.

The 32 highest ranked unqualified players on the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit start in the first round alongside 32 qualifiers from around the world.

The format of the competition sees players battling out best-of-five sets games in the first and second rounds, with that increasing as the tournament progresses until the final which could stretch across a total of 13 sets.

First round	Best-of-five sets
Second round	Best-of-five sets
Third round	Best-of-seven sets
Fourth round	Best-of-seven sets
Quarter-finals	Best-of-nine sets
Semi-finals	Best-of-11 sets
Final	Best-of-13 sets

World Darts Championship - History

The tournament, which has been running since 1994, was previously known as the WDC World Darts Championship prior to the World Darts Council voting to break away from the BDO to form the PDC in 1997.

For the first 13 years of its existence, the fabled Circus Tavern played host to the World Darts Championship before it was switched to London's Alexandra Palace, amidst huge growth in the sport, in 2008.

Phil Taylor, recognised as the best darts player in the sport’s history, notched a remarkable 16 world titles, with his most recent success coming back in 2013, almost a quarter of a century after his maiden triumph.

Luke Littler heads into the 2026 edition of the tournament as the title-holder, having overcome Michael van Gerwen in the 2025 final to capture his maiden world crown. 

Who has won the most World Darts Championship titles?

Phil Taylor dominated darts for over two decades, notching up a remarkable tally of 16 World Darts Championships, including eight successive wins between 1995 and 2002.

He followed that up with victories in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 editions too, before adding to his unprecedented tally courtesy of successes in 2009, 2010 and, finally, in 2013.

In total, Taylor reached 19 finals from his 25 appearances at the World Darts Championship, 14 more than modern-day stars Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, who have both reached the showpiece five times.

In terms of victories, the legendary Eric Bristow and Raymond van Barneveld both tasted glory on five occasions, with Martin Adams (BDO), John Lowe (BDO), van Gerwen, John Part (BDO & PDC) and Glen Durrant (BDO) notching three titles.

A plethora of other players, including Anderson, Peter Wright, Jocky Wilson and Adrian Lewis are two-time world champions.